Position: 56.00.6N, 006 13.7W
Weather: Sunny (again!), flat seas, Force 1-3 NE - NW
Distance travelled: 62 miles

We left our anchorage in Loch Indaal, Islay (just opposite the Bowmore distillery) at about 08.00, hoisted the sails and headed west past the Rhinns of Islay. Conditions were kind and we took advantage of the calm conditions and surveyed out to the outer limits of the survey area.

Despite good sightings conditions we saw nothing until about 2 in the afternoon, when Marcus, up in the crows nest, shouted out. The first minke whale of the trip had been sighted about a mile away – and then as we approached another surfaced close behind.

Minke whales are one of the smallest baleen whales and one of the commonest seen in Hebridean waters. They can grow up to about 10m, the animals we saw were smaller than this and were most likely to be teenagers. Minke whales are seasonally resident in Scotland and return here every year to feed on sandeels and young herring.

As the animals moved away we carried on with our survey, when half an hour later, again, a minke was sighted. This time it was in amongst many manx shearwaters, guillemots and gulls feeding on the sea surface. We slowed the boat and realised that there was not just one but five animals feeding and foraging nearby.

After what seemed like five minutes (actually more like an hour) we sailed on and made our way to our evening anchorage – Caolas Mor on Oronsay, a small island near Colonsay – and dinner!

Log by: Juliet Shrimpton