Stormy seas and gas bottles

Puffins relax near me at the Wick, sheltering from the wind

Its been a busy week on Skomer, and again I look out of the kitchen window at driving rain and a grey blanket of cloud beyond the farm wall.  Yesterday we tried a swim – out of the wind it is warm and humid – but once out in the bay we found the swell greater than we had expected.  It was exhilarating, but a little worrying, to look down into wide, grey troughs of broken water, and in the next moment be sliding down into them, the puffins rising and falling along with us, as unconcerned as in a flat calm.  Although the surface was rough, the sea was no colder than usual, and by swimming at an angle to counter the current we got back to the steps without too much incident – but with a bit of adrenalin running through our veins!

Chris pilots the rib to the landing steps

The poor weather means that the guillie and razor chicks have struggled to find a tranquil time to fledge, and as a result the ledges are filled with over-sized chicks, barely able to hide under their parent’s wings.  While the weather was still fairly calm we managed to transfer some gas bottles onto the island; Chris, Sarah, Lewis and I heading out into the mist on the island rib, which powers fast over the waves, spray flying; very different to the sedate progress of the Dale Princess! We only had ten bottles to collect, so it was a fairly easy assignment, rolling the heavy metal cylinders down the beach at Martin’s Haven and man-handling them into the boat.  On the way to the shore we stopped by the Princess, and exchanged greetings with the Springwatch team, who were visiting to film a few shots, a follow-up to last year’s program.  With Television in mind, I will sign off now – the final of the Euros begins soon, and people from North Haven and the farm are gathering round the small portable TV; the type of communal viewing common to island life, that on the mainland is now a thing of the past...

Gas bottles on the beach at North Haven, ready for the tractor to pick up