Anacortes Kayak Tours: Reports from the Field

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Burrows Island Wildlife and Great Kayaking

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:52:00 +0000

Andaria had another super fun 5 Hour trip around Burrows island yesterday. Her and her guests had too many seal encounters to count and she told us that the Harbor porpoise were out in force all day.
After the trip her guests called in to reiterate how much fun they had (we love it when we get direct feedback like this). One couple said that their favorite part was exploring near the shoreline during the low tide. There were beautiful Purple Sea Stars (Pisaster ochraceus), a couple of gorgeous Striped Sun Stars (Solaster stimpsoni), and even some Sea Pens (Order-Pennatulacea).

Sea pens are colonial cnidarians (like jellyfish) that are generally grouped together with other soft corals. They sift plankton from the water as it drifts by. These animals are rarely seen on our tours because they live a bit deeper in the water column and the water has to be unusually clear to see that deep. It's always a treat to have a glimpse at these beautiful animals!

After the tour I met up with Andaria and two other guides (Ben and Wyatt) and we paddled around Burrows and Allan islands to enjoy the fantastic evening light. It was a flat calm day and once again we were surrounded by foraging porpoise. Hearing their sharp exhalations around our kayaks created a relaxing atmosphere as we watched the sun setting over the San Juan Islands

Spring kayaking and Orca whales!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:05:00 +0000

It's a beautiful April morning out there. After a week of windy weather this comes as welcome relief.
Andaria is out on her morning kayak tour around Burrows Island and the report just came in that there are Orca whales just off shore on the west side of the island! This is the first time this season that we've been out there when the whales go by, hopefully they get a great look at them. Apparently the porpoise sighting have been incredible as well, with lots of small groups being seen in Burrows Pass and out by the lighthouse.
Orca whales are not the only large marine mammal that we have been fortunate to see these last few days. A large Gray whale has been repeatedly seen in and around Deception Pass. Just this morning one of our spotters saw it swimming east into the Narrows. It is likely moving back and forth between shallow areas off of the west side of Fidalgo Island (Anacortes) and Similk Bay on the south end.

Spring Kayaking in the San Juan Islands

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:58:00 +0000

Easter weekend was pretty blustery this year as a large weather system passed over the region. Still, the last few weeks have been sunny and warm and we are enjoying the gorgeous display of wildflowers that are blooming on the grassy slopes along Burrows Island.

Our kayaking season started early this year due to the great weather, and lots of folks are joining us on our 3 Hour and 5 Hour trips around Burrows Island. Veteran guide Andaria Crespi has led most of these trips and she has been sharing great stories of seal encounters and porpoise sightings, one group even witnessed a pair of Bald eagles mating in a tree! You never know what will happen out there! Once again the resident pair of Peregrine falcons is nesting on the cliffs in Allan Pass (the narrow waterway between Burrows Island and Allan Island). For the last seven years our kayak tours have enjoyed watching these beautiful animals raise there chicks out there.
Last week we spotted a Gray whale feeding in the shallow water off of Washington Park. Some years we get lucky and one or two will remain in the area for weeks. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Andaria Crespi - The Whale Whisperer

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Well, ok, that's a corny title for this post but she has been the luckiest guide on staff when it comes to whale sightings over the last few weeks. These last couple of days it has been the elusive Minke whale that she has seen.
Two days ago she was in Deception Pass with us enjoying a "busman's holiday" and playing around in the flood current when a large Minke whale broke the surface in the calm waters east of the bridge. Now that's not the sort of thing that you see every day, so we broke out of the eddy and headed over to take a look. Minkes are a small baleen whale that feeds by swimming rapidly into a school of fish with their mouths open wide, and that is exactly what this fella was doing, small fish scattered at the surface as he lunged forward. We watched him for a while before he moved on to another school of fish.
Yesterday it happened to Andaria again. She was leading a 3 hour Burrows Island trip when a Minke surfaced quite close to the group. Minke whales are notoriously difficult to spot from a whale watch boat, so you can imagine how surprising it was for Andaria to see them two days in a row, from a kayak!
Whales aside, it has been an amazing summer for wildlife of all sorts. We've been very fortunate this summer for all of the great weather and fantastic wildlife viewing. Now it is September, our guides' favorite month. The weather is usually great, and the crowds of summer have gone, life in the San Juans doesn't get much better than this.

Patos Island Adventure, With Mammal Eating Orcas

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 03:42:00 +0000

A few days ago Andaria was out on a 3-day trip to Sucia Island with some very strong paddlers as guests. The weather conditions were perfect and the currents were mild, so the group decided to head all the way out to Patos Island (right on the border with Canada) to spend the night. Patos Island is one of those magical places that are hard to describe without reducing the place. When you are camping out there it feels like you are out on the edge of the world, looking out over the Canadian Gulf Islands to the west, and the San Juan Islands to the south.

While crossing between Sucia and Patos she caught sight of a few whale watch boats drifting near her destination, and she knew that a whale of some sort must be in the area. When they saw a large dark object rocketing out of the water they knew that it was Orca whales. Only one animal out here makes its presence known like that. A few breaches and tail-slaps later the kayakers were drifting in a raft about 200 yards from the 4-5 animals and had great views of them traveling east towards Sucia Island. It wasn't until later, when she called us, that she learned that this was no ordinary sighting of the Southern Resident Killer Whales (fish-eaters), but rather a rare opportunity to see a pod of Transient Orcas (mammal eaters). Upon hearing that information she was glad that she and her guests were sitting a safe distance away. There's something about being in the presence of mammal eaters that gives pause to us mammals, eh?
The next morning they were out for a pre-breakfast paddle when suddenly there were Orcas swimming around the corner of the island. Again the same group of Transient Orcas were prowling the seal rich waters around Patos Island. The kayakers sat quietly as the group swam by and disappeared around the next bend in the shoreline. What a way to start the day!

Gray whale at Deception Pass!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Leslie Mix just reported that she and her guests had a large Gray whale swim by their group out on the 1.5 hour Deception Pass tour! This Spring there was a large whale hanging out near Whidbey Island, and occasionally Deception Pass, but usually we do not see this type of animal around the San Juan Islands during the summer months. The whale on Leslie's trip surfaced pretty close to the kayaks and stayed in their vicinity for a good while before moving on. What a treat!

In other news, Julia was coming back from leading a 3-Day Cypress Island trip when a harbor porpoise repeatedly breached (full body out of the water) in front of her and her guests. This is highly unusual behavior for these diminutive cetaceans who seldom come very far out of the water. We speculate that it was either exhibiting a rather aggressive foraging technique, or possibly chasing off a rival animal. Either way it was an exciting way to finish off a great experience up at Cypress Island.

Seals Galore!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 22:57:00 +0000

It's been a little tough trying to keep up with the Reports these last weeks. The summer season is in full swing and lots of people are excited to get out on the water.
Freddie just came back from a great 3-Day trip out to Sucia Island. He said that the seals were thick as thieves up there, and were constantly following him and his guests. He even got this great photo of one particularly curious animal who nearly climbed aboard his kayak. As always, his guests were blown away by the incredible scenery up there, the seals were simply icing on the cake!
The reports that I'm getting back from our guides out at the Burrows Island trips sound similarf to Freddie's report. Apparently there are a few gregarious seal pups right there in the marina who are giving people quite a show. Our guide Brent just told me that a young seal climbed up onto the dock during his orientation talk at the beginning of the tour. Many more have been gettting quite near to the kayaks while out near Burrows Island.

Kayaks Towing Power Boats, and Yet More Whales Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:17:00 +0000

Brent told me about an interesting rescue that he performed a few days ago. He was leading a family kayak trip down in Deception Pass State Park when he came upon a power boat that was dead in the water and drifting towards the rocks. He quickly jumped into action, securing his tow line to the boat and towing it out into deeper water where the skipper could fix his engine and not go aground. Good job Brent!

James just called in to tell me that he and his guests were heading home from a 3-day trip to Cypress Island when 50 Orca whales came by. Apparently the show was great. The best news is that Freddie is just a little further down the channel from James, leading a family group up to Cypress, he should get to see them too. Jeff Porter has a group of lovely ladies out on a 3-Day to Cypress as well, I'm certain that he is also kayaking with whales and is waiting until they pass by before he calls in. Not to be outdone, Monica and Ben are leading a group out into the San Juan Islands on a great 5-day trip, they are about to have a whale show right in the middle of their crossing of Rosario Strait!
Wow, what a day for whale sightings near Anacortes!

Whale Watching at Cypress Head

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:48:00 +0000

Julia and Monica just called in to tell us that they just had one of their favorite all-time whale watching experiences just a little while ago. While they were relaxing in the shade with their guests they witnessed both J-Pod and K-pod as they swam down Bellingham Channel, coming to within 50 feet of shore! Monica told me that there was an incredible amount of breaching, tail-slapping, and pectoral slapping going on. The view from shore was awesome, better even than from a kayak according to Julia. And she should know, after getting "mugged" by the whales just a few days ago while out on another trip. To make things even better, after the 20-30 minute whale show was over and everyone was headed back to their favorite shady spot, a lone female came racing back to the north, her full body coming out of the water and only 10 feet from the shore. She rounded the north end of Cypress Head and went into the small bay that our kayaks were beached near. The reason for this strange behavior became clear as a small baby whale surfaced ahead of her. Apparently the baby had strayed away and the mother had to come back to fetch the wayward calf. They grouped up and continued back south to rejoin the rest of the family.

In other news, this heat wave has been outrageous! We've been feeling 90+ degree weather for the last several days. I can say from direct experience that it would be a lot better to be out in a kayak right now. As the saying goes, "I'd rather be upside down in my kayak than right side up at my desk".

Same day (20 minutes later) Monica's trip gets whales too!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:36:00 +0000

No sooner had I posted the last report about Julia seeing Orca whales when Monica called to say that she was also looking at them with her guests. She is on her way back in from a 5-Day kayaking trip that paddled out to the Wasp Island Group out near San Juan Island. What a treat to have the whales come by only a few miles from the finish line! She told me that there was an incredible amount of tail-slapping and breaching going on, more activity than she's seen before.

I have to say that I'm not surprised that Monica is getting lucky again. She's had better luck than anyone on staff this summer.

Orca whales in Bellingham Channel!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:14:00 +0000

Julia just called me from between Guemes Island and Sinclair Island to tell me that the Orca whales just swam by and gave her a terrific show! She's been waiting all summer for this to happen to her and we're glad to know that she had a close encounter today. Julia and her guests are headed up to the Cypress Island Natural Area Preserve for a three day kayak and camping trip. Tonight they will be able to round off a glorious day up on Eagle Bluff, sitting on an watching the Sun set over the San Juan Islands and Canada.

Sunshine, Seals, and Orca whales in the San Juan Islands

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:01:00 +0000

This has got to be one of the nicest summers, in terms of weather, that the San Juan Islands have enjoyed in years. With the exception of a few moist days after Independence Day weekend we have seen nothing but sunshine for months.
Blake is out guiding a trip around Burrows Island as I post this report, he does not know it yet, but he is about to get "mugged" by J-Pod. They came into the San Juans from out west yesterday and headed north into Canada. We had a suspicion that they would be near Anacortes by morning, and here they are. I hope that he and his guests have a great encounter!

As usual, there have been a ton of seals seen in the scenic waterways between Burrows and Allan Islands. If we linger in the kelp beds long enough they tend to come in very close, occasionally even mouthing the rudders of the kayaks. As the seal pups get a little bigger they will become insatiably curious and follow us around for a while. Although Orca whales get all the press out here, Harbor seals should not be discounted as a "charismatic macro-fauna". They are amazing animals to observe in the wild, and unlike the killer whales they tend to stick around the kayaks longer and allow us to actually see more of their behavior.

[UPDATED REPORT: Blake just called, he's with J-Pod right now! I'm glad that we chose not to call and tell him about it. It's so much better to be surprised.]

Peregrine falcon chasing birds, and more whales!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:14:00 +0000

This has been a good week for wildlife viewing out here in Rosario Strait. We've had whales come by on several days. On Sunday Monica was out with some guests on an overnight kayaking trip and had an incredible encounter with Orcas in Bellingham Channel. Lots of tail slapping and aerial displays were going on. Two hours later James and Ben were out on two different trips at Burrows Island and had a similar experience. On another Burrows Island kayak trip our guests were witness to a classic example of the predator-prey relationship when a Peregrine falcon attacked one of the resident Belted kingfishers. The smaller kingfisher repeatedly made quick dives into the water as the falcon dove upon it and bounced up again to fly in a new direction out of harms way. Evidentally the bouncing technique was a good choice and the falcon grew tired of the chase and moved on. Several years ago we witnessed a similar event at the same place that did not work out as well for the kingfisher.

Kayaking With Killer Whales and Baby Seals (well, not at the same time)

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 17:33:00 +0000

The Southern Resident are reportedly breaching off of Washington Park right now. They came down from near Vancouver BC, traveled south through Bellingham Channel and are now close to Anacortes. We have no confirmation yet as to which pods are present, but reports indicate there are several whales acting very playful. Stay tuned for an updated report in a few hours. It looks like all three trips will be seeing them this morning.

In other news, the pupping season is in full swing now. Loads of baby seals are being seen swimming around their mothers and sometimes hitching a ride on her back. This is the time of the summer when we are extra careful to give the harbor seals some space, particularly when they are out sunning themselves on the rocks. This is a critical time for the young ones, they only get to enjoy their mother's nurturing for a few weeks before being left behind to fend for themselves.

Today has started out with a bang! More later...

Orca whales in Rosario Strait!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:41:00 +0000

We just got the report that we have Orca whales heading south down Rosario Strait as I type in this report. We're still waiting to hear from our guide Andaria as to how great the encounter was.

Although the weather has shifted to become a little more moist these last few days, the air temperature is still quite warm and the visual effect of the islands ensconced in misty clouds is amazing. We really can't worry about the weather though, it has been an outrageous spring and early summer with 80 degree days being the norm. Our Independence Day weekend went well, loads of folks came out to enjoy a great day on the water.

Orcas whales are passing by Anacortes right now!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:50:00 +0000

Wow, the stars aligned for us this morning and a whole lotta Southern Resident Killer Whales are presently passing by our Burrows Island Kayak Tour route. Monica and her guests were there, and so was James on a 5 hour kayak trip. It's a drop dead gorgeous summer day out there, and kayaking with whales is just a little icing on the cake.
The seals have been amazing this week too, the females are starting to have their pups and soon the waters around Burrows and Allan Island will be filled with bleating sounds of newborn pinnipeds.

Summer Sea Kayaking in the San Juan Islands

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Summer is officially here! We enjoyed a busy Father's Day weekend even though the weather was not quite as nice as it had been during the previous three weeks.
The peregrine falcon chicks are getting close to leaving their nest on Burrows Island. Andaria was leading a kayak trip out there the other day and reported that all three chicks have lost most of their downy feathers. Pretty soon we'll be seeing them hopping around on the cliff-face adjacent to the nest.
The seals and porpoise sightings have been outstanding recently, which makes a lot of sense now that there are large schools of bait fish coming back into the islands. The Orca whales, which were gone for nearly a month, are finally back too. The super-pod was seen yesterday as they traveled down from the Fraser River in Canada.

Our kayak camping trips are now in full swing. Once again we are taking folks up to Sucia Island, Cypress Island, and many other great places in the San Juan Islands. Call us, we'd love to show you around!

2009 Kayak Guide Training with Body Boat Blade, and the Great Weather Continues!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:49:00 +0000

We just completed our annual guide training classes with the awesome kayak coaches from Body Boat Blade International. Regular readers of the Reports from the Field might see BBB mentioned quite often because they play a major role in both our personal and professional lives, and because they have been a driving force in helping us to develop our philosophy on safety and kayak guide training out here in the San Juan Islands.

This year's training was great, probably because we have assembled a fantastic bunch of talented kayakers which enabled us to work on many different situations.
In the turbulent waters of Deception Pass we practiced assisted rescues, self rescuing, towing scenarios, and how to more effectively control our kayaks in dynamic water. We also set up emegency situations (hypothermia, heart-attacks, etc) so that the guides would have the necessary experience to deal with them in the unlikely event that something should happen.
Although we would never purposefully take our guests out into rough conditions, our philosophy is that if we train our guides to be comfortable in the crazy stuff then anything they may encounter on a kayak tour should be a "walk in the park".
I'm pretty sure that our guests appreciate this.

In other news, the weather has been unbelievable for the last month! We've been enjoying summer like conditions for most of this Spring. I think that we are going on our 30th straight day without any measurable precipitation, and temperatures have soared into the 80's on many days.

We have been having outstanding wildlife sightings as well, seals and porpoise have been seen on nearly every trip, and we even had a Humpback whale swimming in Burrows Bay and down Burrows Channel last week! We think that there is a lot of baitfish out there in Rosario Strait and that may be bringing in the larger animals.
One species that has been conspicuously absent since Memorial Day Weekend are the Orca whales, they have only been seen in the San Juan Islands a few times over the last week. It is thought that the dry weather is keeping the river levels low which is preventing the salmon from moving into the waters surrounding the San Juans, this in turn is keeping the whales away. They are out there somewhere off the coast, happy and well fed, waiting for the salmon to come in.

Kayaking with Killer whales in the San Juan Islands

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:58:00 +0000

Our Southern Resident Killer Whales have been at-large since Memorial Day Weekend two weeks ago. This is not necessarily abnormal, but certainly unusual. This is generally the best possible time to see Orcas around here. Luckily for the whale-watch companies, there has been a Gray whale lingering off of Whidbey Island near Deception Pass. There have also been lots of Minke whales way out in the "big water" in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

These kinds of anomalous happenings make me even more glad that we have chosen the high road by not misleading folks into believing that they are likely to see whales on their kayak trip. I imagine that the Friday Harbor companies who hang their hats on this sales pitch are feeling the pressure now, if they care.

On a personal note, our 4 year old son Taiga just received his first kayak! We bought him a Jackson Fun1 and he loves it. We were out on the lake this weekend playing around in the shallow water. His little brother Tashi was also pretty excited about the new boat and I can already tell that he'll take to the sport very soon. It will be fun to watch them develop their paddling skills, and it won't be long before they will be leading kayak tours on their own. (Well, ok, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here!)

The weather has been incredible for the last month and record warm temperatures have given the summer season an early start. Join us!

Sunny and Warm, Great Sea Kayaking Weather!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:43:00 +0000

The weather has been outrageous these last couple of weeks. It feels like July out there!

Memorial Day Weekend was amazing, a great big Thank You goes out to everyone who joined our kayak tours and helped ring in the summer season with a bang!

In addition to running lots of trips, our guides have been super busy building their kayaking skills in the turbulent waters of the Deception Pass Narrows. Even though we would never bring guests into those kind of situations, we know that they take comfort in knowing that they are being looked after by truly competent paddlers.

In two weeks their skills will be put to the test when we bring in the "big guns"- coaches Shawna and Leon of Body Boat Blade International- for our annual guide training class. These are two of the finest coaches in the nation and they have a profound impact on how our guides approach the professionalism of their jobs.

Killer Whales, Cruising by at Top Speed! And Elephant Seals Too.

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Sat, 23 May 2009 19:46:00 +0000

J-Pod and some of K-Pod cruised down Rosario Strait this morning at about 10:00, and they were swimming at a blistering pace! The tide was ebbing, and so in effect they were traveling "down hill" which probably was the reason for the incredible speed. This is the fifth day in a row that they've been here near Anacortes, and tomorrow looks good too. Although this is a very typical travel pattern during the summer months, it is clear that the killer whales are using Rosario quite a bit more these days.

James was leading the 10 o'clock Burrows Island trip today and had an incredible encounter with an Elephant seal. These monsters can weigh up to 4000 pounds. We don't see them very often so this is a pretty special event. Speaking of wildlife sightings, our good friend, long time guide, and "King of the Razzle Dazzle", Ryan Hopkins is making a guest appearance this weekend. His Early Bird Burrows Island trip had a super close encounter with a California sea lion.

You've got to love the Salish Sea, where else can you find such incredible biodiversity so near to a major population center?

J-Pod is Swimming by Anacortes -Right Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:56:00 +0000

I just got the report that our favorite local family of Orca Whales is swimming down Rosario Strait this morning. Our Early Bird Burrows Island trip is probably going to get lucky again!

We also have a 3-Day camping trip out on Cypress Island that may have seen them, I'm just waiting for our guide Monica to call in to let me know. Jeff Porter is coming back from a 5-Day tour to Sucia Island, he was on the water paddling at 6 a.m. and so it is almost certain that he and his guests had an encounter.

As always, we never want to give our guests the impression that this is the sort of thing that can be expected, but boy have we been fortunate over the last couple of seasons! The whale-watchers, local fishermen, and biologists seem to have the common opinion that the whales will once again be spending more time over here in the eastern San Juan Islands and less time on the west side.

In other news:
It's a little early for the big push of seal pups, but we've seen a few showing up in the kelp beds near Deception Pass and Burrows Island. Maybe the abundance of fish in Rosario Strait is the cause.
Also, the peregrine falcons are once again sitting on eggs in their nest on the cliffs of Burrows Island. In a couple of months we will be hearing the chicks incessantly calling to their parents for more food.

Whales here, whales there, whales, whales, everywhere!

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Tue, 19 May 2009 22:00:00 +0000

We've certainly had our share of whales in the area lately. Yesterday a big Gray whale was sighted down in Deception Pass near our kayaking route in Bowman Bay. The big fella was probably foraging in the shallow water just outside the Deception Pass Narrows.

Lately our Southern Resident Killer Whales have been doing their usual loops around the San Juan Islands too. We've had them swimming by Anacortes several times recently. It may be another season like last year when the Orca whales seemed to prefer our side of the San Juans. We'll be keeping our fingers crossed! I just received a report from our Pacific Whale Watch Association's whale-spotting network and it looks like the whales were up north by Vancouver B.C. and are presently headed south towards the San Juan Islands. Hopefully they will be over near Anacortes tomorrow so that our multi-day kayak trips and Burrows Island trips can see them! Stay tuned!

Orca whales, on our side of the San Juans- again.

noreply@blogger.com (Anacortes Kayaks) — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:19:00 +0000

J-Pod is southbound in Rosario Strait right now!
For those of you who are not familiar with the San Juan Islands, that means that they are right off of Anacortes! Perfect timing for an Early Bird (9 a.m.) Burrows Island trip.
These Orca whales have been spending a lot of time on our side of the islands over the last couple of years. Scientists are thinking that it probably has to do with more salmon swimming up Rosario Strait, which makes a lot of sense.
Bob Otis, a scientist with a 20 year Orca whale study located on the west side of San Juan Island, says that in 2008 the whale sightings there were 50% down from previous years. Conversely, the Orca whale encounters on our side of the San Juans were through the roof!

The good news, for those of us in Anacortes, is that the travel patterns appear to be similar to last year.