Our Boat — Ranger
“Ranger” is a 33-foot (10m) RIB, or Rigid-hull Inflatable Boat (rigid fiberglass hull, inflatable sponsons) with two EPA-certified low-emission four-stroke Mercury 250HP engines. Two engines give us an extra margin of safety. If one fails, we can make it back to the harbor with the other. The boat was designed for military use and is built to the highest standards of safety and reliability.
Capacity: Six Passengers
Number of Boats: One
“Ranger” allows for a truly intimate experience of the ocean. She’s nimble for exploring near shore where bigger boats can’t go. She’s fast, so we get to the best areas quickly. Yet when we slow down to soak up the ambiance, the engines are so quiet you can whisper about how incredible it is being this low to the water and close to the wildlife.
Captain, Naturalist, and Photographer Kate Spencer
Captain Kate Spencer, owner, developed the Fast Raft tour experience and has managed operation since 2014. She started leading whale watching tours on Monterey Bay as a naturalist 2001. Her enthusiasm and unique perspective as both a trained biologist and accomplished wildlife artist will enrich your trip.
As a naturalist, Kate has guided small boat encounters with the friendly gray whales of Baja California, lectured on cruise ships on the Inside Passage, and driven Zodiacs on Antarctic tour expeditions.
Kate has participated in humpback whale field research with the Alaska Whale Foundation and is one of the early users whose photographic data was instrumental in building the Happywhale.com citizen science whale tracking site. She is on the advisory board of California Whale Rescue and a first responder for entangled whales.
Before moving to Monterey, Kate was a scientific illustrator at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. She holds a degree in organismal biology with a studio art minor from Smith College in Massachusetts.
Captain, Naturalist, and Photographer Kaelyn DeYoung
Captain Kaelyn DeYoung has a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science degree from California State University, Monterey Bay.
She began her maritime career in 2015 as a deckhand for a Monterey whale watching company and earned her 100-Ton Near Coastal Master’s License in 2019.
She has has been a captain with our company since 2021.
In addition to her knowledge of the marine life on Monterey Bay, she is an accomplished photographer and skilled at placing the boat in excellent position for photographers who join our tours, as well as those who just want to view wildlife.
Along with working for whale watching companies on Monterey Bay, she has worked on research boats operated by NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration) and MBARI (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute). This has given her the opportunity to work with and learn from researchers in one of California’s most remarkable marine ecosystems.
She loves sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with our guests on our intimate six-passenger boat.