Orca in Auckland harbour

[John B]

We've got a series of short handed races coming up so today was pick up the recut main and take Riada for a quick afternoon sail to see what it looked like and if we could handle a few things.
Getting off for a sail is good enough but icing on the cake was 3 or 4 orca doing their thing.
There is a pod that regularly visits the area but I've only seen them twice before over a great many years. They like hunting stingrays here apparently.
Today was what looked to me like a big female and a couple of babies.
http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/Waione_photos/misc%2008/img_0961_1.jpg

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/dd48/Waione_photos/misc%2008/img_0960_1.jpg
too cool.

[bamamick]

I've never seen one, John. Must be a thrill for you.

My father and I were driving through Yellowstone National Park once and he was telling me about all of the times he had been but had never seen a Grizzly. About one minute after he said that I said 'well, you have now'. There was a young blondie sitting in a creek bed digging for something to eat and we drove up to within a couple hundred yards of him and stopped. I got out and took some pictures. I asked my dad if he was going to get out but he just said 'no, I can see him from here'. Later on I read a couple of books on bear behaviour and I must admit that my father was the smart one. Those rascals are fast and unpredictable.

I sure would like to visit your beautiful country one day, John. I'm not sure how I'd ever swing it, but it's a nice dream, and as long as I can see the photos that you share with us it's like living the dream just a little.

Mickey Lake

[Noah]

Very Cool!

How's the re-cut main look?

[TimH]

We have several pods of them here....

word is they are all dying though.

[John B]

I first saw one back in the 80's sometime Mickey , a female crossed us right in by Browns island and while I was busy getting the helm stutter on a big male came right at our port side and dived under the keel. Then in early 2000's we had a stunning hour or so with a pod. That really was fantastic because the big male came up right on our counter( say 10 to 20 ft away) while we were looking out over the bow for him. We really felt like a food group that day.

Main looks good so far Noah, vast improvement. I couldn't get shape out of the middle 1/3 at all and it was full even reefed.
Probably still a fairly full sail but with a high aspect pin headed thing like that you have to have something for drive. New working jib is on order too.I should get that before the first two handed race. 50 miler. I'll be upset if I don't.

[BrianW]

Good pictures John! It's hard to get a portion of the boat, and the subject, in the frame at the same time. Well, at least some times.

[John B]

Point and click Brian:D
Nothing as good as your whale shots I'm afraid . A real thrill to see them I can tell you . They're regular visitors, but not commonly seen by me.