New England Seabirds
| Getting Started | Overnight Trips | Help | Comments | Site Map |
Overnight Pelagic TripsBefore you sign up for an overnight pelagic trip find out what conditions to expect. |
There are different bird offshore. At varying distances from land is the continental shelf where the depth of the water increases quickly. Canyons in the continental shelf provide for upwelling currents which provide nutrients and attract different species. No question about it, pelagic birders need to get out there and getting out there probably means an overnight or sometimes 2-3 night trip.
No Staterooms
There are of course, commercial cruises where seabirds are seen. These boats have staterooms, wonderful meals, waiters, room service, doctors, exercise rooms, and even swimming pools. Before they take your very large check they will send you a color brochure and tell you all about it. This isn't about those trips.
Party Fishing Boats
Most overnight pelagic birding or whale watching trips are held on party fishing boats.Conditions and facilities vary from boat to boat, but the best of these boats offers a number of stretched canvas bunks with plastic pads in a large room or rooms below the main cabin. No pillows, sheets, or blankets are provided. You will need to bring a sleeping bag and your own pillow and towel. If the boat is underway during the night the motor noise will be very loud and even at anchor someone will be snoring. Come equipped with ear plugs. The head will probably be upstairs and if there is a shower, the water will be limited.
But even this is luxury compared to one boat on which many Boston area overnight pelagics have been conducted. On this fishing boat you could bring a sleeping bag, a foam pad and sleep on the open deck or on the floor of the cabin if you found a space. Otherwise you ended up in the hold on a wet plywood bunk (no mattress) surrounded with fishing gear.
Be prepared to sleep fully dressed as changing into pajamas will be too much trouble and you will have no privacy.
 |
Sleeping accomodations on most party fishing boats are a stretched canvas bunk with a plastic three inch mattress. The trip on which this picture was taken was about 50% filled and people were able to store their luggage in an empty bunk. Otherwise it goes in the bunk with you. |
Avoid large suitcases as there is no place to put them. Bring your stuff in a duffle bag that when empty can be folded. If the boat is crowded you may have to store all your luggage including cameras, clothes, and cooler in your bunk. Expect to haul all your luggage onto the boat, down steep stairs and back out again.
Food
Food is another matter. Some fishing boats have excellent meals. Others serve greasy eggs, beer, and snacks. Some boats serve no food at all. Be sure to find out what kind of food to expect. Usually you can bring food to supplement the meals. This is especially important if you have to follow a special diet.
Clothing and Equipment
The same advise for clothing and equipment for day pelagic trips applies to offshore trips except that you may find much more variation in temperature. If it is sunny and warm take precautions against sunburn. Have layers of clothing to take on and off as the temperature goes up and down. If you wear eyeglasses have some kind of strap to secure them to your head. If you drop anything overboard it is gone forever.
Medical Help
If there is a life threatening medical emergency, the Coast Guard will be called. If the boat is 100 miles from shore even a helicopter rescue will take over an hour and require lifting the patient in a basket into the chopper. While there is often a doctor among the participants, you can't count on immediate help. Non life threatening injuries will have to wait until the boat returns to shore and that can be up to 10 hours.
Not For Beginners
Do not sign up for an extended trip until you have tried out your seaworthiness on a four hour whale watch. Three days is a very long time to be seasick.
Pelagic birding is different from birding on land. Take a few day trips to build your pelagic birding skills before setting out to get the offshore species. Learn to identify the common shearwaters and jaegers and how to follow directions at sea. Otherwise your first pelagic may be your last and you will miss all those wonderful birds.
| Directions | Identification | Be A Good Sailor | Overnight |