Wednesday 1st July

July already – blimey. Is it me or are the seasons racing by? We had a four hour followed by a two hour trip today. For long periods this morning it was rather quiet, even though we sailed several miles south. There were some nice gannet, shearwater and kittiwake sightings, but it was only when we were back by the coast that we saw the first fins. These were Risso’s dolphins including mothers with calves and we got some lovely clear views. We also saw lots of seals hauled out round the island.

On the Bay Discovery this afternoon we headed straight south where we could see in the distance the signs of common dolphins feeding. These must have come in from offshore over lunchtime. As we approached the seabirds slowed down, but the dolphins were still there and they were in the mood for company. As we slowed down, they came racing over apparently keen to bowride. The kids on board, including the bigkids! got a lovely close up experience. We then headed over to the seals where a few remained despite the incoming tide, before heading out for a relaxing sail.