Thar She – Well You Know

I’ve just returned from another first time, quintessential New England adventure thanks to our resident PanaGal. I’d never been on a whale watching cruise before but I can longer say that. We set out in the wee hours of the morning because our drive was taking us near the dreaded Boston commuter traffic. I was traveling to America’s first sea port (at least that’s what they claimed) – Gloucester, Massachusetts, a palce I’ve never been to before. Unexpectedly the drive went very fast and we were the first ones to show up at the pier. That meant an hour long wait as the line grew for the sold-out excursion, but at least we were first in line which meant we got the coveted seats in the bow of the ship. I was a little disconcerted, knowing how superstitious sailors are, that our ship was called the Hurricane.

The Intrepid Whale Watchers

Waiting in Line

Ladies in front of the Hurricane

Best Seats in the House

Staking out their Position

We were warned to bring some warm clothes as once we hit the breakwater the temps were supposed to plummet. I was glad to have my Red Sox hoodie at that point as a nearby guy from Rhode Island was suffering as he tried to macho it out with only a t-shirt and shorts. His girlfriend ended up giving him serial hugs to warm him up. My Favorite Panamanian and the PanaGal staked out their position in the bow as we approached whale territory. They warned us repeatedly on the way out that they could not guarantee an actual whale siting but that fear was put to rest in the first five minutes after we stopped following the hour long cruise out.

Heading out of Gloucester Harbor

Favorite Panamanian

Getting Cooler

First Whale Spotted

Our narrator was an accomplished whale biologist who knew each of the whales we encountered by name. It’s not as if we could challenge her on that but she seemed credible. The ship got within 50 meters of a breaching humpback and it was majestic, as were all the beasts we saw. She was the first of eight different humpbacks we ran into during our three hours out there. We also glimpsed a rare finback whale which is the second largest whale in the world (see, I was listening). It was a calm day on the water and it offered some great views of the whales. The pictures do not do them justice. We were close enough to hear the spouts going off as the big thangs seemed to tolerate us well.

We ran into a pair of whales that were snoozing on the surface. The biologist said one half of their brain stays engaged to handle breathing and predators (sounds like a certain Panamanian). The female was one of the largest humpbacks ever measured and was the biologists personal favorite. This whale was also known as the laziest of all the humpbacks, hence the napping. As we headed back to port we ran across a mother whale and calf, also snoozing. The biologist said the calves put on a hundred pounds a day during their first year which sounded ominously like me on one of my cheat days and overconsumption of whoopie pies.

Warm Clothes Came in HAndy

Sun had a Weird Ring Around it

Mother and Calf

Heading Back In

It was an exhilarating experience which I would recommend highly. The Cape Ann Whale Watch company has the experience wired and I would encourage you to use them and to also get there early for the best seats. It helped to have the Panamanians along to secure the best views although arriving anywhere early with Panamanians is a tall task, but I digress. I’ve already sent a number of the photos to the FBR who was fascinated and not a little put out that she wasn’t accompanying us.

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn