Date: Thursday 24th July, 2008

Anchorage: Taransay

Position: 57° 53’.500N 007° 02’.700W

Distance Travelled: 48 NM

A glorious morning dawned over the idyllic spot where we had spent the night and we were raring to get on with another day of spotting and surveying. Our first visitors were the seals in the channel as we made our way to the open waves. The weather was a little unusual with a strange light as the back drop behind the Isle of Skye which we were making our way towards. We experienced a sharp shower that sent the whole crew running for their waterproofs but thankfully it passed quickly and the sea suddenly became like a mill pond.

There was little wildlife to accompany us on the crossing but we spotted some interesting sights on the horizon – a flotilla of tall ships. There were many beautiful vessels and although they caused some problems for the first mate whilst he was trying to dodge them, they certainly added to the scenery.

Shortly after dodging the tall ships, Coll climbed up to the crow’s nest and the sightings started to come in thick and fast! They were almost all porpoise and seals but then eagle-eyed Coll spotted a lone creature far in the distance. He saw our first minke whale of the trip, but unfortunately Cormac was the only other crew member to catch a glimpse of the figure before it swam away.

With the sea being so still Mike decided that he should also conquer the crow’s nest and he then became the expert lookout for the boat. Many more porpoise popped up to say hello whilst we were on our transit back to the Outer Hebrides. The other main visitors for the day were puffins. We must have counted hundreds of the wee brightly coloured chaps floating and flying around us.

As we approached the Sound of Harris, Natalie took Mike’s place in the crow’s nest and the boat was skilfully driven from buoy to buoy through the narrow channel by the first mate Paul and his helper Doug. We consider ourselves very lucky to have been able to pass through this area of outstanding beauty, and on such a calm and sunny day. There were numerous sightings as we travelled through, including porpoise, seals and otters.

On the other side of the sound, the Atlantic Ocean lay waiting for us but thankfully it too was kind and only produced a slight swell. We headed north along the western side of Harris until we neared Taransay. The Skipper found us a beautiful bay for us to anchor in for the night. The bay is fairly shallow and has a sandy bottom so the water looked more inviting than ever with it’s green tinge. This managed to entice Fiona and Natalie to jump in and complete a lap of the boat. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as warm as it looked!

The team were treated to a magnificent dinner of bangers and mash which filled even those members of the team with the largest of appetites. Shortly after dinner we headed off in the RIB to explore the island. It was well worth it. The views of the surrounding islands were wonderful and the peace and tranquillity second to none. Not only that, but Coll declared the sand to be the finest in the world. And he should know. Much photo taking and paddling in the sea ensued before a very tired but happy crew made their way back to the boat for a spot of fishing and mugs of cocoa.