What a fun whale watch on Saturday! This was our first weekend whale watch this season and it was spectacular! The weather was perfect for early May and made for a wonderful Mother’s day weekend.

It was great to have the Miss Cape Ann out on the water again. Capt. Mark was on board with first mate Ray, our resident photographer extraordinaire. See some of his unbelievable photos of whales below and on our facebook page. Beth, our Whale Center of New England trained naturalist, was also on board. She recently returned from her winter in St. Augustine, FL, where she performed aerial right whale studies along with fellow naturalist, Orla. We are so excited to have them back this season. Be sure to ask them about their winter adventures and research. We also have a new summer intern, Abbie, a student at North Eastern University, who will be assisting our naturalists recording whale behavior. Welcome Abbie!

Saturdays whale watch also brought out some other familiar faces. Hip Hip hooray….Mason was on board! As well as some of our other regulars, Deb and Cliff who traveled from New York. This just goes to show you once your come out with us, you are like family. You will want to, and many do, keep coming back for more and more whales!

The photos speak for themselves but here is a recap of what we saw:  At least 15 humpbacks, with 6 ID’d. They were Tongs, Falcon, Mostaza, Ventisca, Lavaliers 09 calf, and Scylla’s 08 calf. Scylla’s 08 calf was a great hit, playing with the boat for at least a half hour, also blowing bubbles, and spy hopping. We also saw flipper slapping, lobtailing and a small group of white sided dolphins

After the whale watch a bunch of the crew and passengers wandered up to Capt. Carlos for some much needed drink and nourishment. Something about an amazing whale watch mixed with a warm night that makes you hungry and thirsty. It was fun to continue on with the whale’s tales (pun intended) and talk about the excitement of the day.

It is going to be an amazing whale watch season here at Capt. Bill and Sons Whale Watch! We can’t wait to see all of you soon!

Whale watching cruises have become some of the most popular trips to take along the Atlantic coastline in North America. As for what you can expect on a whale watching cruise, there is quite a lot you can prepare for.

Expect to see the humpback whale, as well as several other examples of marine wildlife. Megaptera novaeangliae, the humpback whale, gets its nickname “large-wing New Englander” because of their enormous pectoral fins, the largest of any great whale species.

During the summer season, Atlantic humpback whales come to the New England coast all the way up to the Newfoundland shores to feed in the cold, krill-rich waters. The Atlantic humpbacks winter in the warm waters of The Caribbean, where they have their calves and breed.

Expect changing weather conditions during whale watching cruises, and dress appropriately. You may encounter rain, sun, winds or any other combination of rugged and inclement weather. Bring an extra layer of clothing, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, a set of binoculars, and of course, a good camera with plenty of available memory cards. Depending on the season, you may also want to bring rain gear.

If you have a smart phone, you may want to download weather or visit CaptBillAndSons.mobi, to help you on your excursion. Aboard Capt. Bill & Sons cruise the Atlantic, and have access to a naturalist, who can provide you with insight on the New England coastline, the marine life you will see, the climate, the ocean, or other questions you might have.

Capt. Bill & Sons, out of the Cape Ann area, offers full whale watching cruises designed to get you into the wild presence of the beautiful animals while providing the support of a professional who knows the environment on your cruise. A naturalist skilled in whale and New England coastal ecology is on the vessel, answering any questions you or your shipmates may have. This provides a rich understanding of the beauty and complexity of whale society and groups, known as pods. If you have never been out for whale watching cruises, or are a seasoned vet of the trips, Capt. Bill & Sons gets you into the heart of New England humpback whale territory.

In addition to the humpbacks, you may see pilot, fin, and seals during your whale watching tour. As you leave the harbor, keep a keen eye out for grey and harbor seals swimming stealthily through the water. Sea birds, such as Atlantic puffin, murres, murrlettes and guillemottes round out the tour, giving birders a taste of the rich variety of sea birds along the North Atlantic coast.

Enjoy your time on our boat, the Miss Cape Ann, and be prepared for some whale and sea bird viewing. It is truly an experience you will never forget.

Well its official, Whale watch season has begun. We had our first whale watch on May 3rd, with great success! Our first trip took us out to Stellwagen Bank, we traveled about 20 miles South/Southeast when we spotted our first humpback whales. Sightings this day included fluking from Tong and Buckshot. Check out the great pics!

The whale watching season for Capt. Bills has almost officially begun!  The Miss Cape Ann was put in the water last Wednesday after weeks of maintenance, new transducer, and new cabin windows! With just a few more finishing touches, she’ll be ready for whale watching in no time!  Check out our pics from the launch!

photo courtesy of Tiny Island Beach Glass, Gloucester MA

Capt. Bills promotes boat safey in Gloucester Harbor! You would be surprised at how many people buy boats that have no clue how to drive them!  Learn about commercial fishing, safety gear and requirements, even take a tour of their boats!  See you all there.

Spread the word about Safe Boating day on May 19th from 9-2 at the Gloucester Coast Guard Station.

www.uscgboating.org

Some sad news has hit the Capt. Bills community. After 30 years of humpback research and education, The Whale Center of New England has decided to close their doors. We, at Capt. Bills, are hoping to continue the mission of the WCNE and are committed to both the conservation of whales as well as the education about our areas’ abundant marine life. We are currently exploring all avenues to keep the whale exhibit and humpback whale skeleton known as “Inland” intact and accessible to the public for educational purposes. We would like to thank Mason Weinrich and the rest of the staff for their hard work and compassion, and keeping this organization going for as long as they did.

If you would like to read the article in the Gloucester Daily Times– it can be read HERE

Harbor seals seem to be year round residents of Gloucester harbor. Adults can grow up to 6 feet and weight up to 300 lbs! If you ever sit along the beaches/surroundings of the inner harbor or in coves all around Cape Ann,  you are most likely to catch a glimpse of one of these precious marine mammals.  If you do happen to see one on a beach however, please keep you distance. Why? Read this article from the Whale Center’s site for many reasons to stay far away.

Unfortunately in the past year there has been a string of mysterious seal deaths from Massachusetts up to Maine, the cause possibly from a rare flu.  For more info on the story see this December article fom the boston globe.

The seal pups are even cuter than the adults, which you are more likely to see in the spring/early summer. Luckily our friend Ray has snapped a few pictures for us so we can share it on our blog! Enjoy!

Ok so i guess 1997 can’t be called vintage just yet, but check out these old advertisements for Capt. Bill & Sons whale watch. Our friend Dave found a bunch of old Gloucester Daily Times as he was cleaning his basement and some had our Ads in them.  One of them is from late 80’s/early 90’s when were located down Rose’s Wharf! The other two are from 1997 and 1998.  Brings back memories from the m/v Miss Cape Ann III, one of our old catamarans that we no longer have.

Its hard to believe 1997 was actually 15 years ago! Time sure flies when you’re watching whales.

Hope all is well with all of our Capt. Bills Fans. As the winter months roll in, we will be posting mostly about interesting artcles pertaining to whales/marine life, and also current events/Cape Ann news. Please feel free to email thoughts or articles you come across to info@captbillandsons.com so we can post them on the blog to share with other fans.

Speaking of such articles, there was a humpback sighting (possibly one of ours!) off the coast of North Carolina this week, check it out!

And click here to read about the Right whales that have been spotted hanging out off Plymouth, MA!

If you haven’t had your whale photo fix in the past recent weeks, check these ones out. They are from a satisfied whale watching customer, David B., who came out with us in July for an amazing whale watch trip! Thanks David!

OUR GIFT SHOP IS OPEN YEAR ROUND FOR THE WHALE LOVER IN THE FAMILY

WHAT BETTER THAN A CAPT. BILLS GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR CHRISTMAS?!

Capt. Bills is officially done with the whale watch season. For those of you that joined us for a whale watch (or many whale watches), we thank you for a great, successful season . If you didn’t get to go out on a whale watch adventure this year, come see us next year! Our season runs May thru October.

However the Miss Cape Ann is still out there looking for whales, Right whales that is. For the past few years, the Whale Center receives a grant to do Right whale surveys from our boat. Check out this cool pic of her in action..

taken by NOAA/NEFSC/Allison Henry