Our third survey of the season allowed us to survey 367 miles around the Small Isles, north Minch and Inner Sound of Raasay. We had some incredible sightings, visited beautiful remote anchorages and collected over 69 hours of visual and acoustic data.

DAY 1

In intense sunshine, Charlie, Bruce, Jenny and Bronwyn welcomed Nici, Catherine, Cecily, Maddy and Rachel on to Silurian. What a welcome on board in the beautiful west coast sunset. Everyone settled in to their bunks and got to know each other over a delicious meal before doing some training on species ID and what we might see on the survey.

DAY 2

We spent the morning training in our survey protocol, how to spot and estimate distances while underway, and getting used to moving around the boat. We dropped our lines and left Mallaig just before lunch to try and make the best of the weather to sail across to Canna.

While training the team in how to assess the ocean soundscape, Jenny heard whistling dolphins on the hydrophone – very exciting! Unfortunately we didn’t spot them on the mast this time, but it was great to know that they were out there none the less. Everyone was fascinated at how loud the snapping shrimp could be heard as we crossed towards the Small Isles.

We didn’t record any visual sightings, but did detect a number of harbour porpoise acoustically.

While Nici made a delicious tagine, the rest of us headed off for a walk on Canna in the drizzle. Bruce, Bron and Jenny returned having foraged some wild garlic for dinner – it was everywhere! There were amazing sea ducks in the little harbour including eiders and a shelduck! After dinner, Nici got the first leaning-jowler of the trip in the game Pass the Pigs.

DAY 3

We left the shelter of Canna harbour, heading south and close in past Hyskeir, getting a great view of the lighthouse. The swell was big, meaning the spotting conditions weren’t ideal. Once west of Hyskeir and travelling across to North Uist, Bron spotted common dolphins coming in from a distance. They came in to bow ride Silurian and everyone got a great view. While we were trying to count the dolphins, Jenny spotted a fleeting minke whale ahead. The stealthy whale was lost in the big swell and amongst all of the common dolphins.

The large seas got a bit lighter as we crossed the deeper water of the Sea of the Hebrides, towards our anchorage at the Wizard’s Pool, North Uist. We clambered ashore and up the closest hill to get beautiful views of Silurian and the seas we had just travelled across. Maddy, Jenny and Bruce went for a quick swim from the back of the boat – it was chilly.

DAY 4

In very moody conditions, we set off from North Uist on a large transect across to Skye and back west to South Harris. We saw beautiful views of Skye and Neist Point while great skuas circled us for over an hour.

We dropped anchor in Lingara Bay, South Harris where Cecily and Maddy cooked up a feast, complete with individual chocolate cakes – delicious. The evening was finished with some very silly team bonding playing ‘Heads Up’. Turns out that the crew have excellent potential as mime artists!

DAY 5

We headed across to Skye again, achieving great survey coverage of the Little Minch. Early in the day a group of common dolphins came in to bow ride briefly. Baby dolphin with foetal folds came really close in to the bow. Everyone got a great view and there were lots of grinning faces! As we passed close to Eilean Glas lighthouse and saw the reef splashing, south of the Shiants, a few great skuas circled the boat for a long time and calling to one another.

Coming in to the Shiants the bird activity increased massively. We could see the impressive basalt columns of the sea stacks from a distance and hundreds of fulmars, kittiwakes, puffins, guillemots and razorbills in the air and sitting on the water. The clouds of birds in the air and rafts made it a tough time to be sat in relay position – very difficult to count!

We navigated around the northern tip of the largest island in the Shiants and counted 5 juvenile white-tailed eagles soaring and clasping tallons. At anchorage there were hundreds of puffins on the water, in the air and nesting all along the rocks. It was amazing.

The team headed ashore to explore. Nicky and Cecile went along to the bothy and chatted to people from neighbouring yacht who had seen killer whales earlier that day. Jenny, Bruce, Catherine, Maddy and Bron went up the steep scramble to the top of the largest island in search of puffins nesting. Got to the top and the light on the sea stacks was incredible along with lots of pairs of great skuas sitting on the rocks, with eagles soaring high.

On the way up, Maddie found out she had got a new job, just as we came in to signal on the steep climb.

Charlie cooked haggis, neaps and tatties. We sat on the coach house roof, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of this special place in the peachy sunset.

DAY 6

We had an early start to make the best of the incredible conditions. Spent breakfast watching the puffins around the boat, looking eagerly out to the mirror-calm conditions and sunshine! Headed north out of the Shiants, almost straight away Cecile caught sight of an unidentified dolphin in amongst the feeding birds.

We tacked north to head towards Tiumpan and surveyed in to the Minch in perfect spotting conditions, sea state zero and sunshine. Bronywn was the first up the mast to be a look out, under strict instructions not to alert the folks spotting on the mast.

We recorded a few seal sightings and more porpoises as we headed further north. The long swell picked up and made it difficult to spot animals further away. Maddy climbed up to the crows nest with impressive speed.

After travelling further north than planned, we turned south, towards our anchorage in Loch Ewe. Just north of the Summer Isles porpoises and a larger fin were spotted. Eight white-beaked dolphins came to investigate us, coming in close and surfacing very slowly. Bron filmed incredible footage of the encounter from up the mast.

What a day! We anchored in the entrance of Loch Ewe, where the crew went for a dip amongst the moon jellies. Everyone peeled off early to bed after an impressive 10 hours on the water, sighting 24 harbour porpoise, seals and white-beaked dolphins.

DAY 7

Sailed out towards Staffin Island, at the northern tip of Skye in particularly lumpy conditions and did a transect towards a much more sheltered Loch Torridon. Waves crashed over the volunteers on the mast as they looked back to the helmsman with massive smiles. The moody seas made a great foreground for the mountains in the distance.

Harbour porpoise were spotted on leaving Loch Ewe, amongst many creels. And a rarer visitor, a sooty shearwater, was seen as we entered Loch Torridon.

We dropped the anchor as a mandarin cake cake out of the oven. A few people popped ashore to stretch their legs in the sheltered bay. The team back on the boat cooked up a Mexican feast and Pass the Pigs was played, again.

DAY 8

A shorter day as we headed further into Loch Torridon to escape the south westerly gale and large seas. Conditions for spotting animals were poor on the journey up the loch, so much so that we switched to acoustic only effort for a time, 8 harbour porpoises were detected acoustically on the short 16 mile journey.

We dropped the anchor for a late lunch and took some time to give Silurian some much needed TLC, played the hat game and took some time to rest. Jenny completed the harbour porpoise mark up and found acoustic detections of 30 porpoise to date.

DAY 9

A birthday on board meant pancakes for breakfast, expertly made by Bron and Charlie and a bit of Stevie Wonder to start off the day. Charlie and Bruce lifted the anchor early while everyone continued breakfast so that we could get out of Loch Torridon and begin visual and acoustic survey once we had passed through the Torridon Narrows.

In beautiful, albeit blustery, conditions we emerged from Loch Torridon, towards Rona and through the Inner Sound of Rasaay. Passing through the military range, we were asked to remove the hydrophone. Bron and Nici got a strong smell of fish and everyone became excited for what may have caused the sudden whiff. Nothing was spotted until further down the sound, where porpoises were seen leaping through the waves. The conditions were still poor as we headed underneath the Skye Bridge and through the Kylerhea narrows.

We came off effort for the last hour as we neared the anchorage in Isleoransay, to the south of Skye due to the large 2m swells and wind blasting. Jenny took the opportunity to make a sneaky birthday cake, in between doing acoustic only survey effort and everyone got some well earned rest and dried off.

DAY 10

Out of Isleoransay, travelled south towards the Isle of Rum. The conditions weren’t as poor as expected, so we extended our transect through the waters north of the Small Isles before coming in to the harbour at Rum.

The team went ashore to investigate Kinloch Castle, peering through the windows at the strange artefacts, before continuing on to the shop to purchase some Askival rum. Jenny convinced Catherine to go for a quick dip from the beach before heading back to Silurian for a beautiful last night on survey.

DAY 11

Heading back towards Mallaig, we popped in to Loch Nevis to provide shelter in which to get the boat ready for coming in to the pontoon. A few porpoises were spotted in Loch Nevis and loud snapping shrimp were recorded again.

We made Silurian ship shape before enjoying a lovely meal together.

Thanks for a wonderful trip, in some challenging conditions. It wouldn’t have been possible, or anywhere near as fun without our amazing team – Nici, Catherine, Cecily, Maddy and Rachel. And not to forget the crew – Charlie, Bruce, Jenny and Bronwyn. We surveyed 680km of Hebridean Seas.

Third Silurian Research Trip Surveys over 680km of Hebridean Seas!