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On board Silurian
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. If you would like to send the crew an e-mail with your questions click here. Click here to view the Silurian Log archive. 12th-14th April 2009
Date: Tuesday 14th April, 2009
Anchorage: Arisaig, Loch nan Ceall Position: 56°54’408N; 005°51’621W Distance travelled: 44.9NM We set out with a strong wind warning and mountainous seas so headed north instead of south to find calm seas. Four porpoises, a handful of seals but no sighting of the first minke of the season at Ardmurchan lighthouse. Had to anchor at the entrance to Arisaig to wait for a higher tide so three plucky sailors headed to land to gather winkles and skinny dip which caused cries for the binoculars from those onboard! Everybody enjoyed the beautiful anchorage place: the end of a loch with mirror-like waters, surrounded by tidal rocks and lots of bird-life present. Date: Monday 13 April 2009 Anchorage: Bunessan, Southwest of Mull Position: 56°19’.282N; 006°15’.056W Distance travelled: 43.NM A very uneventful day in terms of sightings. Went out had a rough time trying to get more offshore in the direction of Tiree. Nevertheless the huge waves and swell, we did see two seals. On the way back to the anchorage point, we stopped at Staffa and had some shore leave at Fingal’s Cave much to the geologists delight. Heading back, we picked up a rather large piece of marine litter in the shape of a battered old red and blue dingy – doing our bit for marine conservation. Unfortunately we lost a boat hook during this collection. The day ended nicely with bangers and mash for tea. Date: Sunday 12th April 2009 Anchorage: Bunessan, Southwest of Mull Position: 56°19’.282N; 006°15’.056W Distance travelled: 38.6NM We left Muck in high spirits in glorious sunshine but no cetaceans spotted. Seals, kittiwakes, gannets, puffins and shearwaters spotted at sea and a bat and herons on the way to the pub. Meat and vegan lasagna for tea filled the rumbling stomachs. Stargazing with shooting stars on the boat ended the evening nicely. # posted by HWDT @ 12:34 AM
 9th-11th April 2009
Date: Saturday 11th April 2009
Anchorage: Gallanach (North of Muck) Position: 56°50’.758N; 006°15’.421W Distance travelled: 21NM Today was an exciting day! We sailed (as in we actually had the sails up!) from Mull to Muck. We had to change our route a bit and do less monitoring further from shore, eventually even stopping surveying because things got a bit too bouncy on deck. Saw gannet, guillemot, ringed plover, sea eagle, fulmar, oyster catcher, razorbills and graylag geese among others. We did not, however, see any whales or dolphins; they appear to still be hiding from us. On arriving at Muck, we went ashore and walked around part of the island in the lovely sunshine. Here we saw skylark, swallows (so it is now officially summer), grey seal and lots of common seals playing in a bay. A couple of the common seals ventured slightly closer to the boat to check us out while we had a yummy veggie curry and puppodums with mango chutney. We put the boat heaters on and chatted around the table drinking tea and eating chocolate biscuits. The more hardy people went outside to watch the sun go down and admire the view of Muck, Rhum and Eigg and a beautiful starry night. Thanks to Ewen for a wee dram of ‘Tobermory’….. Date: Friday 10th April 2009 Anchorage: Tobermory Today did not go as planned as the Silurian had to be taken for a test drive. So instead we went on a trip to Cairns of Coll on the Sula Beag. This was a really great day- although we only saw one Harbor Porpoise, we did see lots of sea birds and the weathers were really nice. Many common seals were posing on the beaches and rocks, but unfortunately less luck with any cetaceans within the waters. The test went well, and new vegetables were delivered: we are being really well looked after by John & Lewis, as long as you like leeks (miscommunication in the ordering; 6kg of leeks instead of 6 leeks)! Looking forward going out on the Silurian tomorrow…. Date: Thursday 9th April 2009 Anchorage: Tobermory Arrival of the first Earthwatch volunteers for this year. Teachers from all over the UK are selected to spend a week on board Silurian, while developing teaching materials about sustainability, the marine environment, promoting awareness for conservation issues etc. Unfortunately the field research starts with engine problems. After a choppy ride in the rib to the moored research vessel Silurian, followed by a traditional Haggis dinner, all went ashore to the pub for the first teacher session. In the mean time people were fixing the boat. The night was very rough with lots of rain, hail and gales. # posted by HWDT @ 7:32 AM
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