At sea off northern Baja California
Late yesterday afternoon our group gathered on the small dock at Fisherman's Landing in northern San Diego Bay to board the Sea Lion. Overcast skies and drizzle rain dominated the afternoon, although as the sun set the southern skies opened up promising better weather for the morning. Before dinner we took part in a safety drill followed by introductions to the officers, the ship, and the natural history staff. We stayed at the small quiet boat dock through our first delicious dinner on the Sea Lion. Following dinner some people watched the lights of San Diego pass as we left the protection of the bay. Then everyone fell fast asleep having started this unique itinerary which had not been done by Lindblad Expeditions for about 10 years.
For the first full day of the voyage we followed a course off shore barely in view of the high mountains of the mainland coast of Baja California. The weather front that had passed during the night left the sea in a rather confused state. Even with the ship's movement many people were up and about on the ship early in the morning. A few common dolphins and a number of seabirds greeted our passing in the first few hours of the day. Our series of talks by the ship's naturalist staff that would teach us about what we are and will be experiencing, began in the afternoon by Al Trujillo laying the groundwork with geology of Baja California. The morning was overcast but by mid-afternoon the clouds had passed and many of us basked on the bow in the warming rays of the sun. Later in the afternoon, Pete Pederson gave a presentation on seals, sea lions, and elephant seals to prepare us for the animals we would be seeing tomorrow when we visit the interesting and unique islands of San Benitos. As we progressed southward the weather improved and by dinner the ship had a very gentle motion which most of us had become accustomed to. Following dinner a few people ventured on deck to see twinkling stars of familiar constellations before heading to their cabin for a well deserved sleep in anticipation of new and interesting experiences that await.
Late yesterday afternoon our group gathered on the small dock at Fisherman's Landing in northern San Diego Bay to board the Sea Lion. Overcast skies and drizzle rain dominated the afternoon, although as the sun set the southern skies opened up promising better weather for the morning. Before dinner we took part in a safety drill followed by introductions to the officers, the ship, and the natural history staff. We stayed at the small quiet boat dock through our first delicious dinner on the Sea Lion. Following dinner some people watched the lights of San Diego pass as we left the protection of the bay. Then everyone fell fast asleep having started this unique itinerary which had not been done by Lindblad Expeditions for about 10 years.
For the first full day of the voyage we followed a course off shore barely in view of the high mountains of the mainland coast of Baja California. The weather front that had passed during the night left the sea in a rather confused state. Even with the ship's movement many people were up and about on the ship early in the morning. A few common dolphins and a number of seabirds greeted our passing in the first few hours of the day. Our series of talks by the ship's naturalist staff that would teach us about what we are and will be experiencing, began in the afternoon by Al Trujillo laying the groundwork with geology of Baja California. The morning was overcast but by mid-afternoon the clouds had passed and many of us basked on the bow in the warming rays of the sun. Later in the afternoon, Pete Pederson gave a presentation on seals, sea lions, and elephant seals to prepare us for the animals we would be seeing tomorrow when we visit the interesting and unique islands of San Benitos. As we progressed southward the weather improved and by dinner the ship had a very gentle motion which most of us had become accustomed to. Following dinner a few people ventured on deck to see twinkling stars of familiar constellations before heading to their cabin for a well deserved sleep in anticipation of new and interesting experiences that await.
