On board Silurian

End of 2009 field season

2009-10-28T03:50:00.001-07:00

Currently, the boat is moored in the channel and we are closing down the 2009 field season. winter time will be used to analyse all data. From here, I would like to thank all volunteers who participated in the research this year. Hope you had a great time, learned something about the cetaceans and the Hebridean (marine) environment and enjoyed the beautiful landscapes and wildlife.

The 2010 season will start in April, and new updates will be posted then.

If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact me: biodiversityofficer@hwdt.org.

Cheers,
Nienke van Geel

12th October 2009

2009-10-28T03:49:00.001-07:00

Date: Monday 12th October
Anchorage: Tobermory
Position: 56°37.176N, 06°03’.916W
Distance: 30.2NM

Leaving Oban, it was nice to see the water settled quite a bit and that it wasn’t as rough as yesterday evening. We headed back towards Tobermory for the end of the trip. Although very little chance, everyone kept their hopes up to see minke whales in the Sound of Mull, or other dolphin species. Unfortunately we did not see any. However, there were plenty of harbour porpoises and beautiful scenery. Also very loud ADDs (seal scarers) and engine noises from other boats were audible for most of the way. After arriving in Tobermory, we had some tea and started to clean the boat and all equipment was unloaded for the boat is going to its winter berth tomorrow. Some nice, well deserved showers while Irene was cooking a delicious dinner. The day ended with drinks in town, which lasted till the early hours ..... , with a nice surprise when arriving back on board: toast, salads and cheeses.

11th Octover 2009

2009-10-28T03:48:00.000-07:00

Date: Sunday 11th October
Anchorage: Oban
Position: 56°24’.915N, 05°28’.577W
Distance: 45.7NM

After disentangling the anchor from a discarded scallop dredge (involving some acrobatics from mate Gen!) we left Bunessan and made our way through the Sound of Iona. The sun was out creating lots of beautiful rainbows - a lovely start to the day for Biodiversity Officer Nienke’s birthday! We then travelled along the Ross of Mull where there were a few harbour porpoise sightings despite quite rough conditions. The volunteers then attempted to bake a birthday cake – which was hampered by the rough sea with rather a lot ending up stuck to the oven! We then travelled up the Firth of Lorn where conditions were rather choppy so we abandoned the plans of heading to Port Appin and headed into Oban instead. Safely moored here we had some delicious salvaged birthday brownie cake and a fantastic dinner made by the birthday girl! Some of us then headed to the bright lights of Oban for a few birthday drinks!

10th october 2009

2009-10-28T03:45:00.000-07:00

Date: Saturday 10th October
Anchorage: Bunessan
Position: 56°19’.253N, 06°15’.008W
Distance: 51.9NM

What can we say about today? Very rough water indeed, with a combination of rain, sea spray and gales! We saw a few seals and porpoise on route, and we got to listen in to a Brazilian warship getting attacked by pirates, which was quite amusing! (VHF radio military exercise). We also had a 3 hour recording of sonar being used in the area, from an exercise that was somewhere in the Sea of the Hebrides! At one point it was so high pitched we were unable to put the headphones on. We tried to track the sonar vessel (it was beyond our vision) however our software did not co-operate (sudden crashes the computer ruined it all.....). There was a Minke whale sighting, but alas... it was by one of the core crew members and no one else saw it, which was disappointing but at least we know they are still in the area. We managed to get quite a distance around Mull today and are hoping to get completely around it within the next few days.

9th October 2009

2009-10-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

Date: Friday 9th October
Anchorage: Arisaig
Position: 56°54’.384N, 05°51’.536W
Distance: 39.2NM

Today was not one of our best days weather wise. We set out we high expectations but only had 3 to 4 sightings. Visibility was not great and we had to move to the back of the boat from the mast because it got too rough in the front. We anchored in Arisaig which was badly wanted for showers to be had. Nikki cooked up some pasta to heat us all up went down very nice. All to bed early for another fun day tomorrow..HAPPY DAYS.. many games in the evening.

8th October 2009

2009-10-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

Date: Thursday 8th October
Anchorage: Plockton
Position: 57°20’.599N, 05°38’.2407
Distance: 44.1NM

Today we were blessed with a wonderful surprise of lovely sunshine!!! The seas were also nice and calm, perfect for cetacean spotting and we were extremely fortunate with a porpoise bonanza. This perfect day allowed each of us to spend some time in the crow’s nest, definitely a highlight. With magnificent mountain views, the ability to see for miles and miles, it was certainly an exhilarating experience. These views were so incredible we could even see snow that had fallen on the highest peaks. This ideal day was topped off with the biggest group sighting yet of 15 harbour porpoises, bringing the daily tally to a total of over 40. Once anchored in a more stable position than last night, Kirsty cooked up a storm with Venison stew and veggie risotto, we then celebrated the fabulous day with a pint at the pub in Plockton.

7th October 2009

2009-10-08T02:39:00.000-07:00

Date: Wednesday 7th October
Anchorage: Sheildaig, Loch Torridon
Position: 57°31’.576N, 05°37’.269W
Distance: 61.4NM

Left before crack of dawn to get to the area of the navy exercise which happened to be quite a few hours away from us. During our travel in the protection of Raasay, we saw a submarine (which disappeared in the depth), and amazing scenery. Going around the tip of Skye, the protection was gone and seas became very rough. Immediately around the corner, we picked up very loud sonar, which hurt our ears. We had to turn back to get back into the shelter again and had a nice up close and personal look on the 2 big commercial vessels passing close by and the navy vessel. Later another navy vessel was seen and again sounds were picked up from that boat. Today was a day with a record of rainbows, and luckily we kept most of the day dry. Some nice diving gannets, but unfortunately not escorted by any dolphins. After a more than 10 our survey, while seeing hardly any cetaceans we anchoraged in a beautiful spot, little but rocky and rolling though. A well deserved and fabulously tasting Dall Bhat was prepared by Rebecca, lovely!

6th October 2009

2009-10-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

Date: Tuesday 6th October
Anchorage: Broadford, Skye
Position: 57°14’.735N, 05°54’.095W
Distance: 46.7NM

Calm-ish when we woke, but soon the wind was picking up, and following a disappointing weather report it was quite clear that we were not going to be able to follow the route we had previously planned!! Instead we opted to take the more sheltered route past the North of Rum and round the Southern tip of Skye, and anchored in Boardford. In going this way we missed the first planned military exercise but weather conditions at sea were too bad to pursue, but we did have our first encounter of a navy vessel! At a far, but it still dwarfed us even at a distance! On our new route we encountered many species of bird, but little marine mammals; one seal and porpoise sighting. We started to record litter sighted at sea and also creel (lobster crate buoys), which was something new to learn. We are all improving on estimating our distances, as to how far away sightings/litter and creel are. Overall not much rain today and hopefully we will be able to complete our journey around Skye and join up with NATO in the Little Minch tomorrow!

5th October 2009

2009-10-06T13:21:00.001-07:00

Date: Monday 5th October
Anchorage: Canna
Position: 57°03.3668N, 06°29’.962W
Distance: 36.9NM

We woke to quite a calm sea and headed off towards the island of Canna at about 10am. Almost as soon as we left the harbour we had our first sighting - a seal! This was closely followed by several other seal sightings, both grey and common, and excitingly our first cetacean sightings of several porpoises. We were also lucky enough to see the enormous sea eagle in great proximity as it flew past the Silurian. Sea state deteriorated quickly after leaving the Sound. So instead of crossing the Minch towards Barra, it was decided to stay in reasonably calmer waters and head for anchorage in Canna instead. From Canna, we are still reasonably positioned for surveying the area where the NATO navy vessels are going to exercise (using sonar) tomorrow. Part of the crew went for a nice shore leave and enjoyed the picturesque Canna Island. Just as everyone was admiring the view over the beach it started raining badly; everyone was completely soaked within a second! Back on board, a very delicious dinner was prepared by Irene; chicken casserole and pancakes as desert! Currently we are enjoying some music and tea while writing the blog. Wondering what tomorrow will bring, besides very rough weather......

4th October 2009

2009-10-06T13:19:00.001-07:00

Date: Sunday 4th October
Anchorage: Tobermory
Position: 56°37.178N, 06°03’.918W
Distance: 17.8NM

A funny start to a very different trip. Everyone (volunteers, skipper and first mate) was supposed to take the ferry from Oban on the Saturday to start the trip on the Sunday at 10AM. Unfortunately the ferries were not operational, resulting in a group of stranded people. Luckily the first ferry on the Sunday was going so everyone managed to get onboard Silurian for the trip. Some last minute loading of the boat, general briefing and off we went surveying the Sound of Mull where the bottlenose dolphins were reported in the previous days. The weather was brilliant! Especially compared to the very windy day before. Unfortunately we didn’t spot any cetaceans but we did see some nice bird life and it was a great chance for the volunteers to practice observations and sightings protocol and to see (and hear!) the hydrophone in action. We headed back to Tobermory where first mate Genevieve cooked us a lovely dinner whilst the Skipper and Nienke went through some safety and species id presentations.

29th September 2009

2009-09-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Date: Tuesday 29th September
Anchorage: Tobermory
Position: 56°37’.179N, 06°03’.949W
Distance travelled: 32.4NM

The best was saved for last...weatherwise...partly sunny most of the day, calmer winds and seas, and no rain. Our clothing actually did dry out some for a change. The landscape was more visible and breathtaking. Again there were a few sightings of seals and porpoise, along with jellyfish at the sides of the boat, but the whales continued to elude us. The calm seas and our captain brought us safely back to Tobermory where we now clean and prepare the boat for another group’s journey. Tonight’s dinner will be another delicious creation using some of what remains on hand, and it’s already been announced there will be cheese and bacon buddies for breakfast. What a good trip this has been in spite of the weather! ........

28th September 2009

2009-09-29T09:57:00.001-07:00

Date: Monday 28th September
Anchorage: Canna
Position: 57°03’.299N, 06°29’.475W
Distance travelled: 50.1NM

Today was an occasion (the forecast said occasional rain and it never stopped). They did however get the wind right and we had a good reach all day averaging more than 7 knots. Visibility was the worst of the trip and sightings were difficult, but Arctic Skuas were seen for the first time and lots more Fulmars than other days. On arrival in Canna harbour the crew declined shore leave - they had had enough rain, and the probability of there being a pub averaged zero. Nienke volunteered to cook a superb dinner with Jane on delicious crumble pudding duty. Although photo identification pictures this trip are lacking, after dinner, we tried to identify the bottlenose dolphins seen in the previous trip (and a quick look at the killer whales sighted then as well). All together we managed to identify 3 of the 5 dolphins and we think one is a new individual not in the HWDT catalogue yet. More detailed analysis will confirm this (or not).

27th September 2009

2009-09-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

Date: Sunday 27th September
Anchorage: Loch Maddy, North Uist
Position: 57°35’.564N, 07°09’.151W
Distance: 30.2NM

Von wegen Knochentrocken! Bone dry not so! Strong winds filled with rain put paid to the idyll of warm weather. However, we still have the same number of people on board as we started with. Important protocol in respect of sightings. Ian must warn the cetacean population when he is going to the Heads so that a sighting can be made by the rest of the observers. The two major sightings so far during this trip (the common dolphins and 4 harbour porpoises) have been made when he is below making himself comfortable. Comment: Ian is resisting the suggestion that he confines himself to the heads. Ancient wisdom of the day: on whatever side you stand you will get the wind directly into the face. Appendix: with the wind goes the spray. Murphy’s Law: there is no waterproof suit. Preparing dinner exciting was following the rescue actions on the VHF radio of two ground fishing vessels. At the start of the day, it was an option to go to the loch where the accident has happened. However, it was decided not to go there; a fortunate decision. Luckily all turned out to be reasonably well for stranded boat and crew.
Editors note: Stornoway coastguard/Met Office was only slightly off with their forecast. Yesterday evening they brought us the very happy news that weather was going to improve to force 3-4 from the West, perfect conditions to head south on the east coast of the outer Hebrides. Unfortunately, the updated morning forecast was very disappointing with again a forecasted 5-7. To be honest, weather was as bad (if not worse) than the previous days, and we almost continuously measured force 8 from SW throughout the day.... ; even worse than the prediction.........A lot of bashing into waves, rain and wind. Chapeau for all crew on board for coping with this!!!!!

26th September 2009

2009-09-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

Date: Saturday 26th September
Anchorage: Procapool, Harris
Position: 57°50’.653N, 06°45’.024W
Distance: 42.6NM

Again 5 to 7 SW. After the stars in evening the clouds were back on time in the morning but left some space for the sun to light the mountains. From the quiet loch the Silurian took us to the more interesting waters naval wise. Some gusts to Force 8 made the angle of heel reach over 45 degrees (at least that’s what it felled like, measurements on our most heeled over video only showed an angle of about 30 degrees). The route brought us from east of Skye, via the north of Skye towards the Outer Hebrides. Just before we headed into the anchor place we were starting to get excited about some dolphins who decided to check on us. They (the dolphins) may write into their diary that these life forms on board appear to have trouble staying on their feet in a 5 to 7. We logged 3 common dolphins, bearing 090, 20 metres, heading 270, playing with the boat. Unfortunately they remained only for a very short time near the boat and soon disappeared into the waves. We got to the destination without more distractions and where welcomed again by a seal. In the absence of a Pub a suggestion to a short walk around a Loch on shore. The day was then finished with a superb meal (after some chopping). We are looking forward to the 3 to 4 from the north/northwest tomorrow.

25th September 2009

2009-09-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Date: Friday 25th September
Anchorage: Sieldaig, Loch Torridon
Position: 57°31’.595N, 05°39’.242 W
Distance: 47.6NM

5-7 SW, it’s Friday! And it’s been a good day with multiple sightings: porpoises (and 18 group detections), seals, birds, boats, creels, and even a butterfly; a successful passing under the Skye Bridge, three adventurers up to the crow’s nest, and a beautiful end to the day’s journey with everyone lingering on deck instead of hurrying below to find warmth. During the day, a new term was learned by the American, German and Swiss travellers: the flapjack. It’s not a pancake. It is however a tasty treat of oats, raisins, golden syrup and butter. We observed a sea eagle mobbed by two buzzards as we ended our sail in Loch Torridon, which is a lovely spot to take a dinghy to the shore while someone is left on board to prepare a delicious cottage pie for dinner. Point of discussion during shore leave: What is an island? Is Skye no longer an island because of the Skye Bridge? We decided after not much discussion that Skye is indeed an island despite the bridge. Now it’s show time for a slideshow of the pictures taken so far.

24th September 2009

2009-09-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

Date: Thursday 24th September
Anchorage: Isle Ornsay, Skye
Position: 57°09’.105N, 05°47’.564W
Distance: 39.0NM

We left anchorage later in the morning. Nienke decided to start with a continued lesson computer data input procedure first while still anchored and not moving around too much. Yesterday the weather was bad and therefore it was not managed to explain the logging procedure to everybody yet. Better nice in harbour, than whilst rolling around.... Throughout the day, we had three porpoise sightings and 1 seal sighting, more than could be expected based on the sea state. Nevertheless, we broke the season’s record for the number of acoustic detections: wow, 33 harbour porpoises groups (last record was 29)! Also a lot of fearless birds were staying in the wind around the boat (mainly young herring gulls). On the way we got to notice the tools of the local fisherman; the creel’s. Fortunately no whale was trapped in any of them. Also our first rubbish was monitored and logged. Hats off to our asdic operator who picked up the Coastguard’s vessel’s propeller sound. Everyone is getting used to the different regular sounds picked up by the hydrophone, but picking up the more unusual sounds is still quite challenging and therefore noteworthy. Thanks to the cook of the evening meal. Fine chicken breast with roast vegetables and optional mustard. After dinner was a presentation about the main birds present in the area, while seated with a nice warm drink. Hopefully we are ready to recognise those tomorrow....

23th September 2009

2009-09-25T10:33:00.001-07:00

Date: Wednesday 23th September
Anchorage: Loch Scresort, Rum
Position: 57°00’.767N, 06°16’.102W
Distance: 29.4NM

Can it get better? The volunteers are bonding superbly. After an introduction last night and this morning, we bravely left Tobermory heading around Ardnamurchin and then up north. Some words on the weather. Initially sunny calm and showery but moving out of bed we discovered a little more realistic weather. Showers became a little more squally and wind speeds rose together with the sea heights. The first bit of the travel was OK, but soon big seas where ahead of us. A forecasted South West five to seven. As said: forecasted. Reality turned out to be worse although we were in relatively sheltered areas. Measurements showed that we had occasional gusts of force 9! The professional way in which the crew handed out the hot soup and tea was worthy of special mention (we were told not to mention however the bread on the floor). It was very difficult to spot anything in the rough waters and it was decided to shorten the route, so we anchored closer by in the bay on the east side of Rum. Our first day sightings were restricted to a variety of seabirds, an otter and a couple of ferries and multiple white horses. An illegal stowaway in the form of a wasp was escorted off the premises. To reduce the overcrowding in the galley a contingent braved the crossing from the anchorage to the shore which fortunately supported a pub surrounded by a castle. One of passengers misheard pub as “pup” and was sorely disappointed but was revivable under the influence of a refreshing elixir. In the mean time, the remaining team on board produced a very eatable bolognaise. Listen out for the next bulletin.

15th September 2009

2009-09-16T04:54:00.000-07:00

Date: Tuesday 15th September
Anchorage: Loch Scresort, Rum
Position: 57°00’.747N, 06°16’.194W
Distance: 43.3NM

Our mornings seem to begin with the same routine: breakfast around 7:30, reeling in the anchor, and a nice welcome-to-the-sea by a basking shark within minutes of our departure. Today was no different. However, having had an unforgettable and unbelievably rich day yesterday, the sea seemed to be void of marine life except the random rubbish spotting, creel, and occasional bird losing the battle against the Aeolus. Most of the day was spent in shoddy weather and choppy seas. Compared to the other days of the trip we went out, the sea was quite choppy, but according to Nienke, this was about an average sea for this area. We got to Rum safe and sound around 5:30. To our dismay and frustration, the windlis was out of order and the anchor was dragging. This problem proves especially aggravating for the two ladies, Laura and Sharon, inhabiting the front room, for the anchor locker is behind their mirror. They probably should be lauded for their efforts because the inoperable windlis makes the job of stowing the anchor excruciatingly longer than usual. However, thanks to the amazing supervision of Federico the ladies enjoy classic tunes with lyrics about chains as they are stowing the chain - thanks Federico. Hah! We went onto Rum’s remote shore and took advantage of a nice, hot, luxurious shower in a castle! From the looks of it, Rum has population of approximately 12. With most of the island kept as a preservation site, we deduced from the few houses dotting the shore that the population was smaller than most of our primary-school classes. Oh, and how could we forget the pub and wild blackberries. Dinner was a delicious meal of stir-fried chicken and rice prepared by Sharon. MMM! As any other night, the crew spent hours laughing, talking, and debating about various topics in the saloon after dinner. Tonight’s discussions included the origin of Rum’s name, discrepancies between the various international higher-education systems (with American schools being despicably over priced), the violations of EU law by many mainland Europe youth hostels implementing an age limit, and a variety of other ear-perking topics. Tomorrow is our last full day at sea, and we expect it to be a glorious day!

14th September 2009

2009-09-16T04:51:00.001-07:00

Date: Monday 14th September
Anchorage: Acairseid Mhór, Eriskay
Position: 57°03’.959N, 07°17’.556W
Distance: 38.8NM

Wow, what a day. That may not be scientific but today seemed to defy science. After another grey morning we set off into wall to wall blue skies and a flat calm sea. An excellent encounter with a juvenile basking shark got us started, but suddenly as we cruised along the west coast of Barra 2 mighty fins close inshore heralded the arrival of a pod of 4 killer whales. Everyone was completely put off guard with Phil’s announcement of the sighting, especially Edward who had just lifted the lid of the toilet only to hear KILLER WHALES! and ran up and missed his opportunity to use the loo (he held it for the duration of the sighting). We were lucky to be able to spend nearly 90 minutes following these beauties, 2 males & 2 females, as they headed south along the coast at 5 or 6 knots. Literally, hundreds of still photos and some video allowed definite identification of all 4, including the famous John Coe. On breaking off contact we headed back north to pass through the sound of Barra to our anchorage, and to cap off our day a pod of 5 of the “Barra Bottlenose” dolphins joined us in the clear shallow waters in a prolonged and enthusiastic display of bow riding and spinning. Fabulous birdlife included bonxies harassing gannets and a diver (blackthroated?) seeming to peer down into the water as the killer whales passed by. All in all a great day, concluded by a super salad, luscious lasagne and scrummy crumble. And so to bed to dream of more encounters to come.

13th September 2009

2009-09-14T08:47:00.001-07:00

Date: Sunday 13th September
Anchorage: Castlebay, Barra
Position: 56°57’.155N, 07°29’.485W
Distance: 57.1NM

Another day of superb Hebridean sea, scenery & sunshine but without a single cetacean to be seen.
Through Gunna Sound & across the Minch to visit Mingulay for lunch at anchor only 20 metres from a beautiful sandy beach complete with 30 or so grey seals including a fluffy newborn. Unfortunately the pup was on the only nice stretch of beach accessible to our zodiac, so the planned shorer leave was cancelled (other places were too exposed to the swell), but a challenging dingy drive around the Silurian was made instead. Leaving the anchorage proved tricky, with the first of the day`s 2 technical problems with the windlass. An exciting hour was spent off the exposed west coast ,viewing the spectacular 600 foot cliffs with hundreds of fulmars wheeling around them, before continuing observations back on the east side of the islands of Pabbay, Sandray & Vatersay as Glen expertly brought us through the skerries inshore of Muldoanich to a mooring in Castlebay. A very suntanned & glowing crew await an egg salad followed by lamb tikka & roasted veg.

12th September 2009

2009-09-14T08:45:00.001-07:00

Date: Saturday 12th September
Anchorage: Gott Bay, Tiree
Position: 56°30’.726N, 06°48’.078W
Distance: 74.5NM

Almost as soon as we set off through the morning mist on what was to become a VERY long day Laura spotted the first basking shark of the day, only a baby but very co-operative as it fed by hovering in the tidal flow with 30 tons of Silurian only a few feet away. More sharks appeared as we made our way west in glorious weather into open water to survey an area south of Tiree. As this was to turn into a 75 mile, 12 hour voyage we continued on effort in a straight line to the 50 metre contour and then north to Tiree. Another close shark encounter enlivened the afternoon though the whales & dolphins remained elusive. Only Erika spotted anything,2 brief sightings,1 a minke whale, the other most probably a breaching basking shark, but both well astern and going away. The day ended with mackerel, fried potato & peach ratatouille. Yep, that was peach ratatouille and it works (that’s what happens when Nienke cooks something she doesn’t know and becomes creative).

11th September 2009

2009-09-12T00:36:00.000-07:00

Date: Friday 11th September
Anchorage: Bruichladdich, Islay
Position: 55°45’.882N, 06°21’.453W
Distance: 63.0NM

Today has proved to be the best weather we have had thus far. The waters were perfect for sighting, even though, to our dismay, not many sightings occurred throughout the day. Nevertheless, we were definitely enjoying the weather and the blue waters, so much so that some of us shed off our oilskins and wellingtons to show off some skin under the rays of the sun. The beautiful day brought along a lone basking shark, spotted by the skipper. It was the first non-seal or porpoise we had seen on the trip. Riveting! We hope that this is only the beginning of good weather and more sightings to come. Because of the calm conditions, we spotted quite some storm petrels, and even a bonxie attacking another bird. After a day at sea we decided to anchor by a small, picturesque town that seemed as if it came from a postcard (Portnahaven, south-west Islay). Dozens of seals were sun bathing as we attempted to anchor adding to the beauty. However, the tide was too strong and the water too shallow to allow for a proper anchoring. It was too bad as the spot was absolutely beautiful. It was decided to travel a little further around the corner into Loch Indaal. Currently, we are drooling as the smells of Federico’s much-awaited-for mussel pasta are slowly cooking in the galley. Then there is Phil remaining persistent in his efforts to catch mackerel. Phil’s average catch has been a fish a day - not quite enough to serve nine people, but it has been quit sufficient for starters! Time to pick mussels out of their shells! Cheers. Phil managed to catch enough mackerel for a main for tomorrow, already looking forward to it..... After today’s lovely dinner, all travel possibilities for the next few days were discussed, resulting in a busy schedule ahead of us for Nienke wants to make most out the forecasted good weather days to come.

10th September 2009

2009-09-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Date: Thursday 10th September
Anchorage: Scalasaig, Colonsay
Position: 56°04’.136N, 06°11’.034W
Distance: 49.0NM

Today was the second morning that we woke up to the skipper’s delectable porridge. Most of the hours surveying consisted of staring at water with only a few sightings. However, the weather & views were excellent and none of us has lost hope as the days are only getting better. Additionally, although we spotted only few porpoises, the hydrophone detected 28 groups, almost as good as the record for this season which is currently at 29 groups. We stopped in Colonsay for the evening, and decided to wander to the nearby pub - which turned out be quite interesting as our first encounter with civilization. After a pint and a memorable experience with a very drunk local, we were ecstatic to return back to the boat. We have begun to think of the boat as a home and refuge. Dinner was a venison casserole with rice. Tomorrow’s meal is of constant concern, as people are becoming more and more imaginative and creative - always forgetting that it was decided the day before. We bought an extra 5-kilo bag of mussels in order to have another dinner of mussels. The count for the number of proposed meals for tomorrow: 5. Today we encountered some new birds compared to yesterday: gannets, shags and fulmar. Interesting to note that fewer numbers of seabirds were spotted today.

9th September 2009

2009-09-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Date: Wednesday 9th September
Anchorage: Loch Spelve, Isle of Mull
Position: 56°04’.136N, 06°11’.034W
Distance: 49.0NM

Today our sightings consisted of a few seals and harbour porpoises. Although the rough whether the previous days (actually the last 6 weeks!), the Sound of Mull was quite protected and even the sun came out to greet us. The hydrophone recorded something interesting that Nienke pointed out: when the ADD noises were no longer within detectable range the harbour porpoises appeared in large numbers. Many groups were spotted visually and even more were detected acoustically. It seems that the harbour porpoises are affected by the ADD sounds. For dinner we managed to get ahold of fresh mussels from the nearby mussel farm. While some stayed on boat preparing dinner, some people went ashore and did some exploration. A group of seals were spotted onshore. They remained extremely curious even after plunging into the water while we went ashore. Today was our first day of bird spotting, and the ones spotted today include manx shearwaters, guillemots, razorbills and kittiwake.

8th September 2009

2009-09-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

Date: Tuesday 8th September
Anchorage: Loch Sunart
Position: 56°39’.404N, 05°53’.766W
Distance: -NM

Spent the day at anchor, some of the time very windy. Learned about birds and fished for mackerel. Hopeful that will be able to move off tomorrow as the weather forecast gets better. Today was a fairly slow day, but for a second day it was quite nice. There were quite a few activities going onboard. Some people were holding lively conversations about public health, corporate law, and the likes. Other people were fishing; only two were caught today. All of us, but snoozing Federico, had an interesting lesson about the different types of birds we could possibly encounter. As these activities were ongoing there were ominous weather broadcasts predicting the weather to worsen for a while before getting any better, first time this season a predicted force 9-11!!!! However, we did get a glimpse of sunshine right before dinner which gave all of us some hope of the days to come. Dinner consisted of four delicious and fresh mackerel, cottage pie (it was the first for some of us), and vegetables from Phil’s garden.