Aug 31, 2014
Sipping my breakfast chai and munching on toast in the wheelhouse, I admired the wide range of dense cumulus clouds, all around. It is grey and going to be all day – get used to it!
From 9 onwards we nicely hitched a ride on the Leeuwin current and travelled at 9.2 and 9.4 kts! When we stayed on the 200 m contour we were in it, catching a free ride of at least 2 knots, reaching a top of 10.2 knots, but going towards the 500 contour on the shelf edge, we moved out of the current and our SOG (Speed Over the Ground) dropped to 7.8 kts. No wonder the whales travel specific depth contours when they migrate – they know exactly where to get an advantage!
A juvenile Black-browed albatross delighted as we approached Fremantle. I love to be “with” albatross!
Seven eighths cloud between a couple of squalls brought a new view to our usually bluer than blue Kimberley sky. My how one quickly adapts to things one likes! An under-statement! By 1330 we were “with albatross” again. If one is content with cool, then cooler climes and albatross are my next favourite from tropics and brown booby birds! Albatross do have a certain je ne sais pas crois! They have it – style, groove and finesse, all in one! Taking a few pictures, I could see we had at least two species of albatross and three age classes. An adult Yellow-nosed albatross and both a juvenile and adult, Black-browed albatross ducked and weaved on the wind and waves, as we approached Fremantle.
Lunch of over-easy eggs and crackly fried bacon with baguette, lettuce and tomato and strawberry salad was delicious, as ever! The mid-day weather was the coolest for a while, the dry bulb temperature 16.40 C, brrr! With full bellies, we continued to sight whales throughout the afternoon, but only 15 pods. Clearly, we are at the front of the southern migration. We have led the way down the coast. Just quietly, I think the whales should stay a while longer!
At 1609 we brought in the towed array. We deployed it just out of Broome and towed it the whole WA coast until 30 nm north of Rottnest Island. We have listened in on the sea for 7 days straight! There is great value in just having the sounds running in the wheelhouse as our background music! You get a real feel for different whale songs, ‘Wow that one is unusual!’ or ‘That one is close or far away’, we often commented. We saw dolphins buzz us, learned what a head-slap and breach looks like and heard and saw beautiful humpback whale songs. I would have been smitten by many of the songs, if I was a lady whale in the position to be smitten! Luckily, I am not a humpback whale!
This is the edge of the Leeuwin Current. The edge is a wavery line, follow the line where the calm water meets the rougher water, this is the edge of current. We travelled faster in the smoother water than in the rougher water, outside the current.
“Fleet Pasta” or “Last-Night-Out Pasta”, aka “First-Night-Out Pasta” from Resty was yummy and well-received! Upon return, Simon and Resty are planning to go to the movies, Carrie to visit the gym and see Steve and as well, Dale and Daffy are looking forward to returning to their wives. I will be happy to see our girls. I am lucky, Curt and I go together and we take our home too. We are snails.
As we approached Fremantle, I counted a few things. We have been away for 39 days, I have taken 65,000 photographs (of which I have viewed and noted each one!) and we have travelled just on 4000nm. Along the way, we have had the pleasure of documenting more than 700 cetacean sightings, 99% of these humpback whales. To fuel all this activity, Resty has served 784 cooked lunches and dinners to the grateful crew of Whale Song on the journey north, while in the Kimberley and on the way south again! Thank you for your tasty treats each day Resty!
Tonight we shall dock in our pen, after another beautiful adventure up the WA coast with wacky WA whales! What a privilege!
Look out for a few more photos!
Mich
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