Mother Goose left Hot Springs Cove to cover the 48 miles to the old mill town of Tahsis. Along the way several crews glimpsed minke whales! Minke whales, petite at 30ft, are the smallest of the baleen whales in our area. Like humpbacks, they feed on small schooling fish in cold, nutrient rich waters. Unlike humpbacks minke whales, due to their small size, only take one breath at the surface in between lunge feeding making them an elusive animal to spot. Today’s minke sighting was our first but certainly will not be our last.

Mother Goose wound our way through Cook Channel and up the straight and narrow Tahsis Inlet to arrive in Tahsis by midafternoon. The Westview Marina was in full swing when we arrived. John and the marina staff got us snuggled up along the dock and gave us a brief tour of the marina’s all-in-one cantina, bait shop and office. That particular evening the marina transformed into an on-the-water concert hall featuring Sean Houghen, a local singer song writer. Mother Goose crews watched the sun go down over Tahsis soaking in the boisterous conversations and lively country tunes punctuated by the chittering of eagles wheeling overhead.