Fourth of July Fireworks

It was a beautiful night on the Atlantic for a great fireworks display in Kennebunk Maine. We had over 125 people on the Whale Boat and over 30 on "Kylie's Chance". The weather was clear and the ocean was calm and cool and the drinks were flowing.
Here is a 45 second video of some of the fireworks that lite up the skies over Kennebunk Beach to the delight of the crowd both on the water and on the coast line.

Blue Fin Tuna

One of the things that people remark to us on the Whale Boat is that the size of Blue Fin Tuna when we point out the schools of tuna during our trips out to see the whales. They have a hard time understanding the size, they are to use to seeing the little cans of tuna on the grocery store shelf.

So to show people how big blue fin tuna can get, here is a picture of one with a local charter fishermen who caught one last year. The Captain's name is Tom Mansfield, and he was the pilot for the Lobster Boat one season a few years back. So some of you will recognize him.

Pictures from a different point of view

Captain Gary piloting the Whale Boat "Nick's Chance"


We have had the good fortune to have a series of pictures shot by a photographer from the Philadelphia area and his name is Julian Kornacki. He is a destinations wedding and portrait photographer. You can check out his website at http://www.juliankfoto.com/

We are showing a series of pictures that he took on a recent trip within the past 2 days.

Mr. Kornacki used a fisheye lense to take these pictures, kind of fitting since we were on the ocean looking for whales. He was trying to get a series of photos showing the life on the boat while enroute to the whale feeding grounds.

Waves crashing by the port side.

People relaxing in the sun while enroute.

The stern of the boat in the following shots. We are moving at about 14 knots.

People sitting on the bow looking for the great white whale.

Enjoying the day

Back at the dock! You can see the people unloading on the port side towards the rear of

"Nick's Chance."

I would like to thank Mr Julian Kornacki in sharing his pictures. Don't forget to check out his website at http://www.juliankfoto.com/.

If you have been on Nick's Chance or Kylie's Chance and have pictures to share please email them to us at firstchancewhalewatch@gmail.com. We will post them on the blogspot.

Thanks Julian!

He has promised to send us more in the coming days.

It's a wonderful whale world

These past days have been unbelievable. The whale sightings have been off the chart. We have been having breaching whales left and right or port and starboard off "Nick's Chance". The bubble feeding has been amazing. At one time we just stopped the boat and were surrounded by 12 to 20 Humpback whales. Also the Fin back whales have been very active, one group had a posse of white sided dolphins following them. I do have pictures and video of a lot of this so be patience and we get them up on the site as soon as possible. Nicole has her work cut out for her in trying to identified all these whales.

So come on out and join us. We have been filling up the boats so reservations are important.

We are at 4 Western Ave, Lower Kennebunk, Maine, 04043
Call us at 207.967.5507

Is it whale season?

The weather kept the boats tied to the dock today. It was very foggy and the rain was off and on during the morning preparations. So the Captain decide to call the trip off.

The title for this blog is one of the questions that we get from time to time. And here are a few other ones that have stuck out in our years of being on the water.

Is it whale season? Yes, there are always whales out there but the Humpbacks do migrate to the the Caribbean in the winter the finbacks, sei, minke and blue whales just go further out into the Atlantic.

Is there a weight limit on getting on the boat? This was a phone call and we said no. But were afraid to ask why was the question was even asked.

Can you see whales in the rain? The answer is yes. The whales are already wet anyway.

Do we get to swim with the whales? The answer is no! It is against the law to swim with the whales. It is called harassing the marine mammals and it is a federal law. If you want to swim with the whales you have leave the United States and go to the Bahamas in fact whales like to get close to pregnant women that are diving. Or that is the rumour.

How far is the horizon? The horizon is about 16 to 20 miles on a clear day. One lady asked me how far the horzon was after you travel 10 miles and I told her it was the same, 16 to 20 miles. She looked at me very confused, I don't think she ever understood the concept.

How high are we above sea level? I tell people (politely) to look over the boat's freeboard and judge for themselves. (Approximately 6 to 7 feet)

Is that the Whale Boat? As they point to a 85 foot boat that has Whale Watching in big letter printed on the second level on both sides. The answer is yes it is. And once the follow up question was do we leave the dock? I was almost tempted to say "No, we just watch video's of whales." But, I didn't.

Where did the water go? In Kennebunk, Maine we have 10 to 12 foot tidal changes every 6 hours. So as we load the boat at low tide I tell people that ramp will not be as steep on the return in case they are worried. Thought, I sometimes tell people that we forgot to pay the water bill.

Can you make the boat stop moving! This person had no concept of waves/swells or the ocean. And his girlfriend was very embarrassed that he asked the question. He was serious and wanted us to turn around as soon as we cleared the river into the ocean. I told it was to late and to get comfortable.

These are a few of the strange questions that are asked. If someone asks us a new one in the future we will you know.

The Ocean is the ocean....

The reason I stated the ocean is the ocean is because of the boat cruise on Saturday. The weather was beautiful on the way out but the winds picked up and the ride back was on the bumpy side. So people got wet and many got sea sick. We have to work with Mother Nature and sometimes the direct way back is not always the best way. So we have to zig-zag like sail boat to reduce the amount of abrupt motion if we tacked straight on.

People, remember, that when you go out on the Ocean to view sea life in the nature habitant, be advised that this is not arm chair viewing , be prepared to expect the unexpected. This is not the Disney Channel. The Ocean is a place that you have to admire it's grandeur, and constantly be in tune with the elements.

We have been seeing a lot of Finback whales, some are being quite active. They are hanging out by the shipping lanes inbound to to Portland, Maine. The weather is suppose to be getting better and staying around for awhile. So please join us.

So while looking at whales you can see some of the big ships heading into Casco Bay to unload their cargo.

The image is of Boon Island which is about 9 nautical miles off of York Harbor. A beacon to remind you to be careful in the area. Since there are at least 35 sunked ships surrounding the area. The last one being a Liberty Ship from World War Two. We pass by this island from time to time to look at the 200 seals living on the small piece land as well as many birds.

As a side note there will be a cruising to the oldies trip on Sunday, July 19th, 2009. There will be a DJ on board, with beer, wine and soda's available. Departure time will be at 6pm. The trip will be 3 hours the cost is $25 dollars per person, cash only. Call if you have any questions 207.967.5507

Fireworks... Mother Nature's version

Well, Happy 4th of July everyone! At the moment (2pm) Mother Nature is providing a thunderstorm as her celebration to the 4th. Hopefully the thunderstorm will work it's way thru and we will have clear skies tonight to see the man-made fireworks on the boat. If you want to go you will need reservations so call.....

Yesterday the fog was on the ocean so we got skunked looking for whales, but we tried. Let get a good sun dance going with a blue sky accessory.....we need it!

None the less, we were back out on the water this morning looking for whales and the sighting were good with a couple of Finbacks and a Sei whales along with a pod of dolphins.......yea!!!!! So come on down and go out with us.