Month: October 2011

The TAMANAWAS

Fish Farm, Fishing Boat

I was able to get out today but not without paying!
What I mean by that, is that the wind was up! (like yesterday) I didn’t or couldn’t stand about with great light and not be able to get out,so I had to try?
Putting the boat in from shore when the waves are crashing against the shore is a dangerous thing to do! I could damage the boat or just get a soaker and either one of those scenarios was not my cup of tea I’m afraid!
I managed to get out but the harbour was still unpleasant. I wore my rain gear to keep dry from the slop and spray.
Imagine wearing rain gear when there are no clouds in the sky!
The good thing about the wind is that when the NW comes in,it only affects the harbour . Once I get down the inlet,all is well. I get into the wind shadow of Meares Island. The mountains/ridge line provides a great protection from the NW and West winds.
I went up to Fortune Channel today looking for bears but knew the odds were against me. The tide was too high and it was coming in as well.
I didn’t find any bears so I checked out Mosquito Harbour which is on the NE corner of Meares Island. Nobody ever comes into Mosquito….or at least I have never seen anyone there when I was there?
I found not only thousands of Jellys there but many dozen Harbour Porpoises milling about!
Those Porpoises seem to be residents. I only see them up in Fortune Channel really and they seem to like it more around or near Mosquito bay.

I left Mosquito & had a quick visit with Delilah and the Daredevil at Tsapee Narrows. They were not very active tonight.
I moved on to Romeo and Juliette at Deadman island and they both were active,but I arrived too late for good light! The winds made the waves large enough to slow my travel time and I arrived too late to get either of them in golden light!

Still it was great getting out even if it was challenging!
Another great day to be alive in Tofino folks!

Almost forgot to mention that this boat (Tamanawas) is Creative Salmon’s new boat for harvesting their salmon. Creative Salmon is a fish farm company. She was coming in to the fuel dock to fill up.

Strathcona And Cormorants

Brandt's Cormorant, Double-Crested Cormorant, Strathcona

For those that visit my site often ,you will recognize this spot! I always shoot it when I find birds on this rock. It’s located just in behind (to the north) Strawberry Island. It has no name but I call it “Strawberry Islet”.
Notice how the birds always point into the wind!
I was looking north,so they basically were pointing to the West/NW.

The “Harvest King” Cruising

Harvest King

When I came around the SE corner of Meares Island,she was heading towards me, going back into town.
This use to be their harvest boat but could not get it passed by the Gov,so they bought another boat (the Tamanawas) to do the job.
The Harvest King does not “harvest” anymore and instead has been delegated to carry cargo only.

Sutton Mill Creek Pano

Sutton Mill Creek

I think very few people come up here? It was my first time at that!
It’s a creek located up in Mosquito Harbour. I went right up the creek as far as I could and found some Chum salmon spawning! I didn’t see any bears or leftovers that had been partially eaten,but the grass along the creek bank looked used by animals! Most likely bears?
This creek use to provide the fresh water for the steam engines to the Mosquito lumber mill that was here a long time ago.
It was built in 1904 and closed in 1908. It would appear that they wanted to use Kennedy lake as a means of transporting the logs to the Mill. However, the fly in the ointment was the fact that the dammed lake would not flow the way they wanted and thus could not use it!
So it was abandoned.
The Toredo worms got into the wharfs pilings and a few years later it collapsed and that was it!
You can still see where the mill use to be! The Alder trees always fill in where clearings use to be and they make a very noticeable difference!
Alders race in to claim any clearings. They are the fastest trees to take advantage of the clearings!
They are deciduous and come winter time you can notice any old clearings,logging roads etc very easily as a result!

A “SWARM” Of Moon Jelly’s

Jellyfish

I came across thousands upon thousands of Moon Jellyfish up in Mosquito harbour. I have seen them up in Mosquito before.
I found out that a “swarm” of Jelly’s can also be called a Bloom,a Brood,a Smuck and a Smack.
I’m sticking to a SWARM myself!
I shut the motor off when I saw that I was in the Swarm & paddled about. I watched them drift by so effortlessly! It was very relaxing watching them!
I think everyone in a stressful job should get an Aquarium full of Jelly’s!
One at work and one at home!

Mosquito Sunset

Meares Island

This small island is in the middle of Mosquito Harbour. I plan on camping there sometime next year.
I liked the God rays coming from the ridge on Meares Island.
I always joke with a few photo friends that shots like this type are good but could be much better if there was a Nude!
I would put her up on the island with the golden light directly behind her.

Checking Me Out!

Harbour Porpoise

This Porpoise (and many more) did these swim pass’s under my boat. They were curious I suppose?
If they would of popped up and said hi ,I would of been delighted!
The focus was not only hard to get with them being under water,but the water also distorted their features.
Water behaves the very same as the glass in my camera lens with regards to the property’s of light,and only differs by being in a state of change all the time! (unless it’s frozen)
So images are not what they appear to be and thus a distorted Harbour Porpoise!

Paddle Boarding

Paddle Boarding

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That Low pressure cell went over us today and as to be expected,the winds picked up!
Which means there was no way I was going to go out in the slop. The tide is all wrong for me anyways. The high tide is coming around close to sunset and that means the bears will be napping and not searching for food along the shore line!
Their lives revolve around with the tides.
So…….no bears tonight unfortunately. Instead I went out to South Chesterman’s to shoot some surfers.The clouds were interesting!

These two Paddle Boarders were heading out further. You can see either Frank or Frieda flying around in the background.

Light Flash……..Wave Crash

Lennard Island Lighthouse, Storm

I have a little game I play when I’m shooting the Lighthouse with waves crashing in the foreground. I count to myself when the light flashes and than look for a wave to crash just as the light is about to flash again!
I obviously only do it when a storm is (or was) out and about. I need the power of the storm winds to generate large waves! The larger the better!
Can never be too large!
I prefocus,expose and compose the Lighthouse and just hold it there very steady.
I wait for a wave to hit just when the light is going to flash! I can see the reflection of the light in the glass coming around a split second before. It gives me a heads up!

As you can see,I did not get out in my boat today. The clouds were just hanging around all day!
I decided to go out to the beach and see what was going on? Theres always something happening out there!
I didn’t think too much of the light and was heading across from Frank Island to go home ,when I saw the sun starting to come through the clouds and the lighting started to look very interesting!
I quickly looked around for foreground material and found this wind Trike. (not sure what they are called?)
Saved my butt!

The “Garrarad’s”

Morpheus Island

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This is the family plot for the Garrard’s on Morpheus Island.
The mothers name was Annie S. Garrard and the fathers name was Francis S .(Frank)
They had two children,F.R.B. and Edward Theodore. I do not know what the F.R.B. stands for?
F.R.B. was the first born and died at the young age of 28yrs old on Oct 25th/1919. For some reason,he has two tombstones! Not sure why? It might be to recognize his serving in the W W 1? He was a “Sapper”.
His younger brother Edward, died at the early age of 14 months, Jan 17th,1908.
Frank was the Lighthouse keeper on Lennard Island and later,the Telegraph operator in town.
Annie died at the age of 68 and than 6 years later Frank at the age of 79.
They use to live in Port Alberni,but am not sure?

UPDATE: (Oct 29th,2011) I found out some info on the older boy FRB.
FRB stands for Francis Robert Burdet and was born on November 9th,1890 in Nanaimo.
He was a Gas Engineer and signed up on December 12th,1916. He married a woman named Eileen who lived on the Ilse of Wight England.
He was 5 feet 9 inches tall and died in Balfour B.C.
Balfour was the TB centre,so I am assuming he died of Tuberculous?

Frank & Lennard Lighthouse

Eagles, Lennard Island Lighthouse

In hindsight……..I made the wrong call!
I thought the clouds were going to move in and so I didn’t go out in my boat.
The clouds turned out to be not that thick and yes I should of gone out!
Oh well…….. Can’t always be at the right place at the right time!
I did however get some great sunset surf shots at the south end of Chesterman’s Beach!

This is a shot of Frank heading over to his nest.

The Tamanawas

Fish Farm, Fishing Boat

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I did a big tour today! I went down to Cannery Bay and than north to Tranquil Inlet,and than over to Gunner inlet and finally around and up to Fortune Channel!
I didn’t see much down the inlet. Fortune is where the gold was tonight! I met a Sow with two cubs! I recognized her and she to me. The cubs looked chubby! Good to see!
Our bears do not hibernate. As a matter of fact,bears do not hibernate technically. It’s a misnomer. They simply go into a deep sleep. Whats the difference? Talk to a biologist about that.
Bears have evolved to go into a deep sleep to conserve energy. The snow covers all the food and it’s much colder. Which would mean lots of “extra” food because of the heat needed to keep warm!
So they go to sleep to conserve energy.
Our coastal bears have no snow to deal with (very little) and also have food around them year round. So they basically go to sleep for awhile and get up for something to eat and than back to sleep.
Animals adapt to the environment they are in.

I saw the Tamanawas heading east in Browning Pass. It is owned by a local fish farm.(Creative Salmon)