Race Rocks Lightstation – Weather Conditions – Environment Canada- and Problems for Oil-spill cleanup

Environment Canada has weather sensors installed at the top of the lighthouse at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. When windspeed was noted for every hour of the year, the reality of how ineffective Oil spill Cleanup would be becomes evident.

Hourly weather conditions summary for the past 24 hours. This includes conditions, temperature, humidity, dew point, wind speed/direction, air pressure, visibility, and wind chill/humidex (when applicable)

 

 

The archive of past data for every hour per day of each month go to this Environment Canada website link and enter the year month and date to access the data.

 

 

From this archive analysis can be made of wind speed conditions in the Eastern Entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We are concerned that although the claim is made that Canada has World Class oils spill  response capabilities , the reality is that for a large portion of time cleanup by booms and skimmers is not possible because the equipment cannot be deployed at wind speeds above 28 km/hr.

Some facts from the Environment Canada data:
1. In July of 2022  there were 11 days when the wind speed every hour was 28 km/hr or greater. and 69.5% of the hours in the month, clean up equipment could not be deployed due to high velocity wind conditions. 
2. In March of 2023, the wind speed was 28 km/hr or greater  37% of the time.
3. In Februarry of 2023 , the wind speed was 28 km/hr or greater 43 % of the time 
4. In January of 2023 , the wind speed was 28 km/hr or greater 36% of the time

5. In the first week of April 2023 the wind speed was 28km/hr or greater 51% of the time

In the graph above, the  white arrows in the current table of Race Passage in the
Eastern entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca represent the times of the day on on April 5 when current speed was above the speed of 3 nauts, the speed at which equipment deployed for containing oil spills on water fails. This means only
brief windows when the tide is changing would oil spill retainment be possible.

Kayaker in trouble

Rescue day:
Early this morning I was very surprised to find a person yelling at my door for help.  The man was very upset and his broken English difficult to understand, but I eventually figured out that his friend was in trouble.

The pair were fishing in the protected marine reserve when the push peddles on the friends kayak broke. I spotted the kayaker on the south west side of the Main Island, and it was quickly being pushed out on a big ebb tide to the west. The kayaker was trying to paddle against the five knot tide. Witnessing very little progress, I learned the fishermen were not carrying a VHF radio and carried unworkable mobile phones (which often don’t work on the south side without a US plan or roaming).  I immediately took action to launch the Race Rocks boat but the low tide and risky boat ramp conditions would not allow the boat to launch. There was simply not enough water to float the Race Rocks boat to help the kayaker.

Immediately, I contacted the Coast Guard (my cell phone *16) and they tasked out a RIB and lifeboat from Victoria. Myself and the Coast Guard were in constant communication about the troubled kayaker. While in communication, the kayaker managed to find a back eddy and travel to land on the south beach of the Main Island. After a discussion with the kayakers, they decided they were too exhausted from paddling to safely travel back to the mainland, even if they waited for the a slower tide. I confirmed their request with the Coast Guard who continued with the rescue.

One of my responsibilities as eco-guardian is to inform the public about the eco-reserve as a marine protected area. This means there is no fishing, crabbing or prawning permitted. Clearly, the kayaks were both outfitted with all the gear to crab, fish and prawn including a big capture net. I informed the kayakers the Coast Guard may have some questions as to why they were illegally fishing in the protected marine park. To record the incident, I quickly went to the main house to grab my camera.  By the time I returned to the kayakers, the man with the working kayak was paddling frantically back to the mainland shore. Soon he was caught in the ebb tide and heading out to sea. The fear of getting in trouble with the Coast Guard was enough for him to abandon his fishing buddy.

The Coast Guard arrived within 17 minutes from the first call. They picked up the broken kayak and the exhausted kayaker. By now, the second kayaker was on the north west side of the main island in the ebb and quickly heading out to sea. The Coast Guard pulled him and the boat after a 45-minute paddle against the very strong ebb.

As a seasoned marine captain, I have several lessons to share about this incident.  First, don’t head out into the Juan de Fuca straight without being prepared for an emergency. Always carry a VHS radio and/or reliable mobile phone plan.  Second, don’t crab, fish or prawn in a protected marine park. Always check fishing regulations and tide tables. Third, don’t abandon a fishing buddy, no matter the circumstances.  The buddy system saves lives.

Thank you to the Coast Guard for their hard work and commitment.  I am happy to report that both men were returned home safely.

Best wishes,

Captain Rod King

 

 

January 2021 Sea Surface Temperature & Salinity

Also available from DFO here, along with data from other sites on the West Coast.

Daily Sea Surface Temperature and Salinity Observations
Station: Race Rocks
Observer: Tristan Blaine
Month: Jan-21
Day Time Temp °C Sal ppt
1 17:00 8.2 31.5
2 14:30 8.2 31.4
3 15:30 8.2 31.5
4 20:30 8.1 31.5
5 12:30 8.1 31.4
6 11:00 8.2 31.3
7 12:00 8.2 31.3
8 10:30 8.4 30.8
9 13:30 8.1 31.2
10 13:30 8.2 31.3
11 13:30 8.2 31.3
12 15:30 8.2 31.3
13 15:30 8.3 31.3
14 15:00 8.2 31.2
15 11:30 8.2 31.3
16 15:30 8.2 31.2
17 14:00 8.3 31.1
18 11:00 8.2 31.2
19 8:30 8.1 31.3
20 8:30 8.1 31.2
21 8:30 8 31
22 8:30 7.7 30.9
23 9:30 7.6 30.7
24 11:00 7.9 30.5
25 14:30 8.1 30.6
26 13:00 7.1 30.8
27 14:30 8 30.9
28 14:30 7.9 31.1
29 15:30 8 31.3
30 15:30 8 31.3
31 11:30 8.1 31.3

February 7th census

Laura Verhegge celebrating her 50th birthday at Race Rocks, sharing her love of nature with students near and far.

Weather: Stormy weekend! Steady 30knots with bursts of 50knots.

Visitors/Traffic: We were visited by the Marine Biology class and Biodiversity classes last week, so cool!

Courtney Edwards regailing the Marine Biology students with tales of Lighthouse keepers past.

Ecological Notes:

Sebastion hasn’t moved since his mom left, his little flippers can’t reach the ground with that big fat belly.

We had another mom wean her pup and leave Race Rocks on February 4th 2021 (Rhi-Rhi). We’ve been hoping for the 3 pups to ‘pod-up’ but no luck yet, the newest weaned pup is still too fat to move. The students have been studying the Steller Sea Lion carcass on the NE side of Race Rocks, with 25-30 eagles feeding on the carcass early in the mornings. Some of the students spotted a new dead California Sea Lion just S of the Lighthouse, it’s a branded seal with a tag on it, no obvious sign of death.

After Jafar’s last beating he’s been giving the Beachmaster a wide berth, but still relying on the boat ramp sneaker move.

Eagles feasting on the Steller carcass.

Jafar got his nose shredded fighting the Beachmaster, but it hasn’t scared him off the island.

Census:

Gulls: 79

Cormorants: 300

Eagles: 4

California Sea Lions: 149

Steller Sea Lions: 89

Elephant Seals: 9

Harbour Seals: 6

Turnstones: 0

Killdeer: 18

 

The dead California Sea Lion.

Tag matches the brand on this dead California Sea Lion.

   

February 1st Census

Looking South to the Elwa as the sun sets.

Weather: Storms brought in a ton of wood over the last few days to the jetty, but thankfully the Elephant Seals have been clearing it out.

Visitors/Traffic: A few whale watching boats on weekends. We started getting students coming out January 29th, and it’s been really great to see what they are interested in and what kind of questions they have about Race Rocks!

Ecological Notes:

We just had the 5th pup born on January 28th. We were wondering if it would survive, but seems to be healthy and growing. Our second female weaned her pup (Jellybean) and after mating with the Beachmaster tried to get back in the ocean. Unfortunately for her there was another new male hanging out on the boat ramp waiting for his opportunity to mate. What unfolded was a Machiavellian game of blubbery chess, video below.

We now have 2 weaned pups cruising around Race Rocks, with the next pup looking like he’s only a few days away from being weaned as well.

The Steller rock at the South end of Race Rocks.

Census:

Gulls: 156

Cormorants: 533

Eagles: 6

California Sea Lions: 85

Steller Sea Lions: 177

Elephant Seals: 10

Harbour Seals: 22

Turnstones: 22

Oystercatchers: 13

A Bald Eagle decided he wanted a fresh meal and nailed this gull right out of the air. Turns out there isn’t much meat on those gulls.

Cheermeister starting to moult.

Elephant Seal poop.

Lighthouse views of the Elephant Seals.

New Elephant Seal Pup: #5!

We got a late arrival to the party: Jolene, the fifth female to come ashore for the 2021 birthing season. She showed up on January 21st 2021, and birthed on the 28th around 10am. There is some inital commotion where one of the other moms came over to get a sniff and toss around our new baby Hector (named by the marine science class).

A few seconds after Hector was born.

Jolene getting a good sniff of her new pup.

After that initial bit of excitement Hector and Jolene settled in the pod of Elephant Seals. I’m pretty sure this is the new record for births on Race Rocks! Exciting to see the population growing.

We had the marine science class come visit Race Rocks today! Super fun to get a chance to talk with these super interesting students about Elephant Seals, Race Rocks, and manipulating the stock market.

Laura brought out the marine science class!

 

Courtney Edwards regaling the marine science class with stories of lighthouse keepers and Race Rocks itself!

 

Also: an eagle snagged a gull today. So cool!

Turns out there’s not that much meat on a gull. Lots of feathers though!

Cheermeister discovered his rear flippers the other day. Hilarity ensued.

Bernard defending his harem. A sneaky male thought he could get up the boat ramp without he Beachmaster noticing. Silly rival, Bernard knows all the tricks.

I like including moments of peace, because that is what it is actually like here. Moments of extreme excitement, followed by naps and nursing.

 

January 24th 2021 Census

Weather: Lighter winds with some sun. 50knots winds on January 26th. Frosty mornings on the 22-26th.

Visitors/Traffic: Some tanker traffic and 2 whale watching boats.

Ecological Notes:

Bernard drumming to defend his harem. The newest male is on the right trying to sneak around the Race Rocks Crossroads unsuccessfully.

 

 

 

Baby Elephant Seals get fat. REEEEEAL fat. So fat that they can’t really navigate some obstacles. https://youtu.be/tm0SC5lDBQw

We had a new female Elephant Seal show up on January 21st, bringing our total moms to 5 for 2021. We have four pups with only one weaned so far, but the other two fattest pups are expected to be weaned next week. The new female looks pregnant and is exhibiting the same behavior the other moms did before giving birth: lots of ‘chirping’ and wandering around trying out all the comfy spots. The new female also shuffled the other mothers: before the two oldest mothers would aggregate and keep the third mother away. Now the newest female has assumed the ‘shunned’ position while the three mothers are aggregating with their pups and little conflict.

We finally clued in that there have been 3 males hanging out around the island: the dominant male (Bernard), a male who became submissive after battle, and a third male who’s quite a bit smaller and clearly submissive. This third male has a bit of damage around his left eye, kinda like a classic Disney villian with a scar on it’s eye. He’s been coming up the ramp trying to sneak around Bernard, but would retreat after an impressive bout of drumming.

Our newest male (Jafar) trying to find a place to hide on the Island without the Beachmaster noticing.

Bernard not having any of these males advances on his harem. He really has a second level he can take his drumming to show his dominance. If you heard his super low drumming, better skedaddle, as he’s had enough of you.

Census:

Gulls: 118

Cormorants: 281

Eagles: 9

California Sea Lions: 160

Steller Sea Lions: 119

Elephant Seals: 9

Harbour Seals: 14

Turnstones: 7

The newest pup: Snuggles. Born January 16th 2021.

The whole gang hanging out together in the front yard.

Our newest arrival: Joelene! She’s quickly assimiliated into the Race Rocks pod. She arrived on January 21st, so we would expect her pup sometime around the 28th.

That amazing phase where the pups start to rival their mothers bulk. 14 days in and looking healthy little guy!

January 17th Census

Looking South from to the Lighthouse towards the Elwha.

Weather: Overcast morning, with a sunny afternoon. Winds 15-25knots. Big storm on January 11th that blew our doors and windows open.

Visitors/Traffic: After a week of no visitors we got 4 boats today: a whale whatching boat, 2 small fishing boats and a yellow sailboat that was very interested in getting in close to the jetty.

Ecological Notes: Immediately after the last birth a new female showed up on the island (January 11th). Cheermeister’s mom left him on January 12th (21 days of nursing) after making with the Beachmaster 76 times over 3 days. I didn’t inspect every event, so the total could higher than that, but it was an impressive feat. The Beachmaster has shown no interest in any of the other females. There are still 2 large males on the island, with the Beachmaster (previously referred to as Bernard) staying with the females and the other male hanging out around our compost.

The new seal gave birth last night, bringing our total seal pups to 4!

Jocelyn gave birth to her pup last night with lots of shouting and fanfare.

Elephant Seal flippers look so ridiculous when they’re born, just oversized and floppy. Kinda like puppy paws.

Tons of eagles on the island this morning, which usually coincides with a reduction in other birds counted.

Cheermeister: fat and alone. I don’t understand how he still gets fatter after being weaned.

The Beachmaster checking if anyone is interested in mating yet.

Census:

Gulls: 136

Cormorants: 360

Eagles: 40

Turnstones: 13

Elephant Seals: 9 [2 bulls, 3 females, 4 pups]

Steller Sea Lions: 142

California Sea Lions: 155

Harbour Seals: 6

 

Peace descends over the nursery. Seriously though, Elephant Seals are soooo loud.

Bonham over drumming next to the compost where the Beachmaster can’t find him.

January 10th Census

Weather: Overcast, but mostly sunny over the last few days. winds 15-20knots.

This feels like we got more sun in January 2021 all of 2020.

Visitors/Traffic: Pretty quiet week, a few fishing boats driving by.

Ecological Notes: Newest Elephant Seal pup was born today. This makes 3 pups total, with the oldest nearing the end of his nursing period. His mom is looking VERY depleted, with 3 more days estimated until the end of her nursing period. His mom has also had a large behavioural change: previously she would ‘fight’ with the Beachmaster when we attempted mating, but over the last 24 hours she’s now much more receptive to his advances. 13-14 times a day receptive.

Cheermeister at 19 days. Looking fat and healthy as his mom gets more and more depleted. In 2020 we saw the pups nurse for 23 days, so he’s getting close to the end of ‘free food’.

Census:

Gulls: 259

Cormorants: 719

Eagles: 6

Turnstones: 22

Elephant Seals: 8 [2 bulls, 3 females, 3 pups]

Steller Sea Lions: 160

California Sea Lions: 121

Harbour Seals: 10

Proof that I take photos of other animals than Elephant Seals. SE Steller Rookery going strong.

Mothers seem to have lots of aggression shortly after a pup is born. Every pup we’ve seen get born here coincides with a bought of mom-on-mom aggression. Although Courtney has pointed out that this is my interpretation of their behaviour, and this could just be a ‘welcome to the fraternity of motherhood’ moment.

Mating looks rough. In larger rookeries this often results in pups getting squished. Here, Cheermeister just needs to avoid getting pinned and he should be good. He’s repetitively gotten in the middle of that mating between his mom and the Beachmaster and hasn’t died…. yet.

Peace descends. As with all things Elephant Seal: the chaos doesn’t last long. After 30 min of excitement everyone rolls over and falls asleep until tomorrows moment of activity,

 

Baby Elephant Seal for the Holidays

Image

Newborn Elephant Seal pup! After a night of squawking we were met in the morning by this adorable squishy new baby. It makes the cutest sounds!

Weather: 2 days of over 30 knots. Sleet on the afternoon of December 21st after a morning of NW bringing lots of logs into the jetty.

Visitors: 4 tourism boats coming out to view wildlife. Coast Guard doing maneuvers in the crazy currents. Navy ship and submarine out for a jaunt.

 

Maintenance: Greg got the desalinator going. We got Ocean Network Canada’s equipment up and running, I’m told it measures the tides and currents using radar?! Pretty cool. Maybe the subject of a blog post already?

Wildlife: The Elephant Seals showed up in the first week of December, so we were expecting a few months of them hanging out on Race Rocks before anything significant happened. Just kidding! The lone female on the island (pink tag #2) gave birth at around 10pm on December 21st after a chilly afternoon with a bit of snow.

Baby Elephant Seal #1. Could be last years pup? They are thought to return to their same birthing/moulting grounds.

The big male that has been posted up with the female since the beginning of December seems to be pretty protective of the new baby, making sure the rowdy teen male seal knows he is not welcome around the female and pup. There is another large male hanging out next to the generator building, and a small male (possibly last years pup) was hanging out here for a few weeks before heading back into the ocean.

The big male chased the female around the island for a few days before she found her favourite spot and posted up. Turns out those rocks right in from of her is the best nursery.

Momma Seal: Pink tag #2

Having a well deserved rest with her newborn the the giant male stands guard for other males.

We’ve still got lots of California and Steller Sea Lions hanging out on the island/jetty, with lots of bait balls and kelp rafts drifting by. There’s been at least 2 humpbacks feeding between Race Rocks and Edye Point for a few days.

 

Only 1 gull has died in the last week, and was pretty quickly eaten by a couple of eagles.

Because every Race Rocks blog should feature a lighthouse photo.