Category Archives: Marine Vessels

First Glaucous-winged-gull chicks hatch

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Weather

We have mainly low winds except on the Monday 26th where we got to 40knots from West otherwise it has been between 5knots to 15knots

Ecological

I spotted the 2 first gull chicks and they were  4/5days old …there are for sure more than 2 and the adults gulls are getting aggressive. I saw a river otter and 2 young ones under the crane like usual.7 Elephant seals are steady on the rocks( moulting time). No Sea lions at all.The eagles get motivated and 2 attacked at the same time!

Vessels

I could count 80 fishing boats but not closed, ecotourism vessels full as usual.

Maintenance

Usual chores ..the solar panels got pretty dirty and needs attention. I transferred the last 240 liter of oil in the main house tank

A permanent show for delighted tourists

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Weather

Tuesday the 20th  was a very windy day with a West wind already at 24knots early in the morning. A gale warning was in effect and for sure it was strong  around the rocks and that for the whole day to late in the evening:38knots at 11:00AM,41 at 11:45,42 at 1:50PM,43 at 15:00 . Even around 10:00PM we were still around 35knots .Very tiring day for the light keepers!. The following day was not so bad the wind coming from West like the day before stayed around 25knots for the whole day.The rest of the week was beautiful ,sunny and almost hot on Race Rocks.Winds coming from North or North East but light very light 5knots,6knots at the most

Ecological

We have 8 elephants seals right now :2 big and older one (Chunk one of them ) and 4 beautiful and playful younger males ,a female and  a very young one . they spend the whole afternoon in water or in the railway for the pleasure of the ecotourist- boats .so many of them …impossible to count..Really that never stopped even coming from the states!. With the solstice and the very low tides it was very interesting to observe the pools and their inhabitants in the inter tidal zones …beautiful and colorful colonies of Sea urchins ,huge mussels,molluscs and many different species  we don’t see so often  ,huge and different sea weeds and kelp… Race Rocks is still a rich world.

Vessels

27 boats to 50 fishing boats have been seen in the morning of the week – end,!mainly on East –  Sooke Point. We saw a submarine going outside,a few planes above or closed and the usual traffic in the strait. The van Isle International race boats were very beautiful to look at with their spinnakers in a steady 20 knots wind. We noticed some pretty big fishing boats leaving towards the ocean.I already spoke about the high traffic of whale watchers vessels

Maintenance

The desalinator has been on a few times but not the generator . It has not been in use for 20 days :a record! the solar panels need attention because of so many busy gulls around. The door of the desalinator shed has been repaired.and I cleaned the railway with the high pressure water to get the boat easily in the water . It was getting pretty hard lately. The level of the liquid /fuel has been checked and sent

Spring big tides and a 10 days old baby girl visit

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Weather

On Thursday  June 15th : Wind:gale warning for the afternoon to 30/35 knots North East wind . Calm sea early at 5:30 and later in the morning rain and fog visibility drop from 10 miles to 2.The temperature was around 11dgrees with 82% of humidity.On the 16th Friday early the wind was 24knots and again same pattern a gale warning for the afternoon . clear sky 15 miles visibility and 11.9 Air  temperature. The rest of the week we had a calm sea with light winds

Ecological

We have between 6 and 9 elephant seals on the rock mainly younger one with always Chunk the old timer. A very young one surprised me : 5 months at the most. The rock is becoming pretty dirty …poo and flies everywhere . It’s getting yellow and white with the birds even the roofs have changed; not so clean anymore…We have less nesting gulls this year. A few oyster catchers couples like usual at this time and on the same spots. The tides are strong those days.by example:on the 15th low tide at 13:30: 2 feet and high tide at 22:30: 8 feet.Slag are long too

Vessels

I had to phone 2 times this past week to Pedder Bay marina because 2 of their renting boats were very closed and worst fishing ; Asian people each time . So for the fist boat they left as soon as contacted but for the second i had to use horn and shouting to get the same result.Many eco-tourism vessels. Big coast guard boat seen on Friday

Maintenance

The generator has not been used for 10 days…Very efficient solar panels. work like usual in and  around the house

Visitors

Christine arrived on the 19th for a few days on the rock and the same evening we had a nice visit of Kyle and Sabrina with Sabrina’s parents and the little 10 days old baby girl Tyler.

Other

1 Helicopter and 1 plane above

 

 

Wood stocking for Winter

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Weather

If Monday and Tuesday were a little bit windy around 20 knots Wednesday has been a calm and almost no wind day at all. the air temperature was pretty chilly for June (10 Celsius) the barometric pressure :101.3 and 101.5 K Pa. Good visibility and calm sea. Sky:overcast most of the day

Ecological

We can notice an increase of the Pigeons guillemots population . They are also very active. Between 6 and 9 elephant seals on the rocks and Chunk the famous one, came back bloody with an injure on one of his Finn and bites all over his body.

Maintenance

I did an extensive cutting and stoking wood work for next Winter . The basement is full now. The solar pannels are a lot more efficient

Vessels activity

So many whale watchers those days around the dock.Summer is definitively there !

 

 

Just a few sea lions but noisy ones…

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Weather

22 knots  south west wind ,sea with wavelets, sky overcast,visibilty over 13miles. Low tide at 0,73 . Full moon is coming soon

Ecological

I was” disturbed” by a few very noisy sea lions on the jetty! In the afternoon nap for everybody …sleeping rock.4 new geese

vessels

Whale watchers :1st one at 10:30 AM  no fishing boat on sea, a few carriers going out

Maintenance

desalinator on,cleaning of the house windows,wood chopping,some grease on the boat trailer.

Very calm day except for the watchers around

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Weather

Almost no wind :6 knots  from west ,calm sea and 13 miles visibility at 5:30 AM.The wind raised at 5h00 PM to 17knots and quickly to 20 knots.

Ecological

7 elephant seals were sleeping the whole day. 4 were big males

Maintenance

Solar panels very dirty in the morning ,a wheel on the dolly needed to be changed and the chainsaw needed to be sharpened

Vessels activity

At 5h30 AM the cruise ships were heading to Victoria and at 11am the 1st whale watchers were around the rock . It has never stopped for the rest of the day. May be a correlation between the 2: cruise ships and activity at Race Rocks.

Switch over done on the 2nd of June ,2017

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On Sunday 2nd of June between two gusts of wind Guy switches over Laas. Thank you for the good job and for  leaving the house so tidy.

Weather

Saturday 3rd : light wind 17knots ,sky :overcast;visibility: over 15miles,calm sea.On Sunday: more wind 24Knots  to 31 knots from West,sea state: white crests,visibility :15miles, sky: partly cloudy, air temperature:9.5 degrees at 5:30AM. Monday: calm again:9knots from West clear and calm.

Ecological

Around on Sunday it was interesting to watch 2 heavy fishing boats coming back from sea full9 elephants seals on the rocks . Seagulls on their nests; a few are aggressive as usual at this time of the year. it takes 23 to 24 days of incubation and around 40 days to see the babies taking off for the 1st time.Many eagles in the morning trying to get some eggs.

Vessels

Saturday has been a busy day for the watchers and also for the small fishing boats closed to the coast.  The cruise ships are back and can be seen as usual in the evening leaving Victoria.In Sunday it was nice to watch 2 big , heavy and full of fish boats coming back from high seas. Some big containers

Plane

One above the tower towards Victoria

Facility work

Generator and desalinator on / 200 liters of gasoil transfered in the yellow tank / cleaning of the boat shed and on the jetty

 

 

 

 

Last day

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 Miles
  • Wind:  0-5 SE
  • Sky: overcast to partly cloudy
  • Water: calm

Boats/Visitors

  • A few ecotours today

Ecological

  • 11 elephant seals scattered around today

Other

  • Today is my last full day, I head out tomorrow but I hope to be back in the fall

Census Day

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 Miles
  • Wind:  20-15 NW
  • Sky: overcast
  • Water: calm

Boats/Visitors

  • A few ecotours today

Ecological

  • 11 elephant seals scattered around today, mostly around the jetty to cool off in the water

Census

  • Stellar Sea Lions: 33
  • California Sea Lions: 23
  • Elephant Seals: 11
  • Harbour Seals: 161
  • Unspecified Gulls: 212
  • Pigeon Guillemots: 53
  • Cormorants: 12
  • Canada Geese: 19
  • Oystercatchers: 8
  • Harlequinn Ducks: 0
  • Crows: 1

Notes

  • The harbour seal numbers have significantly increased but all of the other numbers seem to have gone down
  • The little elephant seal is back, I haven’t seen her for a few days

Seagulls vs Elephant Seals

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Weather

  • Visibility: 15 Miles
  • Wind:  5-10 W
  • Sky: overcast some rain
  • Water: calm

Boats/Visitors

  • A few ecotours came by today

Ecological

  • 11 elephant seals today mostly in the front of the house but went down to the jetty, I see still don’t see the youngest female around
  • There are definitely more seagull eggs, an elephant seal got too close to one of their nests earlier and got into a fight with two of them, the gulls won, the seal wiggled away