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

Position: 55 45.8 N, 006 18.1 W
Weather: SUNNY!!!
Distance travelled: 62 nautical miles

Today is my 59th birthday and I have never spent one like this. The Silurian is motoring gently down the Sound of Jura and we can see the Paps of Jura and Islay on the starboard side and the island of Gigha to port. We anchored off Gigha last night, ate our fish pie to the sound of seabirds from the island and gentle waves and watched another glorious sunset. Idyllic? It certainly is. But hard and unfamiliar work as well, so that we sat in total silence after dinner, wondering whether 8.30 was really too early for bed.

The weather today is glorious, as it has been since we left Tobermory. Sea state 3, which is little wave caps, wind force 2. Which does nothing to describe the beauty of it all – the deep blue sea tossing and sparkling, gentle wind, warm sun and hazy islands in shades of blue, grey and sand.

There are 5 volunteers on board for Silurian’s first Earthwatch trip. Maya comes from Mexico City. It took her two days to get here. Michael is from Hong Kong. Esther lives in Oxford. We are from Cumbria. Graham, the skipper, sails the boat, tells us off for using Too Much Water and explains where we’ve been and where we are going. Marcus, the first mate, sails the boat and presides over half a ton of food, which he dishes out appropriate intervals. He makes a really mean soup, does Marcus. The food and the water has to last 10 days. And there was me imagining a gentle daily foray out to sea returning to civilisation and the pub in the evening.

We are “on effort” – actively watching for cetaceans. Maya and Esther are observing on deck. Esther has just seen a porpoise, our second sighting this morning, and Gordon is logging data. He has the slightly baffled look he gets on his face when he does battle with a computer, but he is hanging in there. (I can say that because he is my husband!). Michael is making bacon sandwiches for everybody and the patient and long-suffering crew is sailing the boat. The mainsail is up (set) but there is not really enough wind for sailing. Juliet, the Principal Investigator, is everywhere, encouraging the observers, supervising the data logging and gently, persistently keeping us all on task and smiling.

Most of us have not done much sailing before and the crew speaks a different language. But slowly some of the talk of sheets, cleats, port & starboard and the Yankee (sometimes called the Genoa or Jib) is beginning to penetrate. Lowering the mainsail means that it drops suddenly on your head and you fold it into layers. Graham is not joking when he tells you to crawl into a small cupboard and fold up the anchor chain as it drops in. And Juliet was definitely not joking when she formed us into an abject and shivering line at eight a.m., shinned up to the crow’s nest and told us to do it too. “You look a little apprehensive.” she said to me. She was wrong there. I was petrified. I still can’t believe I did it. I think Juliet hypnotised me.

It’s an early start here. Breakfast at 7.00 and away by eight. “On effort” by 8.30 today and lunch on the job. And now at 4.30 we’re approaching the other side of Islay and I’ve just finished my last hour of observation. An hour standing in front of the mast, gazing at the sea and hoping for a sighting. Apart from the two porpoises that Gordon and Esther saw this morning we haven’t seen many cetaceans, but the weather has been fantastic, the views glorious and we’ve laughed a lot. It’s amazing being on this beautiful ship. We’re all getting a bit faster at the data logging and a bit more clued up about the complex business of sailing. And we still have another week to go!

So here I am, officially a year older and doing things the like I never dreamed of. Happy Birthday? Definitely.

Log by: Jacqui Perry

On Tuesday 11th May Silurian embarked on her first survey trip of the season. We will be out for 10 days – so please follow us on our journey. Leaving Tobermory we travelled down the Sound of Mull, through the Firth of Lorne and moored for the evening in the Bay of Pigs, at the north west corner of Jura. There are eight of us on board, 3 crew and 5 Earthwatch volunteers - who doing a great job in finding their sea legs!!

After practising climbing up into the crow’s nest this morning (all successful!) we are now motoring our way down the Sound of Jura towards Islay. So far we have encountered four groups of harbour porpoises, including some young animals - a good start. Conditions are fantastic – sun, calm seas and blue skies so we have a good chance of seeing more.

The education team this week embarked on the second trip this year onboard Silurian to visit a school on the Herbridean Island of Jura. After all the hard work spent improving Silurian over the winter, she looked fantastic as she left her weekend mooring at Tayvallich, near Crinan. The sun was out and the wind was behind us providing perfect sailing conditions and good progress was made down the Sound of Jura to Craighouse. A solitary harbour porpoise was also spotted during the voyage!

During the first day on Jura we visited Small Isles Primary School in the afternoon. This session allowed us to introduce ourselves and the work of the Trust to the students, some of which could remember our visit two years previously and were already looking forward to coming onboard Silurian tomorrow. The students also started working on artwork or puzzles to be published in our next newsletter (keep your eyes peeled!). Our second day saw both classes visiting Silurian at Craighouse Pier. After donning their lifejackets students took part in four practical activities relating to life and adaptation in the marine environment. The touch tank was almost overflowing with marine life after local fishermen helped out in the collection of marine invertebrates that included a lobster!
The students learnt a great deal about the fascinating and often strange adaptations of life in the sea. In another activity plankton samples were taken over the side of the boat and planktonic organisms were isolated and identified by students. They learnt about the importance of plant and animal plankton to other organisms and how many marine species have a planktonic stage in their lifecycle. An interactive demonstration of echolocation used by cetaceans was also given using recorded sounds and by listening through our hydrophone. Lastly, but not least, a tour of Silurian was given by our faithful skipper Duncan. The students all enjoyed their time onboard Silurian and didn’t want to leave at the end of the day.

The late afternoon saw Silurian sailing into the night making it into Oban by 11pm. She stayed in Oban until late the following day to make some improvements to the navigational systems onboard before making another evening passage to Tobermory and home! Tobermory looked beautiful with dark blue skies behind the hill and a full set of stars as we approached, which was a fine end to another successful education trip.


Tim Burns, Marine Education Volunteer