ISLAND ADVENTURES WHALE Watching has returned to Port Angeles for another season.
Saturday was the first opportunity patrons had to board the vessel Island Explorer 4 and either head north toward Race Rocks and Victoria or possibly east toward the San Juan Islands to catch a glimpse of minke, humpback, transient orca, resident orca or gray whales.
Their excursion vessel is an 85-foot Gulf Craft with a 22-foot beam, full walk-around upper and lower viewing decks, indoor and outdoor seating, and 300 feet of outside rail viewing space.
The vessel also has a galley that serves ballpark-style food without the ballpark prices, and patrons are more than welcome to bring their own lunches and beverages aboard the boat for the excursion.
A typical day of whale watching aboard Island Explorer 4 lasts about five to six hours.
For more information or to make reservations, visit the website at www.pawhalewatch.com.
Platypus phenomena
Platypus Marine Inc., the full-service shipyard, yacht-repair facility and steel-boat manufacturer on Marine Drive in Port Angeles, hauled out Kaori last week.
She is a 125-foot Palmer Johnson sailing yacht that was built in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., and launched in 1991 as Mandalay Bay.
She will be on the hard for a couple of weeks to allow personnel to replace the cutlass bearings, of which each of her twin shafts has three.
It is interesting to note that the TraveLift that is used to move these large vessels around and hauled Kaori out of the water was also built in Sturgeon Bay.
Marty Marchant, the director of sales and marketing for Platypus, was born and raised in Sturgeon Bay and once worked for Palmer Johnson as its quality assurance manager.
Platypus also has Lady Faye on the hard.
She is an 82-foot Burger that was built in Manitowoc, Wis.
She began taking on water because of a leaking shaft seal while underway to Juneau, Alaska.
Wander Bear also is sitting on the hard at Platypus Marine.
She is a 44-foot Kadey Krogen that came out of the water for a shave and a haircut, and to have propspeed applied to her props.
Propspeed is a product that prevents marine growth from bonding to metal surfaces below the waterline.
Yacht haulout
On Thursday, Westport Yachts in Port Angeles hauled out a 40-meter motor yacht to attend to a couple of maintenance items.
The motor on the company’s 550-ton TraveLift hardly had time to cool down and it was time to put the tri-deck motor yacht back in the water.
Harbor happenings
On Thursday, Tesoro Petroleum in Port Angeles Harbor bunkered Polar Enterprise.
She is an 894-foot crude oil tanker based in Falling Waters, W.Va.
_________
David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the area’s waterfronts and boat yards.
Items and questions involving boating, marina and industrial activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. News announcements about boating groups, including yacht clubs and squadrons, are welcome as well.
Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.
