We all (the volunteers that is) had a better night’s sleep as skipper Dave had this time remembered to tie off the anchor chain so it didn’t clank all night ,( he’ll never live it down) Unbeknown to us he was awake all night worrying whether the anchor would hold or not! It helps to be blissfully unaware at times like this. Woke up bright & bushy tailed ready for our early start in an attempt to use the window in the weather between the gales. The day was innocently calm in the shelter of West Loch Tarbert, with it’s wonderful raised pebble beaches looking quite surreal as if they were floating way above the waterline. They reminded me of Salvador Dali’s paintings of flying loaves. We had a quick breakfast , hauled up the anchor, and my task was to go below into my cabin, practically climb into the cupboard once a huge red buoy had been removed (the biggest boy I’ve ever had in my bedroom) in order to coil the chain from the second anchor into the chain locker situated in the cupboard. (see…a nautical term !) I am a total novice at sailing and am learning ‘on the job’. I now know what a chain locker is. As we chugged out of the loch there were seals swimming,and a small flock of shag drying their wings on the rocks. Terydactyl like herons flew overhead as we left the shelter of land and headed into the open sea., getting choppier by the minute. The mizzen sail & jib were raised and I went to the bows to be ‘on effort’ armed with a pair of binoculars and every layer of clothes that would fit under my waterproofs which felt pretty soggy from yesterday.. I’m feeling much more confident now, standing at the bows strapped to the mast as the Silurian surges through the water like a bucking bronco, being deluged by spray and enjoying every minute of it. The skies cleared for a little while and we had our first patch of blue which brought the seascape to life It turned the sea into shades of cerulean blue and peacock green as we sailed past Colonsay , just a grey blue silhouette to port.. Wonderful seascape as we flew through the waves, the sun shining dazzlingly on the water, and it would have made a superb subject for a watercolour painting. The wind increased steadily, and when I came off effort having spotted nothing but a flock of shearwaters skimming the waves, (it was an orange welly boot yesterday) we were getting into really big seas. Wind rose to Gale force 7 to 8 we were flying along at 7 knots. Wind at sometimes at 40 knots. WOW ! Waves became HUGE and it’s the first time I’ve been at sea when the horizon has been obliterated ! The peaks and troughs were awe inspiring and having learnt that the nautical term for the worst weather imaginable is termed ‘Phenomenal’ it felt as though it definitely should have applied today. It felt phenomenal to me anyway. Song broke out to stern, great merriment as the songs got ruder and louder through exhilaration or hysteria….not sure which.Yesterday’s flapjack, accompanied by hot tea was a lifesaver when anyone was able to get to the galley safely , and we weathered the storm with its breaks of sunshine & rainbows, travelling north up the approaches to the Firth of Lorn, seeking the shelter of Oban Marina on a little island called Kerrera. We moored up on the marina, indulged in hot showers while Chris fished, and caught Mackerel which I cooked for starters. Food for free. Debs had cooked a yummy mountain of fish pie and broccoli . Rick Stein would have been proud of us ! We were joined by an American called Peter. He comes from Maine and is involved in Marine research there. Hope he brings us luck and finds us some marine life to research tomorrow. And so to bed after a very exciting exhilarating PHENOMENAL day.

Position at Anchor : 55 58.404N, 005 54.089W
Weather: Strong winds, sunny patches and the odd shower
Distance travelled: 34 nautical miles

With sleep rendered rather patchy thanks to the unrhythmic ‘clunk-banging’ of the anchor chain against the hull, everybody was awake if not up before 8am - Frankie was even swimming - but breakfast was served and the day begins…First task was to raise the anchors – after which Oitir Mhor Bay was put astern and the Silurian went south (in the geographical sense, of course).
Marine monitoring progressed as usual despite rough waters and high spray and okay, technically it wasn’t too successful in terms of marine life sightings, everyone still had great fun and the weather was….err…weathered as the boat knifed towards Jura. Jill (with a J) and Brit stood steadfast on effort as nature threw everything it had at them and...lo! They saw a seal.

The flapjacks (a gift from God…er…well, Debbie) were fantastic and Dave claims he’s going to use them as an anchor but the general consensus is that he is being sarcastic.

Being sucked into the Corryvreckan Whirlpool was avoided.

At 4pm the boat entered West Loch Tarbert on Jura with the intention of mooring in the quiet area away from the predicted high winds. Lots of seals were spotted sitting and lounging on the rocks (or Skerries) and unfortunately Siobhan never saw her dragons which are believed to reside in Jura’s caves, feed on the goats and are apparently responsible for the raised beaches not being recolonised by the plant life.

Dinner was finished and a trip ashore (not to mention Chris’ fishing plans) were confounded by rain and so the evening became a quiet night with the general exchange of stories and discussion. Question: just how many Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books are there? Oh…and Frankie hopes to finish her book. Its getting climactic, apparently.

Log by: Andrew

Position at Anchor 56 24.809N 005 31.511E
Distance Travelled 24 NM
Weather Overcast with strong winds

And so begins our last survey trip of the season. . . onboard we are nine – Dave our skipper, Debbie, the 1st mate, myself Juliet, marine ranger and six very welcome volunteers: Andrew, Britt, Frankie, Siobhan, Gill and our resident fisherman Chris.

After going over the survey and safety briefs in the morning we set off in strong winds southwards down the Sound of Mull. The wind funnelled towards us creating lots of whitecaps and spray for the first hour or so. Conditions were not ideal for spotting but as conditions gradually calmed down and we spotted our first harbour porpoises of the trip. A group of 3 – 4 animals surfaced close to the boat and allowed everyone to have a good look at the smallest of Scottish cetaceans. After that we put the sails up to make the most of the strong breezes. Two more sightings of porpoises, 2 common seals and a wellyboot! were spotted on our way to our first anchorage - Oitir Mor Bay on the west side of the Kerrera island.

Log by: Juliet

Position at Anchor 56 24.809N 005 31.511E
Distance Travelled 24 NM
Weather Overcast with strong winds

And so begins our last survey trip of the season. . . onboard we are nine – Dave our skipper, Debbie, the 1st mate, myself Juliet, marine ranger and six very welcome volunteers: Andrew, Britt, Frankie, Siobhan, Gill and our resident fisherman Chris.

After going over the survey and safety briefs in the morning we set off in strong winds southwards down the Sound of Mull. The wind funnelled towards us creating lots of whitecaps and spray for the first hour or so. Conditions were not ideal for spotting but as conditions gradually calmed down and we spotted our first harbour porpoises of the trip. A group of 3 – 4 animals surfaced close to the boat and allowed everyone to have a good look at the smallest of Scottish cetaceans. After that we put the sails up to make the most of the strong breezes. Two more sightings of porpoises, 2 common seals and a wellyboot! were spotted on our way to our first anchorage - Oitir Mor Bay on the west side of the Kerrera island.

Log by: Juliet

Porpoise spotters (from left top clockwise) - Jenny, Barb, Denys, Kym & Elsa

Position at Anchor Back in Tobermory!
Distance traveled 15 NM
Weather Showers

Final day – sad. We woke up to a calm morning in Loch Sunart, and set off further down the loch with its stunning panoramas. Within the first hour Kym had spotted around 9 porpoises! One group powering out of the water full tiny bodies in view (I’m rather partial to porpoises – so cute!). We traveled up to Salen before heading back into the rain showers and back to Tobermory. Now we’re sitting basking in the mild sunshine waiting for the left-over lasagna to re-heat for lunch before giving the whole boat a top-to-toe clean. This evening everyone will be celebrating the last night down in the local hostelries probably, however sadly I have to head off home this afternoon. So… again sad it’s the end of the trip & again BIG THANK YOU to the volunteers for a great trip – cheery spirits despite the small number of animals… and some deeeelicious food! Oh, and have to mention Barb – who was like santa claus during the trip – bringing out colourful ‘lucky dolphin’ necklaces for us all a few days into the trip, and soft cuddly green, orange and purple dolphins for luck yesterday. I will be taking him on all my trips for luck!

Now… back to that lasagna

;o) Clare

Barb & Dave braying the rain

Position at Anchor 56˚39.36N 5˚53.8W
Distance traveled 40nm
Weather Wet

This is Clyde Coast Guard, Clyde Coast Guard, Clyde Coast Guard with the weather forecast for 17 September…light intermittent rain showers…NOT! We’re talking rain, downpours, more rain and wind. But the wind was behind us least and helped us on our way. Too bad we couldn’t leave the rain behind us as well. Anyway, while still anchored, most of us were awakened by the howling wind, rain and the rocking back and forth of the boat throughout the wee hours of the morning. I managed a very good night though and for a change was the first one up when I heard the morning alarm clock of the generator. It was one of those breakfasts with toast that everyone likes so much. I had my usual cereal but with honey this morning. Deeelicious. Denys had an early bout with seasickness from the rocking of the boat, but after a seasickness pill and 20 minutes, she managed breakfast as well. In the morning briefing Duncan advised us we would be heading for Loch Sunart to anchor for the night in light of the deteriorating weather conditions, making our way ever so closer to Tobermory. It would be another ‘good’ sail…and I know what that means now…leeeean to the left and then leeeean to the right. So we battened down the hatches good and tight and made the boat ready to get underway. For me, that meant crawling up into my Hobbit’s Roost (the chain locker), perched and ready to coil up the chain when it was hauled in by the crew topside. Okay, both anchors are in and we get underway. It was already pouring down rain so I decided I would at least start off by staying inside where it was at least drier, accent on the ‘er’ part. Kym and Elsa joined me but soon they were sacked out on the bench as they were some of those that didn’t get much sleep last night. As Clare continued to come in and go out whilst she was making all of her acoustical log entries of ‘sounds from the sea’, she managed to bring in part of the sea with her. I got the mop and swabbed down the deck but it didn’t seem to do much good. Kym and Elsa were at the ready when the first call for tea and biscuits came in. We knew there would be an early call for tea today. Then there was a shout from the back of the boat…’basking shark’…and everyone was hustling around. Most of us down below missed it so Duncan brought the boat back round again to give us another look see. I quickly donned my oil skin jacket and life jacket but decided to still stay below and look out a side window. Scanning, scanning, scanning the choppy water…and there at two o’clock, I pointed. All is could see was one dorsal fin, but it was exciting enough for me. Kym had managed to lock down the kettle good enough to come up for a look. So, check in the block now for basking shark. Then back on course. After the tea was served and I had washed up from the morning break, I decided to head on out and live the adventure. So I put on my beautiful oil skin pants with the wonderful ‘braces’ and my LL Bean wellies, added a touch of sunshine with my rainbow ball cap and movie star pink sunglasses, and headed out and joined Jenny and Denys to see the view from behind the helm. Jenny moved over and gave me a choice spot…one that allowed me to hold on good and tight when needed. Dave was doing a great job behind the wheel, however, he wasn’t able to do much about changing the scenery. It was either raining or pouring, however, it did manage to stop raining just long enough for us to down one of Duncan’s delicious melted cheese sandwiches, which was very appreciated. I had been wondering what a soggy melted cheese sandwich would taste like. The seas flattened out after a while and the wind stayed behind us helping us to make good time to our anchorage spot at Loch Sunart. We spotted several porpoise and a couple of curious seals. Duncan picked a great place to shelter for the night and after much discussion, it was determined that we only needed to drop one anchor…the fisherman’s anchor. We’re watching it closely to see if we need to drop the other one. I’m hoping that the one will do because that means I won’t have to get into the Hobbit’s Roost in the morning. Our work day ended early due to the weather, so we did a good dry up of the ship. Then Clare gave us a briefing on acoustics and we listened to recordings of dolphins and whales, ranging from cheery to eerie. It was like listening to Dorey doing her whale talk in the movie Finding Nemo. We are now waiting anxiously for our lasagna to cook. We are lucky to have a resident Italian, Elsa, with us to give us advice on the absolute Italian way to fix our pasta dishes. She has taken on quite nicely the American Navy’s battle cry of ‘Go Navy, Beat Army’. I am very pleased. Well, we haven’t been disappointed with dinner yet and if smell is an indication, then tonight will be another winner. Last night I was telling the story of how for the longest time, I thought the US national anthem ended with ‘land of the free and the home of the bray’ although I didn’t think that made any sense. Then today Duncan’s phone was ringing and ringing and I was told it was playing ‘Scotland the Bray’. I asked what was a ‘bray’ and they said it was ‘brave’. So there you have it. So, until next time, I wish you fair winds and following seas.

Barb the bray.

Rainbow over Coll in the rain-laden stormy clouds

Position at Anchor 56˚34.889N 006˚37.753W
Distance traveled 45 nm
Weather Sunshine, heavy showers and a biting wind

Its 7pm, the sun is just about to set over Coll, and we are sitting in a beautiful anchorage in Loch Breachacha, towards the south end of Coll. Dinner is being prepared in the galley, along with a carrot cake for munchies tomorrow.
We left Erraid at about 8am this morning under grey skies, and headed up through the Sound of Iona. The sun came out just as we approached Iona Cathedral on the port side, making our lasting impressions of Iona sunny and beautiful. Continuing on our northerly course, we received the weather forecast and it was decided that we would go round the top of Staffa , where the sun didn’t shine and the rain came horizontally, then head to Tiree, where basking sharks were guaranteed (according to Duncan). En route we encountered a pod of 6 harbour porpoises, who were obviously late for a party on Iona, as they really were shifting. We also saw a couple of grey seals, and as usual we detected loads of porpoises on the hydrophone, 25 to be precise.
We finally reached Coll and Tiree about 3pm, and proceeded to survey for the millions of basking sharks we knew would be waiting! Alas not a single one did we see! Irritatingly, another yacht hailed us on the radio, from about 200m to our stern, to say they had just seen one for the past 10 minutes. We continued on, ploughing through the waves in the Sound of Gunna, but still no sharks, so we turned round and went looking for the one the yacht reported. Of course by this time the shark had got bored and sodded off to who knows where! We got great views of the diving gannets though.
Giving up in disgust, and because we were all frozen, we headed for Coll and our home for the night. All we can do is hope for mirror-calm seas, gentle breezes and constant sun for tomorrow! Then we’ll see them! (fingers crossed)

Denys

On top of Erraid for a beautiful sunset & moonrise

Position at Anchor 56º17.287 N 006 º 21.425
Distance travelled 60 NM
Weather Glorious Sunshine!

Full moon risin’…
Greetings from the Sound of Erraid; A pretty perfect anchorage to end a pretty perfect day. Short on wildlife again, just 4 porpoise and two seals visually and 24 Porpoise on the hydrophone, still no Dolphin, Basking Shark or Minke whales but we remain hopeful.
The afternoon saw Denys and I clipped onto and clinging to the mast while the Silurian tilted into the wind and raced through the waves hitting average speeds of 5 knots while waves were washing over our feet and wetting our faces and hair. Duncan and the others thought this hilarious but I was well prepared to stay exactly where I was until we had another course change or the sea was calmer. I’m sure the hydrophones picked up my expletives! We were rescued (eventually) by Dave who secured our harnesses to the jackstay and we made our way to the safety of the stern and sat with the others enjoying the wind in our hair and the grace of the Silurian speeding through the waves.
Later, Barb and I retired to the saloon to escape the winds and were just about managing to remain in our seats when Dave breezed by to put on the kettle for tea, Barb was amazed asking just how you boil a kettle in these conditions! The tea was warming and very welcome though!
After securing the anchor we took the tender to Erraid to climb to the top and enjoy the panoramic views and the sunset over Iona. On the way down we saw the moon rise above Mull then back to the boat to enjoy a meal of Beef pie for the carnivores and Veg and Tofu pie for the vegetarians washed down by a couple of beers. As I said; perfect!

Kym.