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From the Boathouse: A whale — or bear — of a tale

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Ahoy, and watching the sea life!

Recently, I was asked by a boater, who has not ventured far from his homeport, about my yacht deliveries along the Pacific Coast and if I saw sea critters on my voyages. His only sightings were the occasional California gray whales, dolphins and, of course, sea lions.

I see a variety of marine life when I am skippering yachts, whether on course to Ensenada, Mexico or cruising in the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia or halfway between Hawaii and California. Pinnipeds, which include sea lions, seals and walruses, are most abundant along the coast, and different whale species are more numerous the farther north one travels up the coast.

Once, I was northbound up the Mexican coast just off Rosarito Beach, and the seas were flat. We were cruising at a comfortable 25 knots when, directly off the boat’s bow, a whale surfaced, which is unusual in my travels. I have never hit a critter, but I had to quickly deactivate the autopilot for an evasive maneuver that almost threw the crew out of their seats. The whale actually surfaced a couple of times, and I am not positive that we would have hit each other, but why take the chance?

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We do have to stand watch while constantly looking to avoid other vessels, buoys, floats, seaweed, logs, rocks and sea critters. It is very common for the dolphins in a pod to surround the boat underway, and the animals love swimming and jumping, especially in the wake. One voyage, I had one kamikaze seagull fly into my boat.

Flying fish are known for soaring into boats, but not birds. However, some birds will hitch a ride from time to time, and we had a bird that was fishing from our ship on a voyage to Hawaii. We were approximately 800 nautical miles out from Honolulu when a booby (a bird, not one of my crewmembers) took roost on our radar tower. The booby stayed with our ship for a few days, and I began to wonder why a bird would fly 800 miles from land into the open ocean. Well, this bird would spot fish from our tower and then swoop down to catch its prey time and time again.

Any boater who has traveled along the coast by Morro Bay will know what the light-brown furballs are floating in the ocean. The floating balls are sea otters that are floating on their backs. These are cute little critters that you can get close to without fear of being eaten, unlike when I was anchored behind an island in British Columbia.

I have had many more critter encounters, like the one with a bear that was swimming in the cove when I was anchored off an island in British Columbia. I still ponder today what I would have done if the bear had decided to board my boat.

Tip of the week is that the local spiny lobster season has opened for the recreational hunter. I cannot wait to savor the delicate meat this year. Hopefully, this will be a good year, and those in search of the bugs should consider the back side of Catalina Island.

Boaters need to be alert at the jetty entrances, as the lobster pots will extend from both the east and west jetties. Each pot has a floating buoy attached by a line, and there is the potential of wrapping your prop in the line.

When you are hunting lobster this season, remember to take only what you will consume, and know the regulations. Lobster hunting is regulated by California state law, and as such, you are required to have a California sportfishing license with the ocean enhancement stamp. I will have more on lobster hunting in an upcoming column.

As always, just keep an eye to the weather for any changes. Please be boat smart and boat safe. Lastly, please boat responsibly and look behind you before you turn the wheel at the helm.

Tune in to the No. 1 boating radio talk show in the nation, “Boathouse Radio Show,” broadcasting live coast-to-coast on syndicated network. See times at https://www.boathousetv.com, https://www.facebook.com/boathouseradio and https://www.twitter.com/boathouseradio.

Safe voyages!

MIKE WHITEHEAD is a boating columnist for the Daily Pilot. Send marine-related thoughts and story suggestions to mike@boathousetv.com or go to https://www.boathousetv.com.

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