The morning sun displayed streaks of pink and orange light on the decks of National Geographic Sea Bird. The loyal yoga stretchers gathered for the final class on the sundeck waking up and welcoming the day. The clouds extended the length of the horizon, across the sea, as our floating home traveled closer to the San Juan Islands and the U.S. state of Washington. On the hunt for killer whales, people lined the decks enjoying the views and spectacular weather.
In the lounge, David Stephens, cultural interpreter, presented information about the native cultures we experienced on this trip, complete with dancing and singing. He shared with us what he has learned, participated in, and taught from his many years of study with the cultures of British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.
After lunch, a brief orca sighting brought us back out on the decks to partake in the moments of whale surfacing and to photograph Herman’s Gulls during a frenzy feeding. Shortly after Steve Maclean, naturalist, enlightened our thoughts and speculations about the reason why whales breach.
The San Juan Islands and Friday Harbor, where we docked for the afternoon, is rich in cultural, maritime, and natural history, featuring an excellent whale museum, shops, and restaurants. After we came back aboard, cocktail hour kicked off with a lovely spread of food and a wonderful featured drink called “little sea birdy” by our amazing bartender, Matt Dumas. The hard work of the photographers aboard and photo team were displayed with the fantastic slideshow. The captain and expedition leader finished our trip with words of gratitude and appreciation of our adventures over the past two weeks. Finally the captain led us into Captain’s Farewell Dinner for a festive celebration to commemorate our last evening together on this memorable trip.
