CRUISING SCOTLAND’S WILD SIDE

Dusk was falling as we motored out of Castle Bay from Barra Island, heading north, hugging the dark rocky coast of the Outer Hebrides. The sea was silvery-grey and silky smooth, not a breath of wind – perfect weather, I hoped, for spotting a whale. Sure enough, not that far from us I saw the dorsal fins of two Minke whales gliding effortlessly in and out of the still water, travelling in the same direction. They dived, so we cut the engine and waited in the silence. One surfaced very near the boat blowing out through its blowhole and the cockpit filled with a foul smell. It dived again and we lost sight of it.

I am a designer, printmaker and illustrator, and the immersive experience of wild cruising is where I find my inspiration. In my making process I carve designs into linoleum, roll them with our Moody 33; an average cruise would have more challenging weather. The wildlife highlights of this trip got me sketching and painting.