Pacific Grace 2009 - Trip 4

After boarding all our trainees and completing introductions we slipped our lines at 1400hrs yesterday. Wind was calm so we continued traveling into the night. Our hope was to try and get to triangle island which lies 24 miles to the north west of Cape Scott, the north western tip of Vancouver Island. visiting Triangle is like visiting ´never never land´. Rock formations are right out of the movie Jurassic Park. Large sealion colonies flourish on the outer islands swept regularly by large swells rolling in from the Pacific. Tufted puffins, guillemots, cormorants, rhinoceros auklets and other birdlife not regularly seen abound everywhere. All life thrives out on and around Triangle. It always seems like you are visiting a place far from anything familiar when you arrive there. We have always arrived at night so as soon as the anchor is down and the engines are turned off the magic begins. Sounds of all the different sea birds nesting on the island can at times be almost deafening. Sea lions can be heard barking, burping and growling at each other all night long. This chorus of sound is accompanied constantly by the large swells breaking on the nearby outer shore. Dories were over the side by 0900hrs and all were very excited for the thrilling tour ahead. All watches moved slowly over the large kelp beds that lay between the Grace and the nearest sealion colony. As the boats approached more of the sealions entered the water and came nearer to have a look. These are huge animals and at one point close to fifty were straining their necks to see who was over for a visit. A thrilling event for both us and the sealions. Dories were also taken through clefts in the rocks on a circuitous route touring the outer islands, always under the watchful eyes of nearby sealion patrols. With dories on board by 1200hrs we were underway again in calm weather towards Winter Harbour. Whale sightings, shark sightings and a successful fishing stop ended our passage for the day. Two large salmon were caught which we plan to put in the ships smoker for a treat tomorrow. All are well and trilled with all that has gone on in the first 30hrs of this trip.