Thursday 4th May 2006

We woke up to a glorious morning on the Loch, and set off for a fantastic sail out past Ardnamurcham Point, up towards Bo Fascadale, and then back towards Tobermory via Ardmore Point. The wind was up, and we hit a glorious 10 knots and we sailed through the sunshine. We couldn’t keep the rain off forever, though, and by the time we came alongside in Tobermory, the rain was truly spectacular. The trip was over, and it was time to give Silurian a top-to-toe clean. With loud tunes on the iPod, every surface was soon gleaming. The HWDT education team came onboard to talk to the volunteers about plankton. Much fun was had fishing around in the harbour and examining the catch under a microscope. So this is what whales eat! Meanwhile we had a visit from some of our funders at Scottish National Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund. It was great to be able to show them around the boat, and tell them about the work we’re doing.

By now the rain, far from slackening off, was shaping up to be the west coast’s own monsoon. After a shower and change (yes, there is life outside oilskins!), we were all off up to the Western Isles Hotel for a lovely supper, and then to the pub for questionable salsa dancing and a few games of pool.

Friday 5th May 2006

Farewell and thank you to the volunteers for a great trip! Have a safe journey, and hope we’ll see you again in the future. And Mohamed, will that souvenir tartan bonnet still seem like a good idea back in Egypt?!

Susannah – Scientific Officer, UK