Boats, birds and birthdays

Updated: Jun 27, 2023

Monday 26th June 2023

Another day of magic and calm.

I am definitely getting better at calling strangers on the telephone. My boat trip to see the puffins was rescheduled to later in the morning which left me wondering about my car hire. Fortunately on the small island of Tiree, the same company handles both so I called them after breakfast. They said to just bring the car back after my boat ride and there was no extra charges.

My 11am boat trip was perfect weather because there had been a quick sudden downpour as I was packing my bag. I took a picture of the rapidly fading rainbow (can you see it?) I had deliberately asked for less breakfast this morning as I had no idea how seasick I would get. It was rather wise of me, although I didn't get any seasickness. This is great news as it seems as if this current season of summer has a water theme. All the ferries, and boats and on Friday, a cruise!

The small boat we were boarding was ready and after we all donned the necessary waterproofing and life jackets, we had to climb down the ladder onto the boat. This ladder was probably more scary for me than the boat, especially with all the layers of clothing on, haha. The tour leader was a retired policeman and was hilarious and informative. I sat at the back deliberately to avoid the huge rise but got more sea spray. I think I may be developing dimples from the constant smiling that I'm doing lately.

We sailed over to Lunga Island which is a large bird colony and also home to breeding puffins. The sea was too rough so unfortunately we couldn't get off at the Island, there's no official moorings so we floated round the rocks while many puffin flew past us. They are surprisingly quick considering how clumsy they look. Our guide says that they don't land on the ground, they crash. On this particular island their numbers are on the rise due to the frequent visits from humans. We've had an effect on the presence of the puffins' predators so they are breeding more successfully.

We saw a few curious seals and lots of other birds but no dolphins this time. However the ride itself was so exciting. The swells were high in many places and we'd slap the surface. I think my back muscles might be a bit stiff tomorrow as he said it can be similar to riding a horse. I loved every moment of the almost 3 hour trip and I faced my fear of dark water again.

I also faced the fear of filling my own petrol in. It took some time to open the petrol tank and then I was baffled about taking the nozzle out of the pump. But I kept my cool and got it sorted at the most expensive to build- 2 pump petrol station in the western world. ( My bus driver fact #46)

I had a long wait at the airport, which is as big as a town hall and ended up chatting with a chap who is a sailor too. All these things I know nothing about having been raised in a land locked city, haha.