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.
Date: Thursday 12th April 2007
Anchorage: Tobermory
Position: 56°37’.200 N 006°03’.700 W
Distance Travelled: 32 NM
Final day’s surveying brought us back down to Tobermory in glorious, if slightly wild weather. A brilliant start to the season by volunteers and crew alike!
Susie, Science Officer
Date: Wednesday 11th April 2007Anchorage: South Channel, Loch Moidart
Position: 56° 47’.290N 005° 50’.206W
Distance Travelled: 42 NM
Today saw the highs and lows of Hebridean weather in April, with grey bits, foggy bits, misty bits and a beautiful clear, still evening. Starting off from Isleornsay, we zig-zagged our way south, encountering porpoises, puffins, loads of gulls and leak and potato soup. Observers were stoic in the face of some fairly un-gorgeous conditions during the course of the day. However, in the afternoon, the weather brightened, so by the time we arrived in the utterly lovely south channel of Loch Moidart, we were experiencing a classic west coast evening; calm loch waters reflecting a blue and pink candyfloss sky. After a fine tea, we wandered the shoreline and checked out the big posh house, marvelling at how the other half live. As Duncan scampered about ‘like a mountain goat’, Cormac ‘took more photographs than a Japanese tourist’, all enjoying the stunning beauty of the loch (and the fine workmanship of various aging mechanical objects in the grounds). Weather looking good for tomorrow…
The Silurian crew.
Labels: Silurian's course and sightings 5-13th April 2007
# posted by HWDT @ 10:29 AM
Date: Tuesday 10th April 2007
Anchorage: IsleOrnsay
Position: 57° 08’.900N 005° 47’.800W
Distance Travelled: 37 NM
We left a bay somewhere near to Plockton this morning with spritis high and seas flat. Our situation changed quickly as the winds helpfully moved round to the southwest to ensure that all the volunteers were suitably soaked by 10.30. A round of fantastic bacon sarnies and the promise of cookies cooked by an actual American buoyed our hopes once more, only for them to be dashed by the relunctant Scottish weather. Cookies and coffee successfully ingested, porpoise were detected on our way south of Kyle Rhea. The weather went further downhill leaving us with little option but to anchor in the bay off Isleornsay to allow the weather to pass, despite the threat of attack by giant starfish…
Unfortunately we’re still here in Isleornsay as I write this blog, though we once again have high expectations for what tomorrow might bring. The prospect of reheated dynamite chilli cooked by “Cormac ‘The Wunderkind’ PhD student” has everyone in the right mindset for a full day of porpoise monitoring tomorrow.
I can only hope we have such positive spirit when tomorrow’s blog reaches your eyes. I hope this is worth your internet subscription…
Cormac Booth, The Wundekind PhD Student.
Date: Sunday 8th and Monday 9th April 2007
Anchorage: Tarbert, Loch Nevis (Sunday) and Bagh an T-Strathaidh, Loch Carron (Monday)
Position: 56° 58’.300N 005° 38’.200W (Sunday) and 57°19’.500 006°.41’.100 (Monday)
Distance Travelled: 80 (Sunday) and 93 NM (Monday)
Who knew the Easter Bunny could reach sail boats!! Weather not so great but the free-flowing Crème Eggs kept us from mutiny. Crew happy as the sails went up (the headsail for the first time since being replaced over the winter), and the engines went off. Tried to survey visually initially but the weather got the best of us so we resorted to acoustics alone and huddled at the cockpit. “Eagle-eyes” Jade spotted a porpoise amongst the waves between Canna and Rum, but after that puffins, guillemots and shearwaters were the only wildlife seen. Dropped Morven off in Mallaig, rejoiced at the new-found silence (!), and sailed into Loch Nevis. Celebrated our stunning anchorage spot with a shower (separately) and then gorged on pasta and salad as the sun went down. Early night for all – pleasantly shattered after struggling to keep our balance (and our breakfast!) for hours.
Slept in until 8am. Clouds very low for an atmospheric cruise up the narrows of Loch Nevis. No wind until we turned to go back down the loch for Sound of Sleat and a steady light rain fell. Sails up and very changeable weather all day. Good recordings on the hydrophone for harbour porpoise, but none sighted. Grey seals bottling…they seemed to study our movements. Under the bridge to Skye with plenty of clearance. Cleaned the boat with newly found sea legs as we rocked and rolled to our evening mooring. Duncan’s cooking: tender beef pie, plenty of veg and crofter’s potatoes after a talk from Susie on acoustics. Very tired, but happy!
Take care
Everyone on board
Date: Saturday 7th April 2007
Anchorage: Canna Harbour
Position: 57° 03’.300N 006° 29’.600W
Distance Travelled: 60 NM
Bright sun woke us up; coffee and tea on the deck in sunlight. After breakfast, the anchor was hauled up and we set off for the southern end of the Isle of Skye with everyone at their stations, ready for cetacean spotting. Cameras clicked profusely when the Cuillins came into view, sharp craggy peaks, Munroes, with no cloud cover hiding them. We changed course and motored past Soay to make numerous transects west of Skye. The acoustics were very busy with harbour porpoises and we listened on the headphones to mainly snapping shrimp. While under sail, the cetacean spot of the day took place with a harbour porpoise which swam just under the surface of the water from our portside, under the bowsprit and off past our starboard side. We also took count of the various birds and had a brilliant view of a sea eagle soaring off the cliffs of Canna. Great excitement for all the crew occurred as we motored into Canna Harbour; while watching grey seals sunbathe on rocks, we spotted another sea eagle. It looked massive as it sat on the rocks just above the seals. Binoculars were glued to faces for 20 minutes as the eagle calmly sat and surveyed his kingdom. After anchoring and a quick boat tidy up, we piled into the dingy and went ashore to stretch our legs. Two local men chatted with us about local news on the island and then Hot Legs [Cormac] went off for a run and the rest of us lads and lassies climbed great heights and explored the Celtic church. Mat, First Mate, had an excellent sausage and mash dinner upon our return to Silurian, which was washed down with a glass of wine. An excellent day was rounded off listening to Duncan’s Dixie Chicks.
Diane, volunteer
Date: Friday 6th April 2007
Anchorage: Loch Scresort, Isle of Rum
Position: 57° 00’.730N 006° 16’.117W
Distance Travelled: 45 NM
Evening all from the Isle of Rum! “Hundreds” of porpoises on the hydrophone, but only three deigned to make an appearance to us! Fortunately two puffins and an empty crisp packet were a little more forthcoming and have left us with a wee smile on our faces – nothing to do with the wine and huge amounts of food we have just polished off. Having passed our seabird identification exam we have been granted permission to use the toilet facilities for ten minutes each. We’ll get another ten tomorrow if we successfully identify all the juvenile stages of gannet plumage! On a more serious note, we are currently moored in a stunning sea loch on Rum. Scenery and weather has been fantastic throughout, and the porpoise sightings were witnessed by all. Quietly optimistic for the rest of the week so long as I don’t get sunburnt too badly!
Take care
Anouska and friends
# posted by HWDT @ 8:59 AM
