Left Speechless

Joefairbanks · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2025 11:37 am Post subject: Left Speechless

Good morning C-Brats!
WARNING- This post is a little long-winded.
I wanted to do a quick update on our experiences with Sjøhest, our 2006 CC 23 Venture.
Since getting all maintenance and upgrades completed just in time for the 2025 Friday Harbor CBGT, we have been thoroughly enjoying her! Many thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge and ideas over the years on these wonderful vessels! I spent countless hours using the search function to find information on all things related to our boats. There is an amazing amount of information already on this site, if someone has the patience to search for it! Thank you, all of you!
Since the Friday Harbor gathering, we have been getting out on the water as much as our schedules will allow. It is never as often as we would like, Stacie and I still both work. Add in kids, grandkids, aging parents and everything else and we feel like we never get enough time on the water!
Last weekend, we had 2 of our grandkids overnight on Friday night with the promise that they would get picked up Saturday morning.
After the grandkids left, our plan was to launch in Port Townsend and head down to Port Ludlow. We enjoy Port Ludlow very much, and there are some nice places to anchor for overnighting.
On a whim, since the weather was forecasted to be perfect, we decided to run North to Lopez Island instead. It was only about 30 minutes farther and would be a great opportunity to adventure.
We found a nice little spot to anchor for the evening, and enjoyed a peaceful night on the hook. The next morning, we crossed over to Fidalgo to give our dog a potty break, and check out a spot that we haven't been to before.
After having breakfast, we decided to mosey South towards Deception Pass. We hit it right about 2 hours into a flood tide, and went through to Strawberry Island and came back out. We headed South towards Marrowstone Island, with the plan to head down to Port Ludlow for lunch.
Between Whidbey Island and Marrowstone, Stacie saw what looked like spray from whales up in the distance (over 1,000 yards). I kicked the motor into neutral and shut it down. I went out to the cockpit to get a better view (they were on the port side, heading parallel to our boat, but the opposite direction.) I couldn't really see them from my phone camera, which wouldn't even pick them up when zoomed in to the max. So we bobbed there for a few minutes, when the pod of Orcas decided to change course when they were parralel with us- right towards us! When they got close enough, I started a video with my phone. I was speechless, when one of them decided to say "Hi" and went directly under my feet! I'm not going to lie- it really shook me up! Never have I seen one that close, and I didn't know what to think. I just stood there, slack-jawed! The dog ran for the cabin and Stacie came out and asked me if I saw where they went. "Yes, right under our boat!"
After we regained our composure, we made it down to Port Ludlow for a relaxing lunch followed by a trip back to Port Townsend to make our trip home.
I took screenshots of the video and they are in the sub-folder 'Lopez Isle Trip' in our 'C-Darling' album.
I just wanted to share and give an update on our love affair with Sjøhest.
We have put about 45 hours on her since the beginning of May, and everything is running perfectly, knock on wood!

DayBreak · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2025 12:40 pm Post subject: Re: Left Speechless

Hi Ken. Glad to see that you are enjoying your time on Sjohest. Looked at your album and was amazed at how close that Orca got to your boat. One photo shows him or her turning their head to check you out.

It was fun spending time with you and Stacie at the Friday Harbor gathering and to finally see your 23 Cape Cruiser up close. Enjoy your summer boating adventures with all of the neat places Sjohest takes you. Gary and Colleen

Joefairbanks · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2025 12:52 pm Post subject:

Thanks Gary! Yes, we really enjoyed the chance to meet you at Friday Harbor! It's been a busy summer, and we are making the most of our time! I hope that you and Colleen are able to get out and enjoy DayBreak as well!
We are currently contemplating the best inflatable for us to get for beach excursions. So many choices!

DayBreak · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2025 5:02 pm Post subject:

We love our two person Sea Eagle 380X 12'6" Explorer Inflatable Kayak. It moves along fast with just paddle power. Smile

multimediasmith · Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2025 5:15 am Post subject:

Amazing and a little terrifying but EXCEPTIONAL! Was exciting to read.
Were you along on the Princess Louisa side trip?
Such a bucket list adventure

Joefairbanks · Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2025 1:13 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the feedback, multimediasmith!
Yes, I have to admit that the Orca going right under my feet (and boat) really had me shaking for a bit! I wasn't expecting it and was frozen like a deer in a pair of headlights, LOL!
No, unfortunately we were not able to make the Princess Louisa Inlet trip after the Friday Harbor gathering. Maybe we will be able to make it next year, because it looked like a great time!

JamesTXSD · Posted: Thu Jun 12, 2025 5:39 pm Post subject:

Congrats on getting out and enjoying your new boat! One of the best things about boating in the Pacific Northwest is the chance opportunity to see Orcas. I miss seeing them almost daily since we re-retired again (working for a whale watch company). They are magnificent animals; intelligent, too.

Getting to see Orcas is special. Getting a close encounter of the Orca kind is something you will remember for the rest of your life. Hopefully, there were no other boats around when this happened... I say that only because NOAA can be tough on violations of being too close to Orcas. Please don't take that as any admonition: from your description, you did nothing wrong. Sometimes, it is clear that the Orcas did not get the memo on the distance they should stay from boats. Cool

This is one of those "I did nothing - the Orcas came to me!" situations that NOAA and other LE don't have to take into consideration. When I was driving commercial whale watch boats, non-commercial operators would sometimes run right up on the whales, then claim "I didn't see them!" You did the right thing by staying out of their direction of travel and putting the boat in neutral or turning off the engine (you should also probably turn off your depth sounder while in their vicinity).

I know of no report of Orcas causing any trouble for boaters in the Pacific Northwest (no "attacks" on boats). But, when you're in a boat the size of your Venture, they look really big as they pass underneath! Shocked

They are also agile and well aware of what is happening around them. Curious, too.

Some researchers say that Orcas are the "second most intelligent mammals on the planet"... looking at some people, I think they may be a notch higher. Wink

I enjoyed your description. Thanks for sharing.

Jim

Joefairbanks · Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2025 2:07 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the reply, Jim.
I was aware of the rule changes on January 1st, as they did a great job of getting the message out there late in 2024. I can assure you that we did not break any rules, and when I say that we were at least 1,000 yards away we really were. On the other "side" of the orca's direction of travel, there were 2 commercial whale watching vessels. They were much closer than we were. My only uneasiness was when the pod turned and headed towards us. I didn't feel that it would be a good idea to go in and re-start our motor and move. I felt that the danger to the Orcas would be much higher. So I sat there and watched them get closer and closer. I honestly never expected them to get to us, let alone go under our boat.
I can imagine that the guests on the tour boats must have been jealous as the pod veered opposite of their placement and came towards us.
It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!