Whale watch

The girls and I went on a whale watch in Newburyport on Saturday.

http://www.newburyportwhalewatch.com/

I used a scopolamine patch, which is a sticker with medication you put behind your ear to prevent nausea and vomiting.  My fellow easily-nauseated  friend advised me getting one because she used one to stomach a cruise.  I gave the girls half a chewable Dramamine, which made them sleepy, but they weren't nauseous either  (I was especially gun-shy after our vomiting welcome-to-Culebra ferry ride)

It was great!  I was able to be inside on the boat, wander around front to back, and even read.  READ!  I have never read while on a boat; usually I am breathing deeply looking for somewhere to vomit discretely.  Now that I have a pharmaceutical to support me I can fulfill some seafaring dreams. Look out ocean!

The girls resting on the 1.5 hour ride out to Jeffrey's Ledge where the whales are usually found this time of year.
http://www.jeffreysledge.org/fauna.htm


Volunteers walked around the ship with Baleen for us to hold and feel and to answer our questions about what types of whales we might see.

A finback whale!!
A spout from its blow hole!  They have a distinctive narrow high spout so they can be identified from far away.  The finback is the second largest whale the world after the blue whale. We saw him come up and down a few times before we had to head back to shore.  We were out at sea from 1:30-5pm.  Thank the good lord I was not vomiting all that time.


This cool chart was hanging on the inside of the ship.


http://whale.wheelock.edu/courses/MarineBiology/WhaleChart.pdf

and we found this great interactive website about the blue whale to compare size and weight.

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/blue-whale-interactive/


Lily and Georgia at the front of the ship, Lily declared that she wants to be a sailor.

 It was a beautiful bright day.
The feeling that whales were swimming and feeding deep below us in the dark sea was marvelous.

I gave in and bought each of the girls a whale stuffed animal.  They make a nice soft pillow.  Lily wove her blue whale a scarf as soon as we got home.