Anchorage: Tobermory
Position: 56°37.200 N 006°03.700 W
Distance surveyed: 45nmi
The penultimate day promised great things with good weather forecast for the first half of the day. We only missed two porpoises in the first two hours according to the hydrophone, (a new Personal Best for the team!). Unfortunately this seems to have been the trend for the week, with all cetaceans giving the Silurian a wide berth!! The calm weather allowed a flying visit to Staffa, a continuation of the Giants Causeway, where media coverage of the crew was extensive, courtesy of the Italian tourists also visiting the island. The scenery was spectacular and Fingal’s Cave lived up to its reputation. The wind picked up in the afternoon and allowed us to get the sails up, but still no sightings. With the increasing wind came some large swell, creating challenging conditions for those on watch at the mast (some screaming was involved – Sam!). Due to gale warnings forecast for tomorrow, we headed into Tobermory a day early, looking to work in Loch Sunnart tomorrow. The last supper was a traditional Scottish Meal consisting of Haggis, neaps and tatties prepared by skipper Dave. The haggis had a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ about it, with everyone left wanting more! It’s been a fantastic week and our thanks go to Dave, Rob, Marjolaine and Clare for making this wonderful experience possible and keeping our spirits high throughout the trip. We are now all capable of identifying porpoise-like waves and surviving the Scottish elements (hail, rain, wind, snow)!
The Volunteers: Rob, Clare, Esther, Sam, Kim and Andy.