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<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial
size=2>6/15/08</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial size=2>Seven of us braved
the Father's Day crowd at Dana Point to put a bit more time in the outer waters
to look for the Blues. Duane, Barb and Ken were there as well as Chuck and his
out of town visitors Tabitha and Jonathan(hope I got those right). It was an
overcast day as we made it out of the harbor to find a derelict, old sailboat
making its way out to what could only be misfortune! Besides the usual
harbor chop, there was a rolling swell coming in, but conditions weren't too bad
for hunting.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial size=2>We were all making
good time until our first break, when Chuck and his friend decided to switch
boats. About the same time, Tabitha started feeling the sudden onset of Mal de
Mer, so four of our group decided it was best to head back in. That left the
burden of finding the Blues to Duane, Ken and I.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial size=2>We paddle out to our
usual haunt about 4 miles off shore under very quiet conditions. All of a
sudden, right off Duane's bow there was a small boil of what looked like small
flippers sticking out of the water, but they didn't hang out long enough for us
to figure out what they were. Soon the head of a seal popped up close by and we
wondered if he'd been rounding up some fish dinner. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial size=2>There were no boats
close by; nothing to suggest any whales in the area, so we just settled down for
a long rest to see what my arise. Without any sun, we could enjoy just hanging
out bobbing in the swells, but after about 45 minutes, we figured the Blues
still aren't ready for visiting. Even without any sightings, the day seemed to
go by pretty fast. As a consolation prize on the way home, a long finned tuna
surprised us by leaping out of the water and I have to admit we were grateful
for any excitement. We made it back to the beach with only a few more miles
under our belts for our troubles.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial size=2>Mark
Sanders</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="http://www.sandmarks.net">www.sandmarks.net</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=000193300-16062008><FONT face=Arial
size=2>#</FONT></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>