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On board Silurian
Most weeks April through October she is either monitoring the waters of the west coast of Scotland for whales, dolphins, and porpoises, or serving as a floating classroom for one of the many Argyll island primary and secondary schools. Read the log below to find out what Silurian and her crew have been up to each week and all about the whales, dolphins and porpoises they spot! To find out about the latest marine life sightings spotted elsewhere, click here. If you would like to send the crew an e-mail with your questions click here. Click here to view the Silurian Log archive. Thursday 14th to Saturday 16th September 2006
Saturday 16th September, 2006
Anchorage Calas Mor, Oronsay Position 56°00.600 N 006°13.800W Distance surveyed 44 nm ... In fact we did not get to bed for quite some time as the still glassy waters of Loch Spelve acted as a mirror for the star filled night. With no light pollution we had amazing views of the milky way and the entire night sky was full of stars. I have never seen so many. We woke up to a freezing cold morning and piled on the layers to start our day of observation. As soon as we started we spotted seals, and tried desperately to remember the names of the birds we were taught last night for observation. Quickly into the trip we started to see harbour porpoises and got some great visuals. Unfortunately as the wind picked up and we lashed ourselves to the mast our sightings decreased. A great day for sailing with sunshine and clear skies and the wind allowed us to put up the sails and get some proper sailing. Naturally the day was broken up with countless mugs of hot tea and goodies – despite four meals a day Alex feels starved and almost lynched Suzy whilst she handed out chocolate bars. Having seen nothing other than birds for several hours we put out the anchor and to the dingy out to explore Oronsay. Whilst most of us strolled along the island cost, H had a close encounter with a highland bull!A well timed return was greeted with fish pie waiting to be served followed by chocolate pud and custard. An early night tonight I think, the fresh air and blustering winds have left us all tired and with red burnt faces. Ali, volunteer, UK Friday 15th September, 2006 Anchorage Loch Spelve, Isle of Mull Position 56°21.900 N 005°47.300 W Distance surveyed 27 nm A great first day with fabulous clear blue skies. We started off with the first of many mugs of tea, followed by breakfast and our technical briefings of how to record sightings, tie ourselves to the mast and abandon ship ( not necessarily in that order !). Once the fruit and veg had been delivered for our week at sea, we set sail down the Sound of Mull. Visibility, weather and sea conditions were perfect, but sightings were few. However the scenery was fantastic and we ended the day in beautiful Loch Spelve with a great chicken curry and bottles of wine...everyone will sleep well tonight, ready for tomorrow and another great day ! Janet, volunteer, UK Thursday 14th September, 2006 Anchorage Tobermory Position: 56°37.200 N 006°03.700 W The last Earthwatch trip of the season started with lovely calm weather, as our volunteers joined Silurian in the evening. We spent the evening chatting, getting to know each other, eating good food and sitting in the pub. Our volunteers for this week are Janet, Martin, Ali, Alex and H from the UK and Phil from Switzerland. All looking forward to a week's monitoring in the Hebrides. Susie, Science Officer, UK Silurian Log Archives
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