Date: Thursday 17^th May 2007

Anchorage: Tobermory, Isle of Mull

Position: 56° 37’.280N 006° 03’.680W

Distance Travelled: 34 NM

Today’s blog comes pre-curry and post-chocolate pudding, which was served on deck with a cup of tea, as we headed for the Cairns of Coll on the last voyage of the trip. Despite the shonky forecast, the morning started brightly and the Cairns of Coll were visible from last night’s mooring at Loch na Droma Buidhe. As we approached the Cairns, mist and cloud were followed by the onset of rain. A quick circuit around the Cairns and we headed back east towards Tobermory. The visibility dropped, the sea state increased to 4 or 5, which was caused by the wind against the tide. We were soon again into calmer waters where we resumed surveying; we motored through the murk and arrived at the pontoons at Tobermory at 14.30. Total sightings for the day: a few porpoises. After cleaning Silurian, including scrubbing the decks, we manoeuvred around the pontoon and out to our mooring, where we are now.

We’re all looking forward to our curry this evening, although it is raining and we will get wet. We’re also looking forward to not having to clean up after our evening meal, or cooking it… Roll on the vegetable pakoras!

Swedish word for the day – ‘indisk restaurang’ meaning ‘indian restaurant’

TOTAL TRIP MILEAGE: 462 NM

TOTAL ANIMALS:

Harbour porpoise: 59

Minke whale: 6

Bottlenose dolphin: 3

Common dolphin: 9

Basking shark: 32

Seal: 18

Date: Wednesday 16^th May 2007

Anchorage: Loch na Droma Buidhe

Position: 56° 39’.320N 005° 55’.470W

Distance Travelled: 49 NM

Today brought two terrible tragedies to the lives of the volunteers of Silurian. All-day rain and no pudding. It was already raining when we woke up, and didn’t really stop all day. So no shorts-wearing by the skipper and science officer today. Well every cloud has a silver lining and all that…

Christian was also feeling totally rubbish with a pokey virus, and was ordered by the skipper to return to his bed as soon as he’d got up.

We set out from Gunna Sound and immediately spotted the first basking shark of the day, cruising lazily through the eddies and tidal races. Shark sightings continued up the west coast of Coll, so much so that when the next in a line of ‘SIGHTING!’ shouts came half way up the coast, Susie’s reflex reaction was to enter ‘basking shark’ in the database. But no, it was everybody’s favourite cabaret cetacean, a group of nine common dolphins, leaping and bowriding the boat. Absolutely marvellous!

We continued up to the Cairns of Coll, where excited hurries of manx shearwaters, fish jumping out of the water and rapid porpoise detections on the hydrophone made clear there was some serious foraging action going on. But it wasn’t till we reached the Cairns that we got a swift glimpse of a speedy minke on the move.

This was the moment chosen by the skipper to offload half the world’s supply of hash browns, onion rings, baked beans and bacon directly into the crews’ arteries, which fortified us again the cold.

Carrying on down the east side of Coll, then across towards the Sound of Mull, and into Loch Sunart seals and porpoise sightings continued. Once anchored safety in Loch na Droma Buidhe, we relaxed and ate supper, the pleasure of which was only marred by the microwave not working, and the consequent lack of chocolate pudding. So we must all go to our beds without the wafting aroma of pudding, hoping the microwave works in the morning, and we can have chocolate pud with our weetabix. If this plan fails, we may have to use the anchor windlass battery to power the microwave and haul the anchor by hand. Failing this, the engine start batteries will be pressed into service, and we will row back to Tobermory. But it will be worth it. Nothing must stand in the way of steamed pudding.

Due to the indisposal of our esteemed Swedish correspondent, lessons have been temporarily suspended, but will recommence tomorrow.

Date: Tuesday 15^th May 2007

Anchorage: Gunna Sound

Position: 56° 33’.680N 006° 42’.760W

Distance Travelled: 52 NM

Another bloomin’ day in paradise onboard Silurian. Woke up to such fabulous sunshine that Mat and Susie were moved to put on their shorts. However, as Susie’s legs are not quite hairy enough to keep her warm in the chill May air (unlike the skipper’s), she had to resort to wearing thermal long johns under her shorts. Along with her yellow wellies, and the lucky killer whale as charms, good luck could only come our way.

We fished the hook up and departed in the direction of Tiree, passing south of Lunga. No sooner had the voyage begun than Russell shot up to the crow’s nest like a ferret up a Yorkshireman’s trousers (or shorts). And all went quiet on deck. Observations went quite calmly until we were a couple of miles short of the east coast of Tiree.

But then we spotted a minke whale…and then another…in a short time we were up to a possible four minkes, although from the photo-identification we could only be sure of two. One of the whales was significantly larger than the other, and its surface behaviour was quite different. In the midst of this action, we were joined by a gentle giant in the form of a large basking shark, who posed for pictures from all angles. At this point the skipper proclaimed from the helm that he was “in tune with the fishes”, to be swiftly reminded by his crew of the reputedly small brain size of basking sharks...

In the midst of the minke-shark excitement, a small group of three porpoises came to join the fun. Photo identification continued for a while and then we pressed on around the south of Tiree towards the west, where we encountered many more (slightly more photo-shy) basking sharks. General data entry chaos ensued. It was a good job that Susie and Paul were able to take charge of the computer as it was very busy…

By the time we were halfway up the west side of Tiree a total of 26 basking sharks had been sighted. They came thick and fast at times. After this point things calmed down, but Russell maintained his position in the crow’s nest, determined to still be there when we entered Gunna Sound. This is where we are anchored right now. Another splendid feast was rustled up by Mat and Susie (beany burger recipe attached (chilli version recommended)). We are all now gently vegging before we retire. Russell muses how we will surpass today…

Recipe for beany burgers – serves 4 normal people or one Silurian volunteer

50g pine nuts

50g pumpkin seeds

425g borlotti beans (drained and rinsed)

1 small onion (finely chopped)

2 tbsp tomato paste

85g fresh breadcrumbs

1 tbsp fresh thyme (or chilli powder)

1 beaten egg

Oil for frying

1. toast pine nuts and seeds
2. mash beans and add all ingredients (but only half of the breadcrumbs)
3. mix and season to taste
4. with wet hands shape mixture
5. coat burgers with breadcrumbs
6. cover and chill for 30 mins
7. fry for 3-4 mins
8. eat. Yum.

Swedish word for the day – ‘havet’ meaning ‘the sea’

Volunteers and crew of Silurian

Date: Monday 14^th May 2007

Anchorage: Crag aig, Isle of Ulva

Position: 56° 28’.02N 006° 13’.09W

Distance Travelled: 37 NM

The early morning forecast of showers followed by rain did not sound hopeful for a good day on the Scottish west coast. However, the sun was shining (again) and Russell was divining the charts with the lucky fluffy killer whale keyring in the hope of good sightings. We left Gometra harbour under the sunny skies, and were all bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to get stuck into (or rather whipped into!) another day’s hard graft on the good ship Silurian.

We steamed in the direction of the Treshnish Isles in search of growling puffins, but our attentions were unexpectedly diverted. Firstly, by an imaginary giant basking shark (it was nearly as big as the otter!) in the distance and, then soon after, as we rounded the southern tip of Lunga a huge two metre baby basking shark appeared just off the bow. There was great excitement and order was eventually restored by Susie, so that photo identification could be undertaken.

We left the basking shark and Mat piloted us through the treacherous approach to Lunga, weaving through the piled rocks of the north passage to the anchorage, where the hook was dropped and a island-boarding party assembled. Genevieve ferried everybody ashore and nobly returned to guard the ship (from pirates), while everyone else went to experience puffin paradise. The puffins obligingly did the “puffin thing” and arrived in numbers at their burrow entrances to pose for their portfolio shots. We all became acquainted with the growling from the burrows below us, and it was evident that the puffins were doing their DIY in readiness for their expected young for this year. Some muddy beaks were in evidence, as were mouths full of undergrowth (soft furnishings). Just lying on our stomachs watching them go about their domestic lives was a fantastic experience.

Satiated with Puffin World (TM) and with growling in our ears we returned to the good ship to continue with the real work. Exiting the anchorage the same way we entered (without hitting anything) we set off down the west side of the island and towards the Dutchman’s Cap. Before we were even halfway there, we were startled into action again by a cry from Russell, which was eventually whittled down to “there’s a minke around here somewhere!”. We slowed down and searched the horizon and were rewarded with the sight of a wily minke on a mission, which was moving at some speed. Silurian continued south of the Dutchman’s Cap and then headed east towards Staffa and passed Fingal’s Cave and its basalt columns. We joined the tourist boats and the wafting sounds of Mendelsson’s Hebridean Overture joined us from the circling pleasure boats full of day-trippers.

As we headed further east, dark clouds loomed on the western horizon, heralding the earlier predicted showers. However, having had sharks, minkes and puffins all in one day we were beyond caring as our enthusiasm could not be dampened. More surveying proceeded in damp conditions and we retired to anchor in Cragaig, Ulva. We all appeared to have reached breaking point as hot showers were very popular evening entertainment. Other entertainment was watching Christian tie himself in nautical knots, coached by Paul and Genevieve. An evening meal of pasta and pesto, garlic bread and salad was followed by French rap music and sticky toffee/chocolate pudding (with custard).

Swedish word for the day – ‘å’ meaning ‘large slow-flowing stream often found in urban environments in Sweden’

All aboard the Silurian…

Date: Sunday 13^th May 2007

Anchorage: Gometra harbour

Position: 56° 28’.840N 006° 16’.170W

Distance Travelled: 52 NM

This morning, Russell was bandying about his lucky fluffy killer whale key ring, borrowed from his seven-year old son. He was also singing (and, unfortunately, whistling) sea-shanties even more perkily than usual. He had a good feeling about the day to come, apparently.

It was sunny, again, as we headed north towards Scarba, and then changed course towards the Ross of Mull. At this point, Christian was enticed towards the crow’s nest, encouraged by the glassy-calm seas. Unfortunately the sky-gods had not forgotten Russell’s earlier whistling, and Christian’s upward progress climbing the mast was accompanied by a similar rising of the winds. So as we followed the Waverley paddle steamer towards the Sound of Iona, Christian was treated to a bird’s-eye view of some rapidly mounting waves.

Once we reached the Sound, the sea was really quite lumpy, by which time we had let Christian down. Well you didn’t think we’d leave him up there, did you? Chugging down the Sound we were lashed by the elements, and all the volunteers seemed to think they were stood on the wet side of the boat. Then, amidst the stronger winds and bigger seas, we were joined by three bowriding bottlenose dolphins, doubtless come to see why we chose to be out in such shoddy weather. As they rolled on their sides and eyed us from under the bowsprit, we couldn’t help feeling we were being watched by them as much they were being watched by us. In fact, Paul’s convinced he saw one of them give him a cheeky wink.

But the dolphins were happy hanging out at the entrance to the Sound, so after taking some photo-identification images for our catalogue (the dolphins had clear natural markings such as scars and skin pigmentation), we had to leave them behind and carry on towards Ulva and Gometra.

After a bit more pounding into the waves, we ceased visual observations as Russell and Katie were engulfed in a big green wave. All is still and quiet however in our anchorage for this evening, where we’ve just doubled our body weight (again), this time with shepherd’s pie. Even distribution of volunteers and crew around the boat has become essential, to prevent any dangerous listing of the vessel. Oh, and it’s still sunny…

Swedish word for the day – ‘ö’ meaning ‘island’

Date: Saturday 12^th May 2007

Anchorage: Isle of Oronsay

Position: 56° 00’.980N 006° 13’.300W

Distance Travelled: 44 NM

For those who extracted themselves from their bunks an hour earlier than normal a trip ashore and a walk around the raised beaches of Loch Tabert was the order of the day.

Breakfast was taken under stunning sunshine. Both anchors were hauled and a new day’s survey commenced. The gorgeous sun did not leave us for the whole day. And as I sit writing this at 9.20pm the sun has only just disappeared below the peach and pink horizon of Oronsay. Although the surveying conditions were good, our cetacean friends refused to play the game. The only one who made itself visible was seen by Katie.

We initially headed along the west coast of Islay heading for the Rhinns, but failed to meet it face-to-face due to the tide pushing against us. So we never got to hear its mighty roar. Maybe just as well…During this time, Russell had decided today was the day to scale the heights of the crow’s nest (how could he have faced his family otherwise?). His resolve was briefly tested at the final part of the ascent (climbing into the nest itself), but once perched, he was as happy as a sea eagle surveying his kingdom. In fact, the difficulty was more getting him back down again – was it because he was enjoying it so much, or was it the deathly fear of the descent? Or was he just frozen solid to the mast? The lure of cake did the trick in the end and we finally managed to entice him back to the deck. We changed course and carried on up towards Colonsay, during which time we are pleased to report Christian successfully identified two razorbills.

We dropped anchor for the night by the beautiful beach on Oronsay. Going ashore, we walked up Beinn Oronsay, which gave us a cracking panoramic view of the day’s survey area. The walkers rejoined Katie on the beach (who had been on a shell-collecting mission), to be greeted by A GIANT OTTER running down the beach. Yes, it was MASSIVE. The size of a SEA MONSTER. Well, anyway, it was a pretty big otter at any rate. Maybe it was running in the direction of Silurian because it could smell the wafting aromas of the curry Paul was cooking for us back on board. It was delicious, and brought an extra bit of colour (if that were needed) to our windswept faces.

Swedish word for the day – ‘grönsaker’ meaning ‘vegetables’

The volunteers and crew of Silurian

Date: Friday 11^th May 2007

Anchorage: Loch Tarbert, Jura

Position: 55° 58’.050N 005° 58’.550W

Distance Travelled: 52 NM

The day started with an unexpected easterly wind, which meant that the boat was bouncing through much of the night. However, we were still attached to the mooring which we had chosen the night before.

We departed from the mooring, left the southern sound of Gigha and set the sails. We reaped the wild Hebridean wind and surged across the Sound of Jura surveying keenly, although to little avail in the visual department. We spotted one lonely porpoise, but its noisy friends were chirping merrily underwater, as we were earwigging on their ultrasonic utterances using the hydrophone. Approaching the Sound of Islay, the winds abated (i.e. died a death), the donkey was engaged again and the sails were furled.

The crew was concerned to see Russell’s nose twitching like a rabbit’s as we entered the Sound of Islay. They needn’t have worried as it was just the gentle wafting aromas of the Caol Ila distillery – or was it the Bunnahabhain which was further down the Sound? When we didn’t stop for some “samples”, the only thing that could pacify Russell was Mat’s freshly baked flapjack, an fine alternative to his scones.

Silurian headed north out of the Sound of Islay and past the prominent paps of Jura, modestly shrouded in mist, and into the entrance of Loch Tarbert. An extended tour of the inner navigational intricacies of the Loch was followed by the crew’s big love-in with anchors and kelp. The volunteers visited the famous Loch Tarbert raised beaches while Susie and Gen cooked up another enormous meal for us. But surprisingly (or not) there will unfortunately be no leftover sausage sandwiches tomorrow. The crowning glory was the second spectacular sunset in a row.

Swedish word for the day – ‘klädnypor’ meaning ‘clothes peg’

The Earthwatch volunteers