Eilean Musdile lighthouse

I thought a midsummer sunset behind a lighthouse might brighten a short dark winter day. This is Eilean Musdile light which is at the south end of Lismore and guards the entrance to the Sound of Mull from The Firth of Lorn. Roberst Stevenson built the lightghouse in 1833. It weas automated in 1965. It flashes white for 0.5 seconds every 10 seconds.



It was taken from MV Dundarg, a 1930's fishing boat which was chartered by Andy Spink of Hebridean Pursuits for their Wild West Week, sea kayaking off the west coast of Scotland.



The week lived up to expectations!

Day dreams in the shortest day.

Today the sun set in Glasgow at 15:44. Tomorrow it will set at 15:45. I do not wish to sound as if I am wishing my life away but summer is now on the way!

This picture was taken in late June when the sun sets at 22:05. We left Glasgow after work on Friday and launched from Arduaine at 21:20. The sun is setting behind Ben More on Mull. That night we camped on Luing. The next morning we went out through the Cuan Sound to the Garvellachs. From there we went to Scarba where we watched the sun set over the great race that extends to the west from the mouth of the Corryvreckan on flood. Kieran recently wrote about this and other whirlpools.



The Corryvreckan lies between the islands of Scarba and Jura.



The summer panorama from the steep slopes of Scarba was simply stunning.



Sweet dreams are made of this.

The late, lamented Sony DSC U60

This is my favourite camera for taking rough water photos. Hans has also recognized its functionality in this situation.



Its unusual shape gives it superb ergonomics for one handed operation. The thumb naturally falls on the on/off button and the index finger on the shutter release. Unlike most small digital cameras, it has a very rapid startup time and little shutter delay. It has no optical viewfinder but the small LCD screen is very bright. The fixed lens is equivalent to a 20mm wide angle on a 35mm film camera. It has an aperture of f2.8 which gives reasonable performance in lower light. There is a raised plastic ridge round the lens to help keep greasy finger tips off the glass cover. It has a decent O ring seal on a clamp base which closes with a lever mechanism for tightness then has two locks. The two AAA batteries are enough for over 200 shots and are contained in the middle of the plastic body where they are well insulated from the cold.

They are not a common sight on the water; the sensor only has 2 mega pixels and most kayakers have bought the Pentax Optio, seduced by its greater number of pixels. The result is that unfortunately the Sony U60, like Betamax before it, is now no more. If only photographic success could be guaranteed by pixels, perhaps the Optio's commercial success would be a good thing.

Please, Mr Sony, bring back the U60, I don't care how many pixels it has. In the meantime, here are some more, what I care to call, U60 moments.....

Taking photos at sea....three

and it's much more difficult when the sun is not shining.

Taking photos at sea ...two

You need to get right in close where the action is...

Taking photos at sea......

Taking photos in even small waves can be tricky.


Edited 18/12/06: Derrick said "ok but where's that underwater shot from when you missed your brace trying to hold on to the camera??"





Taking photos at sea......can be tricky. I rest my case.

Easdale islander initiative

The little island of Easdale (which I recently described ) has been cut off from its larger neighbour, the island of Seil for nearly a week. Winter storms have shifted the slate spoil at the mouth of its sheltered harbour. The open passenger ferry boat has been unable to access its jetty and islanders have been stranded on the mainland and schoolchildren have been unable to get to school. The local council were not making very fast progress to dredge the harbour but The Herald reports a story of great island initiative. Islander Mike Mackenzie bought a 12 ton JCB excavator on the mainland and had it shipped to Easdale on a landing craft. He then spent 36 hours excavating the harbour mouth himself and restored the islanders' ferry link. Wonderful!



Easdale has 60 permanent residents and 13 of these are children of school age or younger. The island is car free and the passenger ferry takes just 5 minutes to cross to Seil.



The harbour was built in the 18th century and its beautifully constructed walls are now protected by an architectural "B" listing. There is a great deal of interesting industrial architecture and heritage on Seil as it was once a centre for slate mining.



It is easy to kayak through the narrow harbour mouth and explore the sheltered jetties and inlets within.



The little harbour is dominated by the bulk of Dun Mor on Seil and by the initiative of the islanders.