Today, Wednesday, our IP boat set off for Scorpion Anchorage and Santa Rosa. On
leaving the harbor, we immediately encountered heavy seas and a dense fog right
on the deck which lasted until we broke into a patch of sunshine at the
Scorpion Pier. Heading toward the backside of Santa Cruz we were right back in
the soup and people were getting restless until about a mile from the pier at
Betchers Bay when the sun came out again, this time to stay.
And what else did we see directly in front of us— at least 5 gray whales diving
continuously to feed off the bottom. When they came up, we could see mud and
sand streaming from their mouths as they forced it through their baline,
creating a large sandy cloud around them before they dived again. And we
thought they don’t feed on their migration! It was an extraordinary sight.
The glorious weather held, and Santa Rosa was full of wild flowers. On the way
back we saw 2 humpbacks, but no dolphins and also visited Painted Cave.
