HAPPY NEW YEAR!
ANNUAL NEW YEAR'S DAY PELAGIC TRIP
From Mission Bay, San Diego
Sponsored By: The SDFO - San Diego Field Ornithologists
January 1, 2011 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
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| Tom Blackman |
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| Don "Cool Dude" Hastings |
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On Jan 1, 1983, Stan Walens and two of his out-of-town friends took a two-hour whale watching trip. A whale was not sighted on the first trip, so they got to go on a second trip for free. The crew thought it was so funny that Stan and friends were looking for birds instead of whales that they invited them back on for the 3rd trip of the day for free, resulting in an entire day at sea.
Stan reported his adventures to the San Diego Field Ornithologists and the next year (Jan 1, 1984) the club rented a boat and 35 members took the first annual SDFO New Year's Day Pelagic. Don and Marjorie Hastings were among those first riders, and have not missed a New Year's Day pelagic since.
After the first few years, Stan began to invite Don and Marjorie to come aboard without paying. Stan recollects, "They always helped on the trips by throwing popcorn chum. Throughout the year they both selflessly and tirelessly paid for and maintained the only functioning birder-communication network going at a time when most birders in that day and age didn't share information about rare birds. Inviting them aboard was a small way of thanking them for their contributions to the birding community. Marjorie was a lovely connecting force in the San Diego birding world."
Once again the San Diego Field Ornithologists (SDFO) will continue the tradition, hosting their annual half-day NEW YEAR'S DAY pelagic trip on the New Seaforth on the morning of January 1, 2011. You do not need to be a member of the SDFO to join us - in fact, you're invited!
Last year the trip was 5 hours under maginficient blue skies. Like last year, this year's trip begins at 8:00 a.m. and returns at 1:00 p.m. We will do a big clockwise loop southwest from Mission Bay out to the Nine Mile Bank, then following the Nine Mile up to and beyond the 178 before looping back east towards La Jolla, over La Jolla Canyon, past Stan's Bench and back to Mission Bay. We hope you can join us.
Jan 1, 2009 trip report and photos.
Jan 1, 2010 trip report and photos.
The New Seaforth will depart Seaforth Sportfishing Marina at 8:00 a.m. on New Year's Day for our traditional 5 hour "spin" around the pelagic waters of the Pacific Ocean from Seaforth Landing on Mission Bay.
Coffee/Breakfast: 6:30 a.m. Join your friends for breakfast or coffee at Seaforth Landing's new restaurant coffeeshop
Check-in Time: 6:30 - 7:30a.m.
Boarding Time: 7:45 a.m.
Departure Time: 8:00 a.m. sharp
Return: 1:00 p.m.
EARLY-BIRD ADVANCE RESERVATIONS: Tickets will go on sale around Thanksgiving Day. Watch SDBirds for an announcement. We expect they will be $35 or so. This trip has sold out for the past 10 years.
AGE: This trip is appropriate for children 7 years and older.
Map and directions to Seaforth Landing
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| Orcas off Point Loma Dec 2009 (c) North County Times |
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| Orca off Point Loma Dec 2009 (c) North County Times |
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REFUND POLICY: All requests for refunds must be directed to Seaforth Landing. You may cancel 30 or more days before the trip and receive a refund less a $10 handling fee per reservation. There are no refunds less than 30 days before the trip, but you may make a substitution up to the day of the trip.
CANCELLATIONS: When you reserve a space on a pelagic boat trip, the landing blocks, reserves and holds that space specifically for you. Most birders reserve their spots well in advance, it is difficult to re-book spots without adequate notice. In the unlikely event that you cancel with less than the agreed days of notice or do not attend the trip for any reason, please understand that there are no refunds.
SOLD OUT TRIPS & BACK-UP LIST: When a trip is sold out, the landing will maintain a back up list. To be placed on the list, telephone the landing. Only the landing can take back up reservations.
WEATHER CANCELLATION: All trips depart on time, even in rain, wind or small craft advisories. Weather rarely interferes with boats the size of the New Seaforth. Weather is usually quite good off SoCal this time of year, but a storm may blow through at any time of year. Trips always go out in rain, wind and choppy seas. We alter our course in winds and seas to make the trip as comfortable as possible for all passengers, which is why our itinerary is a flexible one.
The very rare decision to cancel a trip due to extreme weather will made by the captain or the landing. This decision is normally made the morning of the trip, very rarely the evening before the trip, never sooner. In the highly unlikely event that a trip cancels due to weather, your entire trip fee will be refunded. If you have weather questions or concerns for this trip, telephone the landing the afternoon or evening before the trip at (619) 224-3383.
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| Guy McCaskie shares some pelagic birding advice with Mark J Billings Jan 1, 2010 |
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| Jan 1, 2010 San Diego Field Ornithologists SDFO New Year's Day Pelagic Trip Track |
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| Leucistic Black-vented Shearwater; Don and Marjorie Hastings Jan 1, 2009; Hannah Loly |
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| Van Remsen, Guy McCaskie, Jon Dunn, John Luther |
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| R. Guy McCaskie and Paul E. Lehman |
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