Date: 11/12/26 4:56 am From: John Edmondson <johnhedmondson...> Subject: [NHBirds] BBC December All-Day Pelagic to Nantucket Shoals – Saturday Dec 5 (Weather Date Sunday Dec 6)
Hi,
I'm getting the word out more broadly about the BBC's December all-day
pelagic trip out of Hyannis, MA. Details are below.
John Edmondson (Brookline Bird Club)
BBC December All-Day Pelagic to Nantucket Shoals – Saturday Dec 5
(Weather Date Sunday Dec 6)
The BBC will be running one last pelagic trip this year, a day trip on
Saturday Dec 5 (weather date Dec 6) from Hyannis to the Nantucket Shoals. 7
am to 4 pm.
It’s a great time of year to get out on the water, with the potential for
lingering shearwaters and a good chance of encountering Alcids, including
Dovekie and maybe even a Puffin.
Our ship for this trip has large indoor cabin for shelter, snack bar and
room to accommodate a lot of participants
Every trip is different, and early December can offer a range of species.
Often there are spectacular congregations of sea ducks in Nantucket Sound –
tens of thousands are possible. It is a real wildlife spectacle.
It can be very cold and windy on the water in December. Dress in layers as
you would for a pretty cold winter day. The boat moves fairly fast when
cruising between spots and that adds to the apparent wind speed. The
weather may not be ideal. The weather cancellation decision is made mostly
based on safety and difficult sea conditions. *Layer up and sign up!*
Winter gulls may be around (Iceland, Glaucous, Lesser Black-backed,
Black-legged Kittiwake), as may Northern Gannets and Northern Fulmar.
As we get to the Nantucket Shoals, a shallow, sandy-bottomed area southeast
of Nantucket, there should be lingering shearwaters (Manx, Great, Cory’s,
Sooty) and Storm-Petrels (Wilson’s and Leach’s) with the possibility of J
aegers (Parasitic, Pomerine) or even a Skua.
Alcids are tough but possible. Dovekie is a goal and there is always a
chance of a Puffin. There are opportunities to see a number of other sea
creatures as well – whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, mola-mola, tuna, and
Portuguese man o’ war.
Before registering for the pelagic trip please read the following:
1. Weather date: You are expected to be able to attend on either Dec 5
or Dec 6 depending on the weather. The decision will be made very close to
Dec 5 because marine forecasts are not reliable earlier in advance.
2. Cancellations: Notify <pelagics...> if you need to
cancel. We will have to charge you for the trip anyway unless there is
someone on the waiting list who can take your place. We try hard to fill
your spot. Even if we can fill your spot, there is a non-refundable
$5.00 cancellation charge to cover credit card transaction fees which we
have incurred on your behalf (those fees are not refunded to us when we
refund you). However, we will fully refund you if the entire trip including
the weather day is cancelled.
3. Due to weather conditions, the captain sometimes cancels the trip if
there are safety concerns. We will keep you informed as soon as we know of
a change of trip status. While unfortunate, it may be unavoidable that we
have to cancel only a day before the trip which could create difficulties
for our participants. Similarly, the decision to switch to the weather day
may happen only a day before.
4. Please consider purchasing trip insurance for flights and hotel
arrangements, since the pelagic trips are occasionally cancelled due to sea
conditions.
