Center for Oceanic Research and Education sponsored this annual June trip for Cetaceans and birds on Yankee Capts boat leaving Gloucester at 1:15 AM on the morning of June 26. We sailed south across Stellwagen Bank and rounded Cape Cod early in the morning. We spent the first day sailing down the Great South Channel to Gilbert's Canyon where we anchored for the night. The next day we explored Gilbert and Oceanographers Canyons and spent the second night anchored at the mouth of Hydrographers Canyon. The last day was spent sailing up Hydrographers Canyon and across Nantucket Shoals, through the Great South Channel and across Stellwagen Bank in the early evening.

Highlight of the trip was a pod of 6 Cuvier Beaked Whales and many pods of Common Dolphin. The best bird was a South Polar Skua.

Day 1
We rounded Cape Cod at 6:30 AM the next morning. The sea was very flat with low swells and the sun was out. This weather persisted throughout the trip. Greater Shearwaters out numbered Sooty about 5 to 1 and there were numbers of Wilson's Storm-petrels. We would see these 3 birds throughout the trip with the exception that no Sooty Shearwaters were seen in the warm Gulf stream waters.

Breakfast was cereal, bagels, muffins, apples, oranges, orange juice, coffee, and eggs and bacon if you were willing to wait for them. Captain Greg does most of the cooking.

Our first boat stopping large animal was a Basking Shark with a white spot on its back. Basking sharks feed on plankton. You usually spot them as a large fin wobbling on the water. They also have a tail fin that sticks up so they are different from Ocean Sunfish that show only a single fin.

We continued south east to the south end of George's Bank where we had a flock of Wilson's Storm-petrels and our first Cory's Shearwater. Heading on to Gilbert's Canyon we continued to see Basking Sharks which finally numbered 60 for the trip. This was without doubt the best Basking Shark experience I have ever had. Two were seen to breach. We also had a few Black-backed and Herring Gulls. We had 2 Fin Whales and saw a single Humpback.

By 10 AM we were over the deep part of the Great South Channel off Nantucket. We had our first group of 100 Atlantic White-sided Dolphin and then 6 Basking Sharks together. More Atlantic White-sided Dolphin and 3 more Fin Whales. Around noon we had an excellent lunch of salad greens topped with sliced white meat chicken. We saw our first Pilot Whales and a Manx Shearwater. Five Harbor Porpoise. By 4:30 were were again in deep water at the edge of the Continental Shelf. The first pod of Common Dolphin played with the bow-wave for 20 minutes. We had Pomarine Jaeger and South Polar Skua. Also a Blue Shark and Ocean Sunfish. Just before supper another Cory's Shearwater and the first Leach's Storm-petrel.

Dinner was fish, carrots, rice. At 7:15 we arrived at Gilbert's Canyon. We anchored for the night.

Day 2
Awoke early at 5:30 AM on calm seas to photograph a pod of Pilot Whales passing behind the stern. Once underway we had Grampus Dolphin and Striped Dolphin. The highlight of the trip occured about 7 AM when we had 11 Cuvier's Beaked Whales very near the boat for a half hour or more. More Risso's or Grampus Dolphins.

By 10 AM we are in warm Gulf Stream waters. The water is bluer. We are seeing Sargassum Weed and every now and then a flying fish. The water is 74degrees. The rest of the day was spent sailing up Gilbert's and Oceanographer's Canyon without much excitement. We saw lots of Greater Shearwaters and Wilson's Storm-petrels.

I take copious if scribbled notes of the trip as it progresses. I know that we saw Audubon's Shearwater at two different times during the trip, but either I failed to make a note or can't read my scribbling. So I won't try to guess where or when we saw the bird, but only note that it was in the warmer waters.

We spent the night at anchor at the head of Hydrographer's Canyon

. Day 3
Captain fired up the boat early and headed north up Hydrographer's Canyon. Water is colder again and we have Sooty Shearwaters along with the Greater and WSPs. We see a few Fin Whales. By 7:43 we are passing the Nantucket Shoals Buoy.

In the Great South Channel the number of birds increases. Near Cape Cod we have Laughing Gulls, Common Terns and more Black-backed and Herring Gulls.

Logistics:
Cost: $425 including all food and drink.
Sponsor: Center for Oceanic Research and Education CORE based in Essex, Massachusetts a nonprofit organization for the study and conservation of cetacens. http://www.coreresearch.org or core@coreresearch.org

Boat: Yankee Capts an overnight party fishing boat from Yankee Fleet in Gloucester, MA. Sleeping accomodation consist of 48 stretched canvas bunks with plastic covered foam mattresses. Bring your own pillow and sleeping bag. Bunks are in cabin below deck. Two heads one with a shower on the cabin deck. Open upper deck with side and middle benches. Lower deck with pulpit. Inside cabin seating for 22 people.

Birds
South Polar Skua 1
Pomarine Jaeger 4
Gannet 3
Leach Storm-petrel 20
Manx Shearwater 1
Audubon's Shearwater 2
Cory's Shearwater 10
Wilson's Storm-petrel 2100 (estimated)
Greater Shearwater 2500 (estimated)
Sooty Shearwater 400 (estimated)
Phalaropes sp 2
Common Tern 5 (near land)
Laughing Gulls 25 (near land)
Black-backed Gulls 100
Herring Gulls 15

Cetaceans
Cuvier's Beaked Whales 11
Humpback Whales 23
Minke Whale 10
Finback 26-28
Pilot Whale 30-40
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin 270-340
Risso Dolphin 150-200
Bottlenose Dolphin 20-30
Common Dolphin 935-1180
Striped Dolphin 120-150
Harbor Porpoise 6-8
Sperm Whale 1
Harbor Seal 1

Other
Mola mola 17
Basking Shark 60