Minke madness, basking shark and humpback whales on our ninth survey...
The team on the ninth research expedition of the season encountered a basking shark, many minke whales, common dolphins and humpback whales on their nine day survey from Ullapool. Read all about their experiences here…
DAY 1
18.00 hours was rendezvous time on the quayside, 6 of us waiting to be taken on board, excited but apprehensive about what to expect. Introductions over, we walked down the pontoon and climbed aboard. During the evening we learnt about life on board the Silurian and what to expect during the voyage. We modelled the wet weather gear then after a good meal of chilli and rice Jenny entertained us with her presentation on marine 'megafauna' (word of the day). We learnt about seals that get hit by frying pans and why minke whales have white mittens. We retired to bed with heads exploding and dreamt of humpback whales with very long forearms.
DAY 2
On the Silurian 'BandB' means breakfast and briefings. We learnt about the data collection protocols and soon realised that this is not simply about whale watching. After second breakfast (an important event in the daily routine) we became experts on creel fishing, judging distances at sea and practised shouting VERY LOUD so that the spotter at the mast is heard by the recording team. We set sail at 13.00 in bright sunshine and calm seas with the objective of reaching Gairloch. Soon after passing the Summer Isles we encountered our first pod of common dolphins. The swell and wind increased and at one point we reached 7 knots under sail. Martha excelled by spotting two further common dolphin pods, quite difficult in the sea state 3 with a swell of 1.5m. Skipper Luke decided that, due to the sea conditions, our best course was to adopt plan B and go into Loch Ewe. We dropped anchor at Aultbea at 17.40. Evidently it is a submarine base but it is unlikely we will pick them up on the hydrophone.
DAY 3
We set off early from Loch Ewe with the intention of crossing the Minch to Harris. We had a quiet morning with some common dolphin sightings. After a course change we started to head North where the sightings began to come in fast and frequent. We recorded hundreds of common dolphins who came and rode the bow of the boat while we all cheered. Interspersed between the common dolphins we had the adrenaline rush of being " with whale" - minke whales. Coupled with sightings of harbour porpoise, grey seal and hundreds of puffins, this had turned into a very successful day. Setting down anchor in Broad Bay on the northeast coast of Lewis, we had the pleasure of destroying the most delightful cheese board. Tiredness from a long day is always helped by a nice full belly.
DAY 4
We headed out of Broad Bay at 8.30 in lovely calm conditions. Not much later we had so many minke whale sightings that it was hard to keep track of which whale was which. Also interspersed with common dolphins. A tricky time to be on data entry duties.
Further great sightings occurred during the rest of the day, in spite of windier conditions and choppy waters developing. Bowriding dolphins came to Silurian from all directions, entertaining us with their acrobatic feats. We headed towards the Butt of Lewis where a couple of us managed to touch that butt!
Just as we were about to go off effort, we were given the perfect ending to a great day of sightings with first dolphin, then a minke whale, more dolphins anda basking shark!
The weather quieted as we sailed slowly into the shelter of Loch Grimshader, a beautiful setting to finish a great day of sightings. We hear that a cake is on the way.
DAY 5
A dash across the Minch from Loch Grimshader. We did one big transect with some good sailing at times. We sighted common dolphins and harbour porpoises while On Effort and a minke whale just before we got to Lochinver. We arrived at 15.20. This gave everyone time to go ashore but the first priority was for the crew to get to the pie shop before it closed. Mission accomplished most of us headed for the leisure centre showers and/or a walk in the woods. On our return we feasted on a Burns night style supper (no bagpipes) plus some delicious fruit pies.
DAY 6
The day started with refuelling. We departed and went On Effort at 10.30. Glassy seas at first but not to last. At one stage those on mast watch were treated to a rollercoaster ride and plenty of spray. One minke whale sighting and common dolphins. Arrived at Summer Isles anchorage. Dropped anchor at 18.01. Chores done with Chocolate Brownies and tea on the table within 30 minutes - what a team!
DAY 7
We set off from the Summer Isles to a beautiful calm sea. It was the ideal conditions for spotting seabirds but after a short while we had more exciting spots. We came off transect to follow multiple minke whales which seemed to be surfacing all around us. When we got back on track a minke in the distance led us right towards the best spot we could hope for- a beautiful humpback whale. We stayed with this beauty for quite a while enjoying watching the tail as it dove. After getting photos we headed back to our survey track where more minkes were waiting for us... and another humpback! We got incredible views in front of the Assynt and Torridon hills and even sent people up the crows nest.
Then the wind picked up and we were quickly in a sea state 5! A windy sail in to our anchorage in Isle Martin before delicious apple cake and a trip ashore.
DAY 8
After Breakfast we set off from Isle Martin with the plan to survey for half a day on our way back to Ullapool. The weather remained somewhat unchanged through out the day, seastate 2 and drizzle on and off. Along the way there were sightings of common dolphin, harbour porpoises and two minke whales, one of which swam right under the bow. During second breakfast we were harassed by a trio of skuas, who took an interest in our sausage rolls. At 14:00 we were all wet and glad to have reached Ullapool. After drying off we deep cleaned the entire boat.
Across the week, the group surveyed nautical 557 km of Hebridean seas, recording five species of marine mammal plus a basking shark.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR TEAM OF CITIZEN SCIENTISTS WHO JOINED THIS EXPEDITION: FIONA, LINDSAY, ANDY, DAVID, HAZEL AND MARTHA.