Captain Dans Around the Island Tours

11/16/2024

Looks like good boating wx Sunday-Wednesday this week, then the long range forecast shows a cold blow moving in next weekend.

11/24 will be my last official day of the season, then I’m pulling the boats and starting the winter maintenance cycle. Lots to do, and not much daylight to get it done in. 🔧 🛢️ 😅 🥶

11/02/2024

CaptainDansTours.com

Warm wx last week was for the birds 🦅 😂. Temps dropped today, and it’ll be cool thru the weekend, but looks like it will warm back up this week.

Been seeing a lot of our “residential” bird species “extended family” migrating thru the area the last few weeks. Sightings of cormorant, and great blue heron have tripled as some from father north are passing thru.

The first migratory species of the year that I notice are always brant, and some of them showed up about a week ago.

Lots of eagle sightings too. I think we had 6 or 7 sightings on multiple trips in the last few weeks.

Pony viewing usually picks up in the fall, we are in the throes of a nearly 40 days drought, and it’s deer hunting season in Virginia. Those 2 factors can influence our pony sightings, but things have been pretty good.

I’m shutting down for the season after 11/24. So just a couple more weeks til I start the off season maintenance cycle.

10/14/2024

Way too windy for me to cruise today. But had a productive day in-spite of the wind.

Replaced a defective battery, changed the oil, replaced a leaking steering cylinder, and bled the steering. No video….too windy.

I think I’ve got my boat back to 100% working condition.

Cold wx moves in tonight, 10am trips depart with 50° temps this week. Highs only in the lower 60’s til Sunday. Leave the shorts and t-shirts at home. It’s insulated pants, wind-breaking coat, hats covering ears, and gloves temps. 🥶🥶🥶

10/13/2024

Huge day for eagle spotting!! We saw 6 eagles on the 10am, and 6 on the 4pm trip, including an immature I’m still not sure how a lady on my boat spotted.

Thunderbolt was the best pony viewing at 10 and 1, then we stayed north at 4pm, and found Puzzle, Hoppy, Twist, and Chief. Puzzle approached Hoppy, no fighting, just visiting I guess 🤷‍♂️.

I was coming in late on the 4pm, when a pod of 30-40 dolphin in the bay turned our trip into a
sunset cruise.

Supposed to get a lil S-SW blow Sunday, then we drop to the upper 50’s by Tuesday….time to break out the long underwear.

10/10/2024

One of my engines on Diligence keeps working out of alignment. After getting Abby to help me bleed the system a few times, I finally broke down and bought a bleeding kit from MarineTech. I think it just might save my marriage 🤔

I was able to get some air out of the system, but I think the underlying issue is a bad seal. So I’ll try to purge the system best I can, but I think I’m gonna have to repair/replace the cylinders.

This bleeding system is awesome, bleeding is now a 1 person job. I can also bleed in the water, with little to no drips. The hoses all use quick connects that shut when disconnected 👍🏽

*the olive oil jug was for purging the system. I flushed out all the old fluid to dispose of it. I don’t run olive oil in my boat 🫒

https://marinetech.com/seastar-bleed-system-with-tank.html

10/10/2024

This afternoon, I logged a couple man overboard, fire, and abandon ship drills.

Part of operating an inspected passenger vessel, is conducting monthly training drills, and performing those drills to the satisfaction of the USCG Officer in Charge of Marine Inspections (OCMI) during annual inspections.

Looks like a cold front coming in tonight….gonna be chilly 🥶 on the boat tomorrow. Then maybe a blow for the beginning of next week.

09/29/2024

If you head to the Virgina State Fair this week, be sure to get yourself an “Officer Allen trading card” from the VMRC booth. Drove all the way to Richmond to see someone from Greenbackville 😂

We were off the water this weekend for a short family vacay to the state fair and Williamsburg. Back to cruising on Tuesday. 🫡

09/25/2024

Saw a bobcat on the service trail today 😉

09/21/2024

Since we are under a “coastal flood warning”, it’s a good time to clarify the difference between a “watch” and a “warning”. 🌮

09/18/2024

It was a gloomy morning for a trip….kinda breezy, and drizzly rain. The rain stopped before we took off, and we landed into a HUGE pod of dolphin outside the harbor! They were chasing the fish right out of the water!

Felt like 100, but I think 50 dolphin is a conservative estimate. Might have been the most active dolphin sighting I’ve ever had!

Thanks to my daughter Charlotte for giving me some background music on her ukulele.

CaptainDansTours.com
Chincoteague Island Virginia

08/28/2024

Capt.Doug has been keeping his eye on a nest of baby pelicans, and the white pelican who showed up in our area this year.

He said a bald eagle was hanging out on the beach with them this afternoon, and he got a good photo. 😳 Maybe it just wants to be friends 🤷‍♂️
🦅 🥪 👀

08/23/2024

#97
🤯



Crazy number of foals this year!!! Could we hit 100? Theoretically it could happen, but I think Darcy’s notes make it not likely.

Why wouldn’t we hit 100? Some “of age” mares have not yet had foals this year…..but, if breeding sightings have been observed with those mares this year, then they will not foal until next year. Breeding behavior in equine is “procreational” not “recreational”.

For example: CJ Sammin’ has not had a foal this year, but I think Darcy said a breeding sighting was observed with her at the July round up. So if she was gonna have a foal this year, that breeding would not have taken place (with 99% certainty. There are exceptions to everything). Therefore, we are not expecting CJ Sammin’ to have a foal until next year. Most mares who have not had foals this year have been eliminated from to “possible” list because of these sightings.

I think it’s just the 2 year olds that are the wild cards. 2 year old ponies rarely have foals, but we know most of them were with a mature stallion (Legacy) when they were 1 year old. And at least one has had a foal this year.

So it’s a long shot to 100, not probable, but possible. We have had foals born in November before, so there’s still a solid 2 months to go in the extended foaling season. 👀

08/21/2024

08/19/2024

I’ve had “no-fecta” trips before 👀 ….but tonight we saw nothing faster than ever 💨!!

Sunday night I cancelled my 5pm trip, cuz I thought T-storms would hit us at 6pm….when we were as far from the dock as possible (they didn’t, it was beautiful til about 8pm).

So tonight I figured we were good til 7:30 or 8pm. When the sky got dark at 5:30, and the wind picked up, Capt. Dan called an audible. We circled the island hit the dock at 6pm. 25 mile trip in 1hr.

In the end, we probably could have stayed out til 7, but I’d rather be wrong at the dock, than wrong 10 miles away from shelter 🤷‍♂️ .

08/15/2024

💦 🐴 💦
Capt. Dan’s 2025 Pony Swim Time Prediction:

8AM on a Low Tide

08/13/2024

#95 ET


I really didn’t think it was gonna happen. We’d seen ET Sunday night about 7pm. So this guy/gal musta been born sometime between then and now.

She is still with Norm, and he was not far from her. I was just focusing on the foal.

(first sighting not by me)

08/13/2024

Pony viewing was pretty slow Monday, (southern herd all along the road, and northern herd nowhere to be seen, at any distance by noon. But we spotted eagle and dolphin on at least 3 out of 4 trips.

Send like when we get the best wx for cruising, the pony sightings dip hard 👀 🤷‍♂️