First of two rounds of orca photos tonight, as they put on a show right up till (and past) sunset – these photos are contributed by WSB’ers. Top photo with the kayaker is courtesy of Mike Scharer. Next, by Gary Jones:
Also by Gary, this view with Alki Point Lighthouse in the foreground:
With the setting sun, next one is from David DeSiga:
ADDED 9:23 PM: Another Gary Jones photo with a breaching orca:
By all accounts, these are “southern residents” – the orcas that spend most of the time between the San Juans and south Puget Sound. (added) And here’s a view from David Hutchinson at Constellation Park south of Alki Point:
(Photo courtesy Thomas Marx)
The fireboat Leschi was off West Seattle’s north-facing shore this afternoon, and WSB’ers shared two very different views (thank you, Thomas and Carolyn!) – above, the beautiful expanded-fleur-de-lis-like sight of its multiple streams, and below, a rainbow prism through the mist:
That’s Skittles the seal pup, nicknamed by Seal Sitters, who spent much of this past week trying to protect the too-thin pup while s/he tried to rest along Alki-area shores. The last update from Seal Sitters’ Robin Lindsey noted that Skittles was resting on an offshore platform/raft as night fell on Thursday. And that has led her to put out this reminder:
We would like to stress that people need to stay away from the two platforms when seals are resting there. We are getting increased reports of harassment, forcing the pups at times to abandon the rafts. Seal Sitters wants to remind everyone that disturbing a marine mammal – whether on shore or in the water or on a platform – is a violation of federal law, the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is considered a disturbance or “take” if you so much as wake up a pup. Please stay 100 yards away when possible. Our hotline has been flooded with calls about kayakers, paddle-boarders and boaters in motorized craft getting to close. We have advised people to email us photographs of anyone who is close enough to disturb these resting seals and we will forward them on to NOAA’s Office for Law Enforcement for investigation. Alki Kayak has been very proactive in telling rental clients to stay away from any pup on shore or on the rafts. We hope that kayakers and paddle boarders will help spread the word among themselves to stay back.
These pups DESPERATELY need rest to survive. They are already struggling and can’t afford to waste precious calories. We don’t want these pups forced on shore where it is even more dangerous for them. PLEASE keep a distance when you are out in the Sound. It is truly a matter of life and death for these pups. And if anyone spots a pup on the beach, please call our hotline immediately at 206-905-7325 (SEAL).
If you were at or near Don Armeni this morning, you might have seen them – tribal canoes heading across Elliott Bay to join in the Salmon Homecoming celebration on the downtown waterfront. Anne from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) shares the photos, and says she counted eight canoes, including the Duwamish Raven Canoe (top photo):
And from the other side of the bay:
A canoe-welcoming ceremony was scheduled for the festival at 11 am; other demonstrations and celebrations of tribal culture are on the schedule (see it here) this afternoon.
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
On Thursday night, standup paddleboarders went out on the Magical Moonlight Paddle with Alki Kayak Tours (WSB sponsor). Tonight, it’s kayakers’ turn. Last night, WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams went out for the views from, and off, Seacrest – including the moon/plane view featured here earlier today – ahead, more of what he saw:
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB, unless otherwise credited) 3:06 PM: We mentioned in today’s “West Seattle Monday” daily preview that the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) would leave Bremerton today for its next deployment. According to its Facebook page, the Stennis has just sailed, so it will be visible from West Seattle shores – particularly mid-Beach Drive to Alki Point – in a while.
4:31 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Linda for the tip that it had emerged rounding Bainbridge – the Stennis is now visible from West Seattle.
(Photo courtesy WSB reader Dave) 5:11 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Dave for the perspective from atop a building on California SW. We’re expecting a photo from the waterfront in a bit. The Kitsap Sun reports that the Stennis is headed to San Diego to pick up its air group, and then out to the Middle East for at least eight months.
6:04 PM UPDATE: WSB photojournalist Nick Adams was staked out as the Stennis sailed by; we’ve added four of his photos, including this one showing other vessels out as the carrier passed:
Last year, racing individually in The Great Cross-Sound Race round-trip from Alki, Evan Jacobs and Tyler Peterson placed third and sixth respectively; today, rowing together, they finished first. Their announced time of 59:03 was 9-plus minutes over the course record they set together in 2006, but today, wind and waves factored into Sound Rowers‘ annual race, which drew more than 30 participants:
They headed out to Blakely Rock, off Bainbridge Island, and back, starting just after 9 this morning. Don Kiesling was second to finish:
Finishing third, Christian Roth and Josh Proctor. Among the sights at sea before the rowers started crossing the finish line, the U.S. Coast Guard was even out keeping an eye on things:
We’re an hour away from this year’s Duwamish River Festival – and this group of festivalgoers is paddling there. The Blue Heron Canoe left West Seattle’s Don Armeni Boat Ramp just after 9 am to head toward and down the river to Duwamish Waterway Park, where the festival (free!) is happening noon-4 pm – entertainment, education, boat rides, bouncy house, more. Shortly after leaving the dock, the canoe moved into sunlight sparkling off the water – that photo’s on the WSB Facebook page. Beautiful morning!
(Click to see larger image)
Too cute to wait – while we work on more news, enjoy Gary Jones‘ photo of a harbor seal, and friends, on and around the Joy D. Smith Wildlife Raft near Alki Point during this morning’s short-lived snshine. (If you missed it in 2009, here’s the story behind the raft.)
P.S. Remember that it’s pupping season, so if you see a seal on a local beach, let Seal Sitters know – keep their hotline handy, 206-905-SEAL.)
You might have seen the canoes if you’ve been out on Alki this morning – Leann did, and shared her iPhone clip. While the hydros zip across Lake Washington, on this side of the city, it’s a low-tech boat race – the annual “DaGrind” outrigger-canoe race to Blake Island. Find out more about it here.
ADDED 5 PM: Thanks to April Long for sharing photos!
Another big boat race from Alki is just three weeks away – Sound Rowers’ Cross-Sound Race is coming up on August 25h.
Lots of work going on in the vicinity of Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy terminal. The crane in the photo above just arrived today, and it will be doing work for King County’s Barton Pump Station Upgrade Project, which got under way earlier this summer on the north side of the dock. Meantime, a crane that had been working on the ferry dock itself has now departed. Kevin McClintic photographed it on Monday:
This one WAS a ferry-system project. WSF’s Marta Coursey tells WSB, “During a recent bridge inspection, a pile was discovered missing under the timber trestle due to loss of pile embedment. The area was closed while an emergency contract was developed and materials were procured. The work began on Monday to drive two steel H-piles and remove one timber pile.”
While we were covering the Seafair Parade of Ships from on board the USS Bunker Hill (here’s our report, with video), many were enjoying the view from the shore, and shared their photos so we could show them to you. Above, Mandi spotted the flag-waving man atop the Alki seawall. Further west, along the open beach, Anne from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) says they were en route back from a job site when they caught sight of the fireboat Leschi:
When it moved further into the bay, West Seattle photographer Jim Clark got this view:
And he photographed some of the flyovers too:
P-3 Orion, we believe. Back to the ships – Gary Jones caught them passing Alki Point, starting with the one your editor here was on, the USS Bunker Hill:
The USS New Orleans was the third U.S. Navy ship in the parade:
And toward the end, the Nanaimo, from the Canadian Coast Guard, had a USCG escort:
Mary K spotted a stand-up paddleboarder watching the USS Halsey go by:
Tomorrow through Sunday, you can tour the U.S. Navy ships that were in today’s parade – tour hours are 9:30 am-3:30 pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and noon-3:30 pm on Sunday. The Bunker Hill is at Pier 48 south of Colman Dock downtown; the Halsey is at Pier 66 downtown (Bell Street); the New Orleans is at Pier 90 in Magnolia. More info here.
1:04 PM: We’ve been on board the USS Bunker Hill for four hours – and finally it’s showtime. After a day that has so far included a leisurely cruise through the bay, a bit north, a bit south, with a naturalization ceremony along the way – 17 active-duty servicemembers from 13 countries, now brand-new U.S. citizens – the Seafair fleet is turning off Beach Drive to head for Elliott Bay and the Parade of Ships/Flight (remember, you’ll see aircraft too). The sailors are taking their places to line the deck. You should get a good view from Alki and Duwamish Head if you’re not heading downtown, which is the official parade-viewing spot 1:45-2:15 pm. The guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill, by the way, is at the head of the fleet, with the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey right behind, then the amphibious-transport dock ship USS New Orleans, plus US and Canadian Coast Guard participants too. As of 1:10 pm, we’re passing the heart of Alki.
1:31 PM UPDATE: Passing Seacrest right now. Just added video from a few minutes ago, as we passed Alki. The “official” parade time along the downtown waterfront is 1:45-2:15 pm; then the ships dock, and there are tours the next four days.
1:53 PM UPDATE: Now passing the north end of the downtown waterfront. Some great sights along the way – big crowd watching from the West Seattle Water Taxi, for example, with a Coast Guard escort. (video added)
On board, a whistle sounded every so often, and the sailors changed their stance – at ease, at attention, saluting, then back at ease just after the Bunker Hill passed Pier 66.
2:19 PM: After the downtown pass, the ships are all headed in now to dock – this one is at Pier 46, not far south of the Water Taxi dock (Pier 50) and Colman Dock. Will add more visuals later – and thanks to everyone who has sent photos from their viewpoint on shore! We’ll be checking those too.
5:24 PM: Finally back home – quite an operation to back up a battleship into a city dock. Adding a few more of our visuals to this, and checking everything else that’s come in.
(Photo by Gary Jones)
The Seafair fleet started arriving this afternoon for tomorrow’s Parade of Ships/Flight – and many stopped to watch along Elliott Bay shores, including the photographers who shared these images. Above, that’s the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (we’ll be on board tomorrow since it’s the official media-ridealong ship), one of several ships visiting this year.
(Photo by Doug B)
After the parade tomorrow, 1:45-2:15 along the downtown waterfront (should be visible from Alki/Duwamish Head/Harbor Avenue shoreline a little earlier), the ships will be open for tours Thursday-Sunday – hours and locations are on this Seafair webpage.
So many people crowded the Olympia shore on Sunday to see the arrival of nearly 100 tribal canoes, that video is as close as Anne from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) could get to see the local participants – her clip shows the Duwamish Raven Canoe arriving in Budd Inlet. The southernmost reach of Puget Sound was the destination for the Paddle to Squaxin, which included – as we reported last Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday – an Alki Beach stop along the way. The Olympian reported on Sunday’s arrivals, all greeted by the Squaxin Island Tribe, which is this year’s host for the tribes visiting from all over the Pacific Northwest, some of whom have been paddling for more than a month. The gathering there, the weeklong Potlatch Protocol, will officially begin at 10 am today – and a live stream is promised on this webpage.
The biggest events of Seafair are getting closer – with the Torchlight Parade (including theWest Seattle Hi-Yu float) downtown this Saturday, and the Blue Angels and hydroplane races coming up the first weekend in August. And an event that can be viewed from West Seattle shores is a week away – the Seafair Parade of Ships and Flight. The parade is scheduled for 1:45 pm next Wednesday (August 1st), which means that you’ll see it from here in the early afternoon. Here’s our coverage from last year, when we recorded video from a perch along Duwamish Head. This year, your editor here will get a different perspective – from the media ride-aboard, spending that morning on the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG-52). The Seafair website says other ships coming in for the festival include the amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), which will later dock at Pier 90, and guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97), which will dock at Pier 66 (the Bunker Hill will be at Pier 48). The ships will offer free tours Thursday-Sunday, August 2nd-5th (hours and details are here).
8:35 AM: We’re at Constellation Park right now and are seeing the Paddle to Squaxin canoes start to pass off Beach Drive, after their departure from Alki. You can hear the pullers from here, since they’re not too far offshore. Some are being escorted by motorized boats. We have covered their visit the past two days; the annual journey involves dozens of tribal canoe families from all over the Northwest. Today they head south to be hosted by the Puyallup Tribe, with the final destination in southernmost Puget Sound on Sunday – the Squaxin Island Tribe is the gathering’s host once they arrive in Olympia.
8:41 AM: Now at Alki, near the Bathhouse – departures continue. Quite a sight, and sound, from the Boardwalk, too.
9:44 AM: Still a few more canoes left. Adding a photo from Bryan Bloss – to show the perspective; the Evergreen cargo ship was heading north past Lowman Beach/Beach Drive in the early going of today’s departures.
10 AM: All the canoes are now in the water, with the final few headed west to Alki Point, a sailboat and powerboat trailing them. We have a few more photos and some video to add shortly – here it is:
As noted in our earlier coverage, the canoe journey has been happening annually since 1989; that first one was the “Paddle to Seattle,” ending at Alki, while this year, it’s just been a stop along the way.
(Photo by Robin Lindsey) Seal Sitters will be on the lookout today for another sighting of the first pup of harbor-seal-pupping season. First responder Robin Lindsey says the pup showed up on West Seattle shores Monday – and she says that brings important reminders for beachgoers:
We received a report of a pup about 1 pm, and our responders arrived within minutes of the call. We found a newborn seal resting in the rocks and dozing peacefully. However, we were told that before we arrived someone had tried to put the pup back into the water. Marine mammals are protected by Federal law (the Marine Mammal Protection Act) and it is illegal to touch, feed, move or disturb a marine mammal.
The pup was nicknamed Georgie by 10-year-old Bob, visiting from LA, who found the pup. His relatives called the hotline. Georgie is very young, possibly only a day or so old. The photo (above) of the pup yawning enabled us to get an idea of the age of the pup. The pup only has two very tiny front teeth and later we did see the umbilicus cord still attached. It is essential that people stay as far away as possible if they see a seal pup. If the pup’s mom sees too many people, dogs or disruption around her pup, she may very well abandon him – a certain death sentence.
Harbor-seal-pupping season is now upon us! We will be integrating new volunteers throughout the season. If folks are interested in volunteering, they should contact us through the website or blog. And if anyone spies a pup, please keep people and dogs away and call our hotline asap @ 206-905-7325 (SEAL).
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
An unannounced Alki visit for Mayor Mike McGinn this afternoon on Alki Beach, as the tribal canoes participating in Paddle to Squaxin continued to arrive (our first report is here). He joined tribal leaders on the beach. (The mayor is scheduled to be back on Alki this Wednesday afternoon, to talk with Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen about summer “hot spots.”) WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was at the beach to continue covering the arrivals, as even more canoes continued to land:
Each one was hoisted and carried up to the beach:
That meant one more job for the crews who had spent hours paddling from points north:
The canoes are from all over the region. The OS-Chuck-A-Bick canoe family is from the Quileute Nation, based at LaPush on the northwestern Washington seacoast:
Some brought smaller canoes, some larger:
But all were large in spirit and unity:
There are gatherings and celebrations tonight, hosted by the Muckleshoot Tribe, while the canoes remain, guarded, on Alki. This map shows where the participants have come from, and when they left; some from British Columbia have been on the journey for more than a month. The multi-tribe canoe journey is a relatively new tradition, started in 1989 as the “Paddle to Seattle,” with Alki the final destination that year; this year it is a stop along the way to the potlatch hosted by the Squaxin Island Tribe (who no longer live on their namesake island, but will first welcome the arrivals on the shore in Olympia).
Canoes participating in the annual Pacific Northwest tribes’ journey are landing at Alki Beach this afternoon – the first arrivals are already here. Alki is a stop along the way to Squaxin Island in the South Sound, which this year is the site of the gathering to which, according to the official announcement, as many as 130 canoes in all are headed (starting with a landing in Olympia next Sunday). Here are the many stops along the way, including Alki. More to come.
2:15 PM UPDATE: More canoes continue to approach the shore, many of their crews chanting and singing. There’s a big crowd all along the seawall and on the beach to greet and to watch. At least half a dozen more are visible offshore; many of these canoes left Suquamish on the North Kitsap Peninsula this morning.
3:05 PM UPDATE: The group of canoes that all arrived together have finished coming ashore; there are now two more in the distance, possibly having launched from Tulalip in Snohomish County. The Muckleshoot Tribe hosts the Alki stop, including support from uniformed security, with a vehicle patroling the boardwalk. The Duwamish Tribe is part of this year’s journey too – Linda Dombrowski tells us that the Duwamish Canoe Family is participating in the Duwamish Raven Canoe. She adds, “Raven Canoe skipper is Justine Finkbonner. Support crew on the beach today include Cecile Hansen, the Duwamish Tribal Chairperson and great-great-great-great-grandniece of Chief Seattle, and Ken Workman, Duwamish Tribal Councilman and great-great-great-great-grandson of Chief Seattle. This year’s Raven Canoe Paddlers include Duwamish youth leaders.”
Back on Thursday, we brought you the Port of Seattle’s announcement that three more Super Post Panamax cranes would soon arrive, headed for Harbor Island. Looks like they are now visible in Elliott Bay, according to the photo we received from Don Brubeck.
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: Trevor MacLachlan shares a closer view:
We’re checking with the Port regarding the timeline for when they’ll dock at the terminal on this side. The Zhen Hua 23 is still off Magnolia, according to marinetraffic.com.
The Port of Seattle just sent word that Terminal 18 on Harbor Island, run by SSA, is getting three more Super Post Panamax cranes, and they’re expected to arrive in the area next Tuesday. They’re 267 feet high and can handle the world’s largest container ships; the ZPMC Zhen Hua 23 will bring them in. (You can track it here.) The first three arrived in November (WSB coverage here).
Thanks to photographer J.P. Peck of QuickShows.com for the overview looking toward Lowman Beach – we noticed this a little while ago too – the noctiluca is back. In case you missed our earlier coverage (here’s a story from last month), and/or previous years’ stories, it’s NOT “red tide,” but rather nontoxic microorganisms. The state Department of Ecology talks about it here.
And an event that can be viewed from West Seattle shores is a week away – the 
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