http://www.capetrain.com/

Cape Cod - Index

Cape Cod - travel_guide_2008 - Index

■ activities cape & islands
Whale-watch passengers are treated to an up-close view of a humpback whale.
COURTESY OF PORTUGUESE PRINCESS
56
IF YOU GO
There are a few indispensable items you need for a whale watch:
■ Layers of protective clothing. Bring a jacket or sweatshirt
because it can get cool and breezy on the water. Comfortable
shoes, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen are also a must.
■ A magazine, book or games for the kids to pass the time
during the trip to and from the whale-watching grounds.
■ Snacks help, too, although most vessels have wellstocked
galleys.
■ If you’re prone to motion sickness, take along remedies—just
in case.
■ Binoculars will help you pick out any whales on the horizon.
But the most important thing to remember is a camera,
preferably one with a decent telephoto or high pixel count that
will allow cropping and enlarging later.
All Aboard!
CAPE COD CENTRAL RAILROAD
252 Main Street, Hyannis • (888) 797 RAIL (7245) • (508) 771-3800
www.capetrain.com
Cape Cod Travel Guide Annual 2008
• Award Winning Elegant Dinner Train
• Sunday Brunch Train • Cape Codder Luncheon Train
• Family Supper Train • Two-hour Narrated Scenic Fun Train
Group, corporate and special events welcome.
says. Some 75 percent of humpbacks
have entanglement scars, and each year
10 to 25 percent of the population
becomes entangled.
“As much as we can protect them
from some things, that is really the
biggest threat they have,” she says. As
the only organization federally
authorized to rescue whales caught in
fishing gear, the Center has untangled—
and probably saved the lives of—some
80 whales.
For the researchers, the whales become
like old friends, returning year after year.
While all whales can be identified—
finbacks have a unique gray and white
swirling pattern behind the blowhole, for
example—the patterns on the flukes of
humpbacks make them easy to spot and
identify for researchers like Jarzobski,
who’s been doing whale watches for the
Center for a decade.
“It’s a great tool to get their life
history, what they go through, across to
people on whale watches,” she said. Salt,
for instance, was one of the first
humpbacks identified in 1976, and with
the exception of one year, has been seen
every summer since. She had her first
calf in 1980 and has had at least 10 since.
The expansion of whale watching
beyond Provincetown created an
industry with gross sales of more than
$21 million, according to a report by a
pair of Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution researchers. Jay Hurley,
general manager for Portuguese
Princess Excursions, estimates the two
Provincetown lines carry about 100,000
to 120,000 passengers during the April to
October season, and he doesn’t expect
the industry to disappear anytime soon.
“It’s a unique experience,” he says. “I
think there’ll always be interest.”
Later, Jarzobski posts a report on the
three-hour trip on the Center’s website.
Total sightings: more than two dozen
humpbacks, five finbacks, four minkes.
“An incredible day of whale watching,”
she concludes. ■