It's such a funny thing, trying to analyze just what it is I feel when I'm out on the water, but I'm far from alone in both feeling that soup of emotions as well as being unable to describe it fully in any coherent way. I love how simply smelling the air makes my muscles relax and makes breathing come easier. I love that taking off on fast-moving boat seems to bring a surge of electrically charged excitement, like every molecule is vibrating. I can be standing at the railing of a whale-watching boat, peer down the side at the surging white wash as the prow cuts through the water, and become hypnotized by it.
And I love how the creatures that live beneath the waves are still a complete mystery.
I was fortunate enough today to 1) be a part of a NESS SEA Americorps crew that is so active, social, and close-knit that after only knowing each other for 5 days managed to plan and successfully implement a two-and-a-half hour road trip to another state to go whale watching; and 2) get to go whale watching.
The name of the company was called Cape Ann Whale Watching, by the way. Based out of Glaucester, MA (this is pronounced "Glauster"), it's a pretty cool business.
One of the cooler aspects, at least for me, was of course the conversations with Lead Naturalist, Chris. I had to take a bite of my pride knowing that he was younger than I am, but nevertheless he was a great dude and super knowledgeable. Both being ocean geeks, and him vastly more knowledgeable than I, allowed for stimulating conversation. For example, I told him about the Sea Otter research I'd been a part of in Moss Landing, and he pulled their giant binder of whale genealogy, records and identifications (brought back good memories of working in Canada) and showed me the fluke of a whale they had named "Lutris" because of the small splotch on it's right fluke that looked exactly like a floating Sea Otter.
He also talked about matriarchal behavior of Humpbacks, of which I had no idea and found completely fascinating. We got to witness this behavior first-hand with one of the local matriarchs named Cajun (born in '88, represent!). As she was leading her entourage of "associates", a fourth female came into the mix, apparently trying to join the gang. Chris helped us all notice the aggressive behavior that Cajun started displaying, from making "trumpet blows" to quicker, more erratic and aggressive movement. Supposedly Cajun is picky with who she allows to join her crew, and who can blame her? The behaviors that are known to be used in feeding seem like a very complex coordinated dance, and when you realize these animals have to consume quite literally a ton of fish a day, it's "easy" to see that feeding is serious business for them.
I think what I'll remember most from my conversation with Chris wasn't any term or statistic or description of a behavior. It had more to do with the subject in general and the way it can reflect life in general. He told me about a talk he sat in on from one of the worlds leading Whale Song Researchers. And he told me that at the end of this research presentation, the researchers final slide was a big question mark. Despite all of the research and study and popularity surrounding Megaptera novaengliae, one of it's most endearing behaviors is still a complete mystery.
When Chris told me this story, I just shook my head and mused about how exciting and amazing it is that we still have so much to learn about the oceans and the life in it.
He said, "yeah, it's like this mix between frustrating and awesome".
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If there is still so much we don't know about one of most popular sea creatures alive today, imagine what we don't know about less charismatic sea creatures? Imagine what we may still learn, and what we may never get a chance to learn?
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On a slightly more whimsical note, the Whale Watching trip wasn't the only stop we made on this trip, thank goodness. We got to the area a little early, and managed to get up even further, to a little tourist attraction known as Rock Port. There we found some cool art shops, clothes shops, and what good ol' Google had brought up as the best Austrian Bakery in New England. I had looked it up because we have not one, but TWO Americorps members this year who are fluent in German and have spent considerable time in Germany or Austria. I have to say, the raspberry cheese strudel I got from Helmut's Strudel was one of the best pastries I've consumed in a long time. Unsurprisingly, the two German-speakers weren't as impressed ;-)
Happy trails, smooth sailing, don't forget your snacks and your bathroom breaks, enjoy the little things as much as the great big things, embrace the frustrating AND the awesome...and if everyone remembers their raincoats, it won't rain.
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