Today we had one of the most amazing displays of Bottlenose Dolphins. We sailed from Armadale in a Northerly breeze of 15 knots out towards Rhum and then veered towards the Cuillins and Loch Scavaig, sailing about 5.5 knots in the light breeze. Solus na Mara picks up wind easily; if there is the slightest movement of air, she will find it and she is so beautifully balanced therefore enabling her to sail effortlessly through the water. We had a lovely family aboard from Paris. We continued to sail whilst we had lunch in the cockpit as the day was so fine. As we rounded the Point of Sleat on our homeward journey, we noticed considerable activity 100 mtrs from the shoreline. We started the engine and made our way towards the site of action and within a short period a school of dolphins, about 50, came to join us as we headed back up the Sound of Sleat. The dolphins swam with us with such skill for five miles. They swam beneath us, jumped over our stern, played on the bow, swam upside down, all at 1000 revs - they seemed to prefer this speed as we tended to lose them if we increased or decreased our speed. It is always a delight to see wildlife like this in their natural situation.
In early June we saw a school of over 150 common dolphins in the Sound of Sleat. They also swam with us for half an hour looking almost like a 'field of dolphins'. In May and June there were almost daily sightings of Minke whale. One particular day we had about 50 sightings between the Point of Sleat and the island of Rhum. The end of June and July saw the appearance of Basking Sharks; some so close you could touch the shark from the yacht. One particular morning a basking shark was swimming around our mooring at Armadale and was there to greet us on our return together with a family of otters which he seemed to befriend during the course of the day. It is sometimes awesome to image the level of activity beneath the waves on any one day!
In early June we saw a school of over 150 common dolphins in the Sound of Sleat. They also swam with us for half an hour looking almost like a 'field of dolphins'. In May and June there were almost daily sightings of Minke whale. One particular day we had about 50 sightings between the Point of Sleat and the island of Rhum. The end of June and July saw the appearance of Basking Sharks; some so close you could touch the shark from the yacht. One particular morning a basking shark was swimming around our mooring at Armadale and was there to greet us on our return together with a family of otters which he seemed to befriend during the course of the day. It is sometimes awesome to image the level of activity beneath the waves on any one day!
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