No orcas present. July 15 2020: A30s (heard); Humpbacks: Argonaut, Squiggle, Stitch, Guardian Technically the A30s were still within range just after midnight so they are counted in but the night was actually very uneventful after that. The day, however, brought several humpbacks into view. We identified the four listed above. Their blows punctuated our senses as we went about an incredibly busy day. We were always aware of their presence. The morning also brought a blanket of fog but this gradually lifted to reveal a fairly bright day. The seas were calm all day. The orcas were not in the vicinity throughout the day so our focus shifted, when not watching the humpbacks and doing the scans, to tasks that long needed doing. First up was solving the problem of the water line. Our water on Hanson Island is delivered via a gravity feed from the “top” of a very small creek on the other side of the main bay. Our aqueduct is a long line of connected garden hoses strung out through the forest. A little bit funky but it has worked (for the most part) since first constructed in 1986. Old hose sections are replaced when needed. Yesterday a length, not far from the house, was fatally leaking. It was time to change. So after an epic struggle to disengage the rusted, seized hose connection we were able to replace the old with a new length. Back at the sink the water began to flow once more. The faucet filter was cleaned out which improved the situation even more. The drinking water jugs were filled to the brim with clean filtered (we have a proper water filter for drinking water) and the dishes from the night before, stored in their bin (the Hanson version of a dish washer), were washed and put away. On to the next task. This also had a water theme. Water from the kitchen sink is washed away through a very long down pipe made of fire hose sections. Accumulation of dishwater detritus sometimes silts the pipe and impedes proper drainage.This morning, it was decided it was time to clean it out! To do so, we needed to get the fire pump up and running. The down pipe was placed in the water, connected and readied. The actual fire hose likewise was connected securely thanks to new fittings and also made ready. We then just had to prime the pump and fire it up. It worked! The long hose began to fill. Suzie held the nozzle end and soon water was gushing out. A lot of effort and many different attempts and strategies later and the hose was successfully flushed out and water was flowing nicely through each of the hose sections. This job served two functions. First, improving the efficiency of the kitchen drainage system and secondly, for much needed practice running the fire pump and making sure it still works. Living on a remote island we are very conscience of the need to be able to handle emergencies like fires if they should (heaven forbid) ever happen. We have used the pump twice to put out fires, once when one of the buildings caught fire and once when there was a serious fire in the forest a couple of kilometres away. Both fires were taken care of successfully. Megan, Suzie and Quin also worked on getting the Local Center hydrophone set up. This hydrophone is going to run straight out from the Lab and provide overlapping coverage of Blackney Pass. Throughout the day we watched and listened to the larger boats to help determine the range of the new Flower Island hydrophone which seems to be listening far deeper into Blackney Pass while still covering Blackfish Sound and part of Queen Charlotte Strait to the west. Locating whales in this new sound scape is going to be interesting but potentially more accurate as well. Megan also spray painted the old milk cans to freshen their appearance. She chose grey this time. These cans, originally silver to begin with have been yellow, silver again, red, silver again and now grey over the past 50 years since they were first brought to Hanson Island to store food such as flour, rice and oats. They sit smartly in the kitchen providing that same function. There were visitors throughout the day as well. Probably everyone is keenly aware of how strange it is to welcome friends who are not part of your “bubble” in the time of Covid. No hugs, keeping distance, wearing mandatory masks and being extra careful about surfaces. But Hanson is blessed with a large wide deck with places to sit so conversations at least could happen in safety. But it is a bit exhausting being careful. More conventionally (during these strange days), we had an afternoon zoom meeting to discuss some of the temporary problems we are experiencing with the network. Quin, in the Lab, likewise was on the phone with the explore.org technitian, on the computers, scratching his brain trying to tackle some of these issues. With all this good effort we are sure to get there! With the day so busy in so many directions and problems with the Local hydrophone Suzie and Megan scrapped the idea of doing a dive to install the hydrophone. Matchu arrived early evening from Double Bay to work on the hydrophone. He was successful so tomorrow looks promising. Megan made a quick trip to Alert Bay to take Janie. We all finished the day fairly satisfied but tired standing around the kitchen eating fresh strawberries and ice cream and talking about all time favourite movies. Meanwhile, the humpbacks still blowing & breaching out beyond the kitchen walls seemed perhaps happy enough to have the Pass to themselves. As it grew dark, night schedules agreed on and set, thoughts turned to bed.  OrcaLab 15 Jul 2020 22:31:50 PDT