Tuesday 13^th June, 2006

Anchorage: Loch Tarbert, Jura

Position: 55° 57’.600 N 005°54’.900W

Distance covered: 49 nm

We left Bunessan bright and early, heading for Staffa. The swells were quite frisky around the island, so we thought we wouldn't be able to go ashore. But while we were having a chat on the radio with the skipper of Iolaire of Iona, one of the tour boats, he really kindly offered to put us ashore, a pretty tricky manoeuvre, and a real bonus. The island was awesomely dramatic, with its columnar basalt rock formations.

From Staffa we headed south, past glorious Iona and Colonsay. As we passed through the Torron Rocks, the swells got quite impressive, and the simple task of making pasta and pesto for lunch turned into an epic mission, as various food and crockery items bounced around the galley for fun.

A few of the volunteers on observations were bouncing around the deck too, fortunately securely clipped on. Nothing like some good swells to make you glad to be alive.

But it all calmed down again, and we made our way majestically to Jura, the magnificent Loch Tarbert (the second most beautiful place in the world), a dinner of haggis (all you can eat, and so much more...), and a really grand walk on the pebbly beach at sunset (with a competition for the nicest pebble – won by Kristina for her stone that looked like South America...or was it a vulture?).

Helaine had the most eventful day of all – what with her on-deck acrobatics in the swelly seas and climbing up to the crow's nest (apparently the most frightening thing she'd done since she had to go in the septic tank), her wee dram of whiskey to finish the day was thoroughly well-deserved.

No animals, seen today, though. And no doughnut shop in Loch Tarbert. Well, you can't have everything.

The Earthwatch volunteers.

# posted by HWDT @ 3:30 AM