Great Ape discovered hiding on Holy Isle!

Staring out to sea from the south-east corner of Holy Isle was a huge primate. We're not sure if anywhere else in the Clyde has such a beast in residence, nor how many people are aware that just the other side of Lamlash Bay is a creature that could give King Kong a run for his money...

Moving home...

Things are gathering pace for the closing of the retreat on Holy Isle, so many things must be transported across Lamlash Bay (yes, that is a fridge in the front! There's a diesel engine under there somewhere too.)














Alice was so excited she danced a hornpipe on the tubes.
(Not something we normally encourage, but Alice is Alice ;-)

Gannet to go...

We had a call from the NTS Rangers yesterday morning: a young gannet had decided that life was easier being fed fresh mackerel by them rather than making its own way out at sea, so after being brought back to them three times it was decided to put the reluctant seabird further out in its own element. Could we help take the gannet out to sea? Of course we could!

 

So at 1230 we set off south east with the Rangers, out into the Firth of Clyde where after donning suitable gloves and goggles (gannets are very sharp at one end) Jo and Kate removed the bird from its cosy box...

 ...and then re-introduced it to deep water instead of puddles at the roadside.

 We last saw the youngster working out how to get to the fish bar at Brodick Castle!

We wish it bon voyage - and hope it realises that Senegal is probably a better option in winter than the North Atlantic.

Been a long time...

But hey, stuff happens - and this weekend what happened was sharks. Basking sharks to be specific. Yesterday morning we spotted 1 juvenile (about 2.5m) off Hamilton Rock; in the afternoon we found the same one in Brodick Bay, and 3 adults (2x4m and 1x5m) off Holy Isle. Today we counted a definite 12 between the south east of Holy Isle and Hamilton Rock. This is more than we've ever seen in one place before...

We'll have to send the details to the Marine Conservation Society in a little while. (And we did!)

Friday 13th...

All these people survived - and had fun in the sun & waves too!

A Busy Day!

To Holy Isle as soon as possible after low water - then a Pladda/Bennan trip; wind NE F4-F5 but a nice bright day and no one got soaked...






...then two Holy Isle and beyond trips; wee folk for a taster first -

- then some bigger people - and we were lucky enough to get close to a young basking shark in Brodick Bay!

The white area is the mouth - it was feeding and not disturbed by our presence.







We also got fairly close to an older lady...

PS Waverley, off Clauchlands Point

Arran Farmers' Society Show 2010

We spent most of yesterday at the Show in Lamlash - very windy, but mostly dry...

...as you see from our flag!

Lots of you came and spoke to us (and to Skyla and Ailsa!), which made the time go by quickly.

The three winners of our £25 vouchers were: Kyle Taylor, Bruce Margetts and Lynn Ridley; congratulations - we'll be in touch with you soon.