Monthly Archives: September 2013

Rockfish Conservation Areas-19 and 20 Bentinck Island and Race Rocks

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This is reproduced from the DFO page –the BC Sports Fishing Guide-Tidal Water Fishing Area

Bentinck Island – Chart 3461

19_20cover_RCA_inset_RaceBentinckThose waters of Eemdyk Passage in Subarea 20-5 that lie westerly of the meridian passing through 123°32.450’ west longitude and northerly of a line:

from 48°18.692’N 123°33.486’W
to 48°18.640’N 123°32.916’W

Race Rocks – Chart 3461

Those waters of Subareas 19-3 and 20-5 that lie inside the 40 metre contour line surrounding Great Race Rock and Rosedale Rock as shown on Chart No. 3461, published by the Canadian Hydrographic Service of the Department. Continue reading →

month end

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Calm this morning, with mixed weather all day. Started out SE, backed to Westerly. Periods of torrential rain. DND blasting: 1200, 1205. Both big, loud single bangs.

Tour boats: 9

22 Canada Geese
Keeping my eye out for Sooty Shearwaters, no sign yet

Mammal Count from tower at 1130
9 elephant seals behind boat shed and on jetty 47 harbour seals (mostly Middle Rocks)
129 Stellar sea lions (mostly along the North shore of the main island)
200 California sea lions (mostly along the South shore in front of the student house)
Seems like this bad weather compelled a lot of the sea lions to leave. Maybe they’re just out in the water waiting for the swell and surge to ease up.

I spotted the Stellar sea lion with the line around his neck again today and got a few pictures.

-entered and sent water sampling data to IOS
-compiled month end report
-photographed branded sea lions
-fixed electric fence after storm damage
-tidied keepers house

Race Rocks Light Tower Construction Painting 1860

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towerconstruct2This image was painted by a crew member aboard the HMS Plumper in the summer of 1860. I found it first in a copy of The Private Journal of Captain G.H. Richards: The Vancouver Island Survey ( 1860-1862) by Linda Dorricott and Deidre Cullon. ( Vancouver, BC: Ronsdale Press, 2012) . The painting is archived as Image B-01601 in the Royal BC Museum, BC Archives.
The details of the picture when clicked for enlargement land ightened show some interesting features which are documented below. ( G. Fletcher)

 

first storm of the season

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The storm arrived today. Calm in the morning. Blew 30 kts SE for the afternoon. Backed to 30 kts WSW this evening.
Waves big enough to break over the whole jetty.

Most of the sea lions are gone.
The elepant seals came ashore and are piled up behind the boat shed. A new molty juvenile arrived today.
7 tour boats this morning when it was calm

Saw a raven this morning.
Also saw a Stellar sea lion with a line around it’s neck, but it disapeared before I could get a photo.

-ran desalinator
-DFO boat count
-water sample (thankfully while it was still calm)

 

rain

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Environment Canada had a gale forcasted for today, but it only got up to 25 kts. Tomorrow is supposed to get a bit more serious. The rain really started around 1600 hrs. Almost 20 mm of rain today.

Very few boats out today, which is reasonable, considering the weather and the forecast.
The coast guard cruised through the channel this morning.

Took the flag down in expectation of some foul weather tonight.

-ran the desalinator
-used the rain to scrub the solar panels
-swept/mopped some pathways

End of calm weather

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Overcast all day, light ESE wind in the morning, dead calm in the late afternoon. Big storm forecasted for this weekend.

Single DND blasts: 0920, 0925, 1045, 1300
Tour boats: 7

Off station from 1430 to 1530 to drop Jamieson back at the College

Elephant seals were gnawing on the boat trailer while trying to get the boat on. They definitely are not concerned about humans while they are in the water.

-Got pressure washer running with help from Jamieson
-Put barrels below downspouts to collect water for pressure washing
-Ran desalinator

First Visitor

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Sunny all day, light to no wind. 7.5′ tide, the swell has dropped right off. Strange tide cycle and currents for the next couple days. Almost no current for the afternoon high tide.

Water visibility is crystal clear. If you’re thinking of going for a dive, now is the time.

1450 DND blast
1510 DND blast

Off station from 0910 to 1200 to bring Jamieson out to visit.
Got gas from Pedder Bay.

-ran desalinator
-washed solar panels
-sent branded sea lion photos to NOAA contact

DND testing

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Sunny and calm all day. Wind picked up to 25 kts this evening. Small swell still running.
Sunny enough that I didn’t need to run the generator  to top up the battery bank.

Tour boats: 4

DND testing:
0935 2 blasts; sea lions were startled and cleared out off the North-East flats
1120 1 blast
1125 1 blast
1350 1 big loud bang

12 elephant seals. They were all playing in the surge on the boat ramp in the morning. They came back ashore in the afternoon and piled up behind the boat shed.

-fixed sea lion fence in the morning
-cleaned solar panels
-found missing hardware and hung boat shed doors
-finished cleaning the rainwater tank

first student trip of the school year

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A group of 11 students and a teacher visited Race Rocks today for the IB Biology class. They had hoped to do some food web observations in tide pools, but with the tides today and the swell that’s been running it wasn’t possible. Instead, they spent some time observing sea lion behavior and getting their first impressions of the ecological reserve.

With the high tide and swell the sea lions have set up camp in front of the science house on the South-West side of the island.

1110 Coast Guard helicopter flew over East to West

Tour boats: 8

There’s a great swell running, smashing into West and North Rocks throwing huge spray into the air

P1000586

PC Students observing sea lion behavior

P1000582

PC Students taking in it all in

-Fixed electric fences that were damaged over night by sea lions
-Cleaned solar panels
-Swept walkways
-Erik helped get the boat shed doors up. Waiting on hardware to finish.