September 23, 2014

Yes, it's whale season once again. And they seem to sneak up just when you're relaxing on the waves. Pat Broderick and Pat Wertz sent this story in to remind us that whales are better observed when at a distance.

Call me Patrick. Several years ago – never mind how long precisely – having a little money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would buy a Wyliecat 30 and see the watery part of the world, specifically the San Mateo County coastline. But, first the start.

This year’s SSS Half Moon Bay Race on September 13 started off lucky enough for Nancy, with a great start, leading the pack of PHRF 111-150 monohulls off the line and under the Golden Gate Bridge against a building flood in light air. By Land's End things had changed dramatically and the two Pats onboard watched everyone else sail away to the southwest in search of the Colorado Reef Buoy.

After a frustrating hour trying to free ourselves from the river running into the Golden Gate, we finally began making progress toward the south. The SW wind made for a close reach as we began to inch our way at less than 2 knots toward the turning point, while all our competition faded into the haze far ahead. We hoped they were feeling some of the pain we felt.

Eventually, late in the afternoon the red Colorado Reef Buoy appeared on the horizon, standing lonely on watch since all the other boats were long gone. As we approached the buoy we saw three humpback whales feeding between us and Montara, about half a mile away. Pat II called, “Thar she blows,” while Pat I ranted about how much he hated sailing with whales around while trying to race.

The Wilderness 30 Domino and the traffic off Montara. ©2014 Pat Wertz

We watched their spouts, their humped backs, and their fins as they dived for food. Humpbacks being baleen whales, we knew they had two blow holes and from their vee-shaped column-like spouts we knew they were humpbacks.

Colorado Reef Buoy. ©2014 Pat Wertz

We felt pretty safe since they seemed to be paralleling our course southward a good distance inshore. Another boat was further in and looked pretty close to the whales, and we commented how we favored our position over theirs. After passing the Colorado Reef Buoy, we altered course for Pillar Point and lost sight of the whales until Pat II called, "Whale tail behind us!" Looking back, we saw the tail, so we thought the whales were moving seaward behind us. No close calls, no fishy breath, no danger!

That’s when the keel went Thump! and the boat raised a little out of the water. The two Pats looked at each other, and – like Napa residents after the shake in unison said, "Earthquake!" – we said “Whale!” Nothing surfaced, but there’s not a lot to hit out at the Colorado Reef Buoy according to the charts. What else could it have been? We kept looking.

And then the keel when Thump! Thump! and the boat really raised out of the water, upsetting a water bottle on the cockpit sole. Two resounding Thumps. Again, nothing showed above water as we kept watch aft and seaward.

We figure the whale we saw behind us was #1. We figure the first Thump! was whale #2. And, we figure the second pair of Thumps, coming right together, was whale #3.

The rest of the sail into Pillar Point was normal and slow. And so ends our whale of a tale.

– Pat Broderick, Nancy, Wyliecat 30

See our previous 2014 SSS Half Moon Bay Race report here.