BLAIR PERKINS grew up around the water, first in Maine and then on Nantucket. Today, he and his wife Rachael run Shearwater Excursions, which provides whale-watching cruises and eco-tours. How did you end up on Nantucket? Tell us your story. In 1963, my mother, a single mom raising three sons on her own, moved our farm and family to Nantucket from Steuben, Maine. I was 4 1/2 at the time. She was looking for a place that had more work than Downeast Maine. She started a landscape company on-island, in addition to running our farm, so my brothers and I were working outdoors at an early age. In 1980, I met my wife-to-be at the original Henry's Sandwich Shop down at Steamboat Wharf. We were married in 1989. What attracted you to a life on the water? Having grown up only a short walk from Gouldsboro Bay in Steuben, then Polpis Harbor on Nantucket, I found myself exploring the seashore almost every day. By the time I was 6, I was already heading out in boats with my older brothers and, soon after, taking boats out myself to explore more distant places. I loved the freedom of being out on the water. But one of the most influential moments of my life came in 1967, when my mother took me out of school for the afternoon and brought me to Dionis Beach, where a 55-foot finback whale had washed ashore. It was the same whale that used to hang in the whaling museum and now hangs in Nantucket High School. I was 9 years old, and was awestruck at the size of the magnificent animal. That experience stuck with me forever and sparked my desire to see whales in the wild. Tell us about your whale-watching cruises and eco-tours. Why that instead of charter fishing or commercial fishing? We offer customers the opportunity to explore the many ecosystems in and around the shores of Nantucket, as well as those of the undeveloped outer islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget. We also explore the vast domain of the great whales offshore. Our company has close ties with many research organizations which ensures our passengers are provided with exceptionally educational and well-narrated tours. Farm life instilled a love of animals in me and it has blossomed from there. After getting my captain's license in 1986, I started out driving for the various launch services taxiing people out to their boats. After a while I started getting hired to take researchers out to Muskeget and other offshore locations. I enjoyed learning some science while getting paid. Back in the 1980s, my wife and I traveled to Mexico and went on an eco-tour down a river. It turned out that I knew most of the wildlife and it occurred to us that there might be a similar niche to fill back on the island. We bought a boat and incorporated our new business in 1998. I did, at one time, do charter fishing, but it bothered me how much waste was involved. Most people at that time wanted to keep everything they caught. I wanted more catch-and-release. What are the biggest challenges of your job? In addition to having to fulfill the responsibilities of being a good captain and keeping everyone safe, I am also the naturalist. I pride myself in being able to provide a quality learning experience by teaching what I know and answering all the questions from my passengers. Balancing the two can be quite challenging at times. However, now we are lucky enough to work with both WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) and the Maria Mitchell Association. They provide interns each week that help take some of the load off of my naturalist duties. What is the most unusual thing you've seen, or strange experience you've had, out on the water? One of the most unusual would be when I observed some critically endangered North Atlantic right whales doing a behavior called "sailing." They dip their head and body straight down with their tail in the air and catch the wind like a sail. They float like that, motionless, just drifting with the wind. To make it even more surreal, it was a day with "pea soup" fog. At least one of your children is following in your footsteps. Did you think that would happen, and how does it make you feel? I guess I knew that our children would take at least some interest in our business because they have grown up on the water. For summer jobs, they started working as crew on board. They had a lot of responsibility on their shoulders at a young age. Now that they are older, one son already has his captain's license and drives one of our vessels, and the other one is studying for it. We'll have to wait and see what my daughter does. I am very proud of all of them but, I am also grateful that they have professional interests beyond Shearwater Excursions. What is the strangest question you've ever been asked by one of your patrons? There really are no strange questions. I consider even the most obscure questions to be important. The biggest request is that people want to swim with the whales or seals. We won't allow that! You're on the water almost every day. What is your feeling about the overall health of our harbor and the oceans in general? Although the town is finally making progress with our water quality, much more has to be done. Great strides have been made with regulations pertaining to fertilizer use. This was a big step to ban the use of high-nitrogen fertilizers which run off into the harbor and cause algal blooms and eutrophication. Two other areas that need addressing are boat washdowns and sewering the whole island. I never use any soap products when washing my vessels. There's no need. Also, septic systems just don't cut it anymore with so much development. We need to have every home hooked up to the treatment plant or our harbors and aquifer will suffer. Our oceans are in trouble. No matter what side of the fence you are on with the global-warming debate, it is undeniable that anthropogenic forcing and the excess influx of CO2 is making the oceans more acid. That, coupled with plastic degradation into micro-beads, spells big problems, from plankton on up the food chain. We absolutely have to get a grip on our emissions and plastic use. What is the most rewarding thing about what you do? Observing kids when they see a whale for the first time is very rewarding. Even better, getting letters from folks telling me that their kids still talk about a particular trip they took with me years later. If you could have dinner with any three or four people, living or dead, who would they be, and why? Samuel Clemens. He was a great storyteller and had an exceptional sense of humor; Henry David Thoreau. His observational powers of the natural world were unmatched; Rachel Carson. She really started the environmental movement; Diana Krall. Her voice and music are spellbinding. What do you do in the off-season? I have been fishing for bay scallops in the winter since 1981. During some of the lean years I've done carpentry as well. When you're not out on the water leading eco-tours and whale watches, how do you like to relax? I guess I'm a true waterman. I go back to the water to relax. I've surfed out here since the early 1970s. I love to scubadive, go fishing and especially like to sail. Taking a nature walk or drive out near the Hidden Forest and moors, where I grew up, is very relaxing as well.