[CINC] Rock and Roll on the Condor X 5/14

[Michael Berg]

Crew and passengers hoped we would have
another humpback whale day but all we saw
were 2 gray whale cow calf pairs, a pod
of 1000-2000 common dolphins and alot of
whitecaps. The shallow feeding gray whales
were spotted close to shore just east of the
Santa Barbara Wharf.

A reversed weather pattern was predicted-
a windy morning and calmer afternoon seas.
What we experienced was sunny skies, good
visibility but wind throughout the day with alot
of rocking and rolling. The windy weather
prevented Captain Mat from heading toward
a reported humpback hangout but we did
view a dolphin pod about 4 nautical miles
from Santa Cruz.  Bird sightings included
Brown Pelicans, Black Storm-petrels,Western
Gulls and a lone Bald Eagle soaring above
Santa Cruz. The passengers overall coped
well with the rocking and rolling thanks in
large part Captain Mat's excellent navigational
skills.

The Condor crew included Captain Mat, Matt
and Dave. Carolyn McCloskey (PID), Rae Emmett
(Naturalist) and Michael Berg (Naturalist) represented
the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary.

Michael Berg
michaelberg6 at gmail.com
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