Humpback In Boston Harbor

[markstephens]

Mike Hirsch, Chip Weier and I launched from Windmill Point at 10AM yesterday in calm seas and warm sunny weather for a paddle out to Graves Ledge. Mike and Chip had never been out there before and it was a perfect day for it.

As we crossed over Great Brewster Spit and paddled out between Great Brewster and Calf Islands, a group of a half dozen or so Harbor Seals bobbed in the shallows around us, playing hide and seek. We had fun watching them for a bit, then headed out to Graves Ledge. We landed as the tide was nearly high enough to allow paddling right around the base of the lighthouse. Mike and I decided to swim over to the ladder and climb the lighthouse. I found the upper platform trapdoor to be unlocked and got all the way up to the lighthouse door, which was locked. Mike declined to join me on the upper level (what's this? a pilot who is afraid of heights?) but the views of Boston Harbor and surroundings were spectacular from this unique vantage point.

After swimming back to Chip and our boats perched on the ledge we decided to head over to Outer Brewster for lunch. Landing on the small beach there, we climbed to the top for a sunny repast, watching Green Herons and a lone Oystercatcher as we ate and chatted.

As we headed back toward Windmill Point via Shag Rocks and Little Brewster, the southwest breeze started kicking up, first 5-10, then 10 then 15 knots. We slogged through choppy two-footers, which made for a bit of fun as we rocked and plunged over the waves. A 20-knot gust took my hat with it, but I retrieved it. About halfway back to Hull Gut, I spotted an arching back and dorsal fin ahead of us. I shouted "whale!" but immediately thought, no couldn't be. It looked big, and reminded me of a Minke Whale, but I figured it was probably a Harbor Porpoise. Perspective and scale is a bit hard to gauge on open water, and Chip was pretty skeptical. Then Chip and I got another look as it surfaced briefly again between the boats, heading seaward. It was too big for a porpoise. The arching back was definitely whale-like.

We later found out from Jim Rice, a marine biologist at the New England Aquarium, that a juvenile humpback has been hanging out around the harbor for the last week or so. A few days ago he was hanging around Hull Gut, Deer Island, and even made his way well into the Inner Harbor. The aquarium folks followed him for several hours last week, and actually saw him do several full breaches right in front of the courthouse at Fan Pier! He's about 18 feet long, and shows a good part of his back when he comes up for air.

Jim's description matches up perfectly with our sighting. This was just outside Hull Gut, too. Very cool encounter!

[Lbeale]

wow--what a day--it must of felt like a "beam me up, Scotty" experience (for those of you too young to remember, that is a Star Trek reference) when you spotted that humpback--it is interesting that the general public have not been informed about the whale in the harbor--unlike this summer, when the minke was in Portland Harbor--anyways,congratulations, you literally have a tall tale of a fish story to tell--les