July 9th on the Granite State

Today was a bit of a challenge for us aboard the Granite State. The morning was foggy and while it wasn't too bad as we left Rye Harbor it didn't take long for us to find it again offshore. We headed to Jeffreys Ledge, to an area we had whales just the other day, but the fog seemed like it was at it's worst in the area where our whales had been! With determination and help from everyone on board we scoured the area. Unfortunately we came up empty-handed.

While the conditions today provided no luck in finding whales, I must also mention we have had some very successful, and some incredible(!) trips in the fog. Though reduced visibility from fog can be challenging it is not impossible to find whales and sometimes the further we head offshore the quicker the fog bank can rapidity diminish at any point in time. With that, we want to say thank you to all those who joined us this morning. It was a valiant effort by all eyes as we scanned the area for any signs of whale activity, and we look forward to you coming back for another voyage out to Jeffreys Ledge.

This afternoon we made our way back to the same area. The fog lifted giving us lots of visibility in all directions around the boat. Turns out in almost the same place we had been maneuvering the area in the morning, we had whales! You almost have to chuckle as we had come so close and yet been unable to respot these animals in the morning.

Our first whale of the trip was a Humpback whale. We believe this may be Nuages. Our photos taken aboard the trip match up quite nicely to the black and white pigmentation pattern of this whale in our catalogue and are in search of another identifiable photograph to confirm some of the unique ridges of this animal. Of course if things change we will let you know!

We also spent some time with a Fin whale, who was travelling a bit, but at one point surfaced just beyond the back of the boat. What a great look as this whale as it made its way through the water before going on a deeper dive.

With a little bit of time left and our eyes still peeled for any other whales it didn't take long before we found another Humpback whale. It was Nile.

Nile's tail and a photograph of this whale coming to the surface for a breath of air. Nile was named for the black zig-zag line on the left fluke resembling that of the Nile River.

This whale is a female, and a productive one at that. She was born in 1987 and has given birth to multiple calves in the past. We spent some time with this animal as well before it was time to head back to Rye Harbor.

While it was a tough start today it just goes to show how things can change. We have no control over where the whales go, what behaviors we see from them, and what the weather may be until we make our way to Jeffreys Ledge. When we get a chance to watch a whale we are watching just a small slice of that whale's daily activities and to see just one is something many people in the world do not get a chance to enjoy. So thanks again to all who searched, and watched, and saw the whales today. It is an experience we hope to share with all of you someday.

UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE: Nuages has just been confirmed and better yet our Fin whale has been identified as Ladder!!!! An Adopt-A-Whale for the Blue Ocean Society and a whale we have seen only a couple of times this year!

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