The Maine Event

No Justice

Day 43

Today we went whale watchin' with our new friend Chris, the Right Whale expert. He has a building here in Lubec that he's renovating into a house, and it's right beside the Canadian border. You can look out of his back windows and see cars lined up to come into the U.S.

Chris has his own Zodiac, which is the very speedy raft/catamaran like boat that is favored by professional whale watching guides up here. He hasn't taken it out for the season this year, so he uses our visit as a good excuse. We plan to just cruise around a little, maybe see a whale, maybe not. It's such a glorious day, and it's so rare that I get to go out on a boat in the ocean, that I have absolutely no expectations of seeing anything other than the beautiful ocean and Maine coastline. It's good not to have expectations, you might limit yourself.

Chris moseys us through the harbor and out East Quaddy, which is marked by a beautiful, freshly painted red and white lighthouse, and also a significant temperature drop. Once we are out of the protection of the cove, and floating over 400 plus feet of ocean, it's cold. There is also a fresh ocean-y fishy smell, which Chris says is plankton rich water. Chris points out all of the many water birds flying around us, the characteristics of the water as the tide pours in and details of the coastline. We are on a rock star tour. We see tiny harbor porpoises arcing through the water like shiny black razors. They are within feet of the boat, and we are thrilled.

A friend of Chris' is out doing a whale watching tour, so we head over to visit him. Chris and this guy go and untangle whales who have become trapped in fishing lines. We get a tip that there might be some Fin Backs a little farther out, so we decide to go check it out. The boat speeds us out past orange footed puffins, diving as we approach, or flying away low over the water. As we approach, we see the telltale spray against the horizon, and Chris, with his trained eye, says there are four Fin Backs swimming through this area.

Self portrait with East Quoddy Light House

Chris explains that Fin Backs are the second largest living creature on the planet. There are very big and very fast. If we are lucky enough to see them, it is because they are allowing us to. They could be a mile away with three flicks of a tail.

We float near a few other whale boats, thrilled and mesmerized at seeing these enormous creatures surfacing, breathing, and diving. They surface about three times before they do a five to eight minute dive. We watch as they cycle through this, wondering where they will surface each time. They stay far enough away so that we can make out only their sleek backs and fins against the horizon. It is so very beautiful I can hardly stand it. I am seeing whales.

Then, the air tingles, I look down at the Pirate, who is sitting on the edge of the Zodiac, and behind him something is happening. The three of us see it at the same time, and gasp collectively. Directly beneath us, a Fin Back whale, the size of a Greyhound bus, surfaces. Chris jumps to kill the motor. With the sun shining on it's back, I can see that this massive creature is not black, but shades of orange and green, with two blazes going down either side of it's back. It's back is a foot from the bottom of our boat. It surfaces so that we could have reached out and touched it. It rolls a bit from side to side, so that we can see it's elegant fins, which look thin next to it's mass. It breaths with a spray. It swims away from us slowly. I am shaking at this point, as though I am attached to a paint shaker. My knees feel like they might give. If I weren't out here with these guys, I would fall to them, and weep. I have never seen anything so magnificent, I have never felt anything like the nearness of this enormous, gentle being. Adrenaline is rushing through me, and I have to remind myself to breath. It almost hurts. As we watch it swim away from us, Chris explains that these whales are very aware, and very much in control, so this visit was no accident. It came to check us out. Chris says that this is one of the most significant sightings of his career, and he's been doing this, like, 20 years.

We float for another hour in the sun, and watch this tribe of giants swim around us. They do not come that close again.

We ride back toward the harbor, passing schools of the tiny harbor porpoise and waterbirds. Chris decides to take us up the bay. As we enter the harbor, the air instantly warms, the water smooths out and the ride is easy. The tide is almost all the way up, so the swells are calming down. We ride out to a place that is special to Chris. In the center of the main channel, there is a house-sized rock that, when the tide is up, creates a huge play-wave for seals. As we approach, we can hear it first, like a roaring river in the midst of an ocean. Then we see the little heads of seals as they check us out. They are like water puppies. Satisfied that we are not going to ruin their fun, they play and goof off in the currents, leaping and diving and spinning around. To watch seals like this is thrilling for me. I have always had special affinity for them.

Can you spot the Bald Eagle?

After this we cruise around peaceful coves, watching bald eagles soar high above, or fly directly over us, calling to each other. I now know what all of those Native American flute songs are imitating: an Eagle's song. Chris points out the juvenile eagles who are still solidly dark colored, or who have just the beginnings of white coming onto their breasts and heads. We see some different kinds of seals, larger than the playful ones earlier. We see loons floating, cormorants diving, sea gulls laughing on the shore.

It has been such a special day, one that, I think, the three of us will always remember. We glide back into the dock and help Chris load the boat back onto the trailer. Soon we are saying goodbye, and heading back to Amy & Harold's for dinner. We can hardly wait to tell them about this day, we are jumping around like six-year-olds.

Over a wonderful corn chowder dinner, we all tell stories about our day. By 9 pm we're all in bed. The Pirate and I fall asleep whispering about the whale.