Woke to wonderful sunshine in an amazing location. Julian has got up early to take some photos as the early light adds to the stunning views. One annoying thing to mar our enjoyment of an otherwise perfect day was that there is something wrong with the regulator on the gas bottle and when we had switched onto the new bottle the previous night, the rest of the gas had just escaped……. leaving us no way of making a cup of tea let alone cook a meal! Boats and gas is always a worry but hopefully we’ll get it fixed when we get to Stornaway. I did make Sue a cup of coffee from the hot water tap, which she was very polite about but I think it was probably pretty disgusting . We left our pontoon and sailed over to have a quick look at east Loch Tarbert ( just as the ferry was coming in….there’s always a ferry!) before turning round and making for the Scalpay bridge. Although the calculations had been done and checked…. it was a bit of an anxious moment as we approached it. !!! As you can see when I finally get enough signal to send the pictures! Would be interesting to know just how much we did actually clear it by…… looked pretty close to me! Once past that we headed out to sea in THE most perfect sailing conditions ever, towards the Shiant islands. I love reading the pilots and guides to the areas and it seemed to me that in the right weather conditions it would be the perfect lunch anchorage. And it was ……I think one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been in my life. We anchored off the rocky beach and had cheese and pickle ( no ham) rolls. Sue and I then rowed ashore to the beach. We had promised to cook supper on an open fire if we could find enough drift wood but there wasn’t much. Just a pile of new fence posts which obviously belonged to someone! In a corner of the beach we noticed several huge bale sacks of “just sheered” wool, and just then appearEd a farmer, together with crook and sheepdog and presumably daughter. They set off straight up the the next crag …. just in fisherman’s wellies. We supposed to round up more sheep. What a remote place to farm. Later, when we were sat anchored in Tob lemreway in Loch shel, they all arrived back in a black rib carrying all the bales of wool. Wonder if that’ll be made into Harris tweed?
The Shiant islands were definitely a bird watchers paradise. The massive cliffs Are Perfect for birds as the geology of the cliffs is like the giants causeway so creates lots of ledges. We newly identified fulmars, razorbills and saw a couple of great skuas that look like little spitfires soaring above us showing of the white markings on the underside of their brown wings. Loads of other birds too but think the most amazing site were the puffins as we left our idyllic anchorage and headed out. Apparently the Shiant islands are home to 240,000 puffins! One eighth of the UK’s population ! Wonderful little birds!
We anchored in a beautiful little loch…. a tiny hamlet/ fishing community in one of the little inlets on Loch Shel. We had no gas or electricity so had to drink gin and tonic and wine as we couldn’t make any tea of coffee. Also had to have salad as Sue and I had failed to do our “Bear Grylls” bit with the drift wood fire. When the weather is like this, I cannot imagine anywhere better to be in the world.
What I learned today……………..Fulmars cannot walk!☹️ they either sit on rocky ledges, swim around on the sea or fly.
Sue x
Angelique 