San Juan Sailing, Orcas and Anchorages

In early July 2007 we motored north in Renata Maria from Shelter Bay. Three intrepid souls, Sandra, myself and Hilton, our good friend and godfather to the RM. Intending to sail to Sucia island, we were deflected from our destination by a stiff north wind. Instead of heading towards Bellingham, we turned east down the Guemes channel beneath Cap Sante. Guemes and Cypress Islands provided some shelter and we were able to negotiate Rosario north and wind through Thatcher Pass.
In the sound between Blakely, Lopez and Orcas, we approached several vessels bearing day tripping tourists. Suddenly just ahead, I spotted the towering dorsal fin of a male orca. a couple minutes later, a half mile to our left, we saw three killer whales accompanied by three smaller touring vessels. The larger of the touring vessels, the Glomar Explorer had turned away, but now rejoined the pack. The aggressive behavior of these whale watchers made me wonder if the rules of engagement are different here than in Hawaii. It is worthy to note that this spot is not a common one for viewing orcas...the traditional place to look is in Haro Strait on the west shore of San Juan Island.
Continuing north toward Lawrence Point (the far east prominence on Orcas Island), we encountered yet another orca. This female did a spy pop, coming straight out of the water and looking at us. She then swam with us for about three minutes at seventyfive yards, surfacing four times before bearing off to the southeast.
As we attempted to motor around Lawrence Point, the wind increased over twenty knots. Giving up on Sucia for this day, we turned tail and headed across the south end of Orcas. As we approached Obstruction Pass, we got a look (at perhaps two hundred yards) of the family group, male, female and calf. The adults surfaced in unison at about thirty second intervals. What a treat. The whales headed east and we headed west, to West Sound, actually.
After consulting our cruising guide and charts, we made a successful anchorage between Double Island and Victim Island. This small bay, formerly the summer home of the Kaiser steel family, provided a calm and secure haven on a firm mud bottom. As night fell we enjoyed a delicious spaghetti Sandra had fashioned with chicken and a red sauce and we toasted the orcas with a glass of red wine.
The photo: Sandra pilots Renata Maria under Hilton's watchful eye.