Thursday 31st October

We had an Ocean Discovery trip this morning, and then took out a few local teens this afternoon for a half term sail and to see what wildlife they could spot. Conditions were perfect all day and we had some lovely sightings. Lots of seabirds showed us where bluefin tuna were feeding this morning, and the lots of dolphins turned up. We also saw fourteen grey seals round the island on the low tide, which is more than we have seen for long time. There were lots more Manx shearwaters – are they here because the tuna are so active close to the coast, and therefore pushing the baitfish up into easy reach? This afternoon we saw more tuna this time with lots of kittiwakes, and then found a very large pod of dolphins who gave us some very exciting views. One poor animal had the whole of its dorsal fin chopped off – a close encounter with a propeller. There were a few novice sailors at the helm this afternoon (and I’m not talking about Duncan) – they did very well!