Westport: A whale of a success in shifting economic seas

WESTPORT -- Two weeks ago I wandered under the skeleton of a gray whale called Rosie hanging unceremoniously from a warehouse ceiling in Coupeville. Interesting, I thought, but not very hands on.

It occurred to me -- since I'm a photographer -- that it might be neat to try to photograph the animal from the outside in so to speak ... an actual living, functioning gray whale in the wild, barnacles and all.

It's the gray-whale time of year in the Pacific Northwest as thousands of the huge creatures migrate up the coast from their breeding grounds in Mexico to the Bering Sea in Alaska. So I figured I wouldn't have far to travel to try to photograph one.

Westport, just south and west of Aberdeen and Hoquiam on the Washington coast, was once one of the most popular salmon sport fisheries in the world. Charter and other commercial boats, especially during the 1950s and '60s, fished practically around the clock during the summer months to satisfy customer demand.

Housed in a special building at the Maritime Museum, the lens from the former Destruction Island Lighthouse puts on a stunning light show. (JEFF LARSEN / SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER)

Times have changed. The numbers of salmon have diminished, which over the years has translated into less revenue for the charter boats. The state now tightly regulates the number of salmon fishing days allowed each year.

Just announced last week -- to the delight of the charter boat operators: For the first time in 16 years, the state will open a chinook-only salmon season from May 25 through June 16 with a two-fish daily limit. Every little bit helps.

Despite the downturn in the salmon fishery, Westport, with a population of just over 2,000, has managed to survive and prosper by diversifying. Bottom-fishing and whale-watching now are the staples of the charter boat industry. On a positive note, one charter boat operator told me that last year was one of the best in recent memory.

The town still calls commercial fishing, shellfish harvesting and fish processing the major components of its economy.

Tourism is a close second. The nearby state parks with ocean beach access, the Maritime Museum, the Grays Harbor Lighthouse, kite festivals, and ocean surfing attract thousands of tourists to the area each year.

For $23.56, I scored a ride on Ocean Charter's 50-foot Lucky Pierre for a gray-whale watching tour. With "lucky" in the name, I figured the boat had to be charmed. The boat runs two tours a day, one at 11 a.m. and the other at 2 p.m. My tour lasted just over two hours.

At Brady's Oysters, Debbie Hall plops crabs into the cooker. The restaurant prides itself in its fresh seafood. It grows its own oysters on the pristine Elk River Estuary in the South Bay of Grays Harbor. (JEFF LARSEN / SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER)

As we prepared to leave port, the weather, as often happens on the coast, was headed from OK to awful and beyond. But I paid my money to see a gray whale -- no matter how bad the weather got. Skipper Burrell Robinson said he wasn't going to let me down. He didn't.

Just minutes before we shoved off, a group of frolicsome South Bend High School aqua culture students on a field trip along with their teacher jumped onboard. The students were bright-eyed and ready to ride the wind and waves into the Pacific Ocean to see the mighty gray whale up close.

It didn't take long for the luster and the chipperness, I guess you could call it, to wear off. As it turned out, there was a direct proportion between the size of the ocean swells and the shade of green in the kids' faces.

Once skipper Burrell spotted a whale and cut back the throttles and we began to ride the ocean swells, whale-watching suddenly turned into seasickness survival for the kids. So much for the aqua culture lesson.

Despite the "over the rail" distraction, several gray whales put on a quite a show for our boat and another one in the area. Several adult whales were feeding in an area just north of Ocean Shores, along with a large herd of curious sea lions.

The whales would roll around on the surface with one flipper extended vertically. Then, as they prepared for a deep dive, the whales would thrust their giant tail flukes out of the water and -- with a mighty splash -- head for the bottom to feed.

Adult whales can reach 42 feet in length and weigh close to 45 tons. It's very uncommon for the whales to breach (leap out of the water) while in Washington waters, but the sight of the whales on the surface was exhilarating nonetheless. I got my photograph.

If the exhilaration of watching a gray whale in action isn't enough for one day, cross the street from the marina and tour the Westport Maritime Museum. It's the very distinguished historical- and nautical-looking building. You can't miss it.

You have to visit what's called the lens building first.

The lens looks like a giant upside-down disco strobe light, reflecting lightning-bolt-shaped patterns of light in symmetrical directions all over the room. On second thought, it looks more like a piece of equipment that Capt. Kirk and Scotty might have used to beam themselves from the Enterprise to some planet in search of a new life form.

The lens is, in fact, a relic from the 19th century and a prized possession of the museum -- the Destruction Island Lighthouse lens. Modernization of the lighthouse off the Washington coast in the 1960s made the lens expendable.

Built in France in the mid-19th century, the 8-foot-tall, 2-ton Fresnel lens was offered to the then Westport-South Beach historical society in 1995 by the U.S. Coast Guard. It was determined the lens needed a substantial new structure so it could be showcased properly.

By 1998, the money had been raised and construction was started on its new home on the Westport Maritime Museum grounds. By the end of that year, the lens was up and reflecting again, but this time for tourists instead of lost mariners.

Bob Pitzer, museum manager, treats every display like it's a part of his own family's experience. He's especially proud of the whale house, where the museum showcases the partial skeleton of a blue whale.

Blues were immortalized by a Gordon Lightfoot tune in the 1970s called "Ode to Big Blue," which hit the airways shortly after the harvesting ban on the whale started and helped draw attention to its plight. Scientists guess that more than 200,000 blues inhabited the planet before the long slaughter by whalers. The population has been slow to recover and scientists say there are only 10,000 to 14,000 or so left in the world's oceans. The blue whale is the largest mammal and possibly the largest animal to ever inhabit the earth.

(SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER)

Just before I went whale watching, I popped into Cutting Edge Kites across from the marina and talked to manager Doug Christenson to find out two things -- where the crazy surfers hang out and the state of the kite industry in Westport. Christenson said kites have never flown better and asked me to pump the Westport Kite Festival in (July 12-14) when fliers from all over the country congregate with their custom-built works of art disguised as kites. From his pictures of last year's event, it looks huge.

I was able to find the surfers by watching car roofs for telltale signs. I found a few on the ocean side of Westhaven State Park, where there's easy beach access and plenty of waves. Hey, it ain't Huntington Beach, Calif., but the waves are OK and it's not nearly as long a drive. The average ocean temperature off Westport this time of year is about 48 degrees. It looked colder especially when it was a cold, rainy day to begin with. That's dedication.

In fine Westport tradition, the town hosts the 15th annual Crab Races and Feed at the marina next week (April 20-21). The races are nicknamed the "sideways shuffle," and the entry information doesn't say whether the winner gets a prize or is eaten with a side of french bread and a cup of chowder. It sounds like the event is fun for the whole family and includes a crab-catching derby, survival suit relay races plus a family style dance with live music Saturday night.

For a mean smoked salmon chowder, try Coley's Seafood and Sub Shop across from float No. 6 at the marina (cup $1.99; bowl $3.79). If you want to splurge, go for the sourdough bowl with the chowder ... it's outrageous (and only $4.99). You won't have to bus your silverware -- it's plastic everything.

To buy some amazing seafood on the way in or out of town, be sure to stop at Brady's Oysters, just past the Elk River Bridge on the right side heading west. Look for the sign. The family-owned business seems as if it's always open and the seafood is the freshest you can find in the region. They grow their own oysters on the pristine Elk River Estuary in the South Bay of Grays Harbor and will sell them to you by the bushel if you like. They also harvest and cook their own crab to demanding standards.

There are more than 20 motels in Westport, all moderately priced, and there's plenty of private RV parking with full hookups in the area.

If you go to Westport

Copyright © Seattle Post-Intelligencer