Boats (Day 9)
We were up bright and early (although perhaps a little later than intended) and ready for a tour of the estate by our guide and the resident marine biologist, Marnik. He took us up to see the Loch's in the hills and the other buildings that make up the site. We also saw the Estates resident Valais Blacknose lambs, which were extremely friendly and let us give them a proper scratch, and some year old highland cows, which were a little more apprehensive. We then headed down to the Loch side and sorted out our plans for data collection on the boat. Marnik pulled up one of their young oyster crates and showed us how they hang underneath the pontoon. However, we couldn't focus. The water around the pontoon was crystal clear so we hurried back to the house and changed into wetsuits and swimming costumes.
We had a lot of fun, jumping from the pontoon and looking at the sea bed with snorkel masks (we saw a star fish)! Despite the lovely weather, however, we are still in Scotland and we are still on the west coast- it was freezing! We couldn't snorkel for too long as our heads got cold but we didn't need to, the water was so clear that we could see the seabed with ease.
We stopped off quickly at the house to make baked beans for lunch and to heat up the curry from last night. Then, we headed out on the boat and immediately started collecting data. Lois was dropping her camera rig and taking photos of the seabed and Lewis was taking water samples to look for bivalve larvae. The rest of the team took down coordinates, hauled in the ropes, and steadied the sample bottles. After a few hours, we headed back to the house and prepared for our big shop in Oban with our new friend, Gabe, who has just finished his first year at Aberdeen University, studying zoology, and who is doing work experience on the Estate.
On the boat collecting data, left to right: Lewis, Jennifer, Lois
The big shop turned out to be bigger and longer than anyone could have predicted. Kilchoan Estate is about 40 minutes outside of Oban and on the drive there, and back, Jennifer kept us entertained with some great singing from the front seat. Once in Oban, we had to hunt through quite a few shops before we got everything. None the less, we headed back to the house with everything we needed, and quite a few extra snacks, so that Jennifer and Lewis could make two pasta bakes, one with tuna and one without. They also made a brilliant salad and some garlic bread. After dinner, we played some games, listened to music around table, and really enjoyed our evening in a midge free environment.
There were a couple of shenanigans as the night went on, and several members of the team went to sleep a lot later than they had intended. But, in between games of guess who, trivia pursuit, and a couple of attempts at baking, we had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
Mikes Mum's Shepherds Pie - Day 10
Thankfully, we were only heading out on the boat at midday, so the team had plenty of time to get themselves up and make sandwiches before they had to meet Marnik on the pontoon. Mike, Dylan, Lois, and Lewis set off onto the water in absolutely beautiful weather, ready to collect data. They saw a whole variety of marine life during their time on the water, including an octopus!
While the rest of the team were on the boat, Jennifer and Kerry took the time to jump and swim from the pontoon. The wind had picked up by then but they barely noticed, bobbing about in the water while the rest of the team collected data. Lewis, Mike, and Dylan disembarked the boat at lunch time so Kerry and Jennifer could help Lois finish her camera drops for the day. Marnik pulled up a crab pot for them to look at while they waited for the camera to charge. Kerry and Lois got to hold an elderly Brown Crab (aka an edible crab). Once they had a good look at him ,and admired the barnacles on his claws, they released him back into the water.
Crabs, left to right: Lois, Marnik, Kerry
After completing a couple more camera drops, and meeting their quota for the day, they headed back to shore and said hello to the Estate's four Highland calves who were enjoying some lush grass besides the road.
As Kerry, Jennifer, and Lois walked up the hill, they bumped into Mike and Lewis who were heading down to the boat house. They borrowed the Estate's kayaks to go fishing on the Loch but, unfortunately, they didn't catch any fish. They did, however, get up close and personal with a pair of seals so it wasn't a total disappointment.
Out fishing: Mike and Lewis
Back at the house, and while listening to ABBA, Jennifer (our resident baker) and Dylan started to bake the team a cake with an unusual ingredient...butternut squash! Despite the cake containing a vegetable, and it getting a little stuck to the pan, it was pretty good! `
"It tastes like carrot cake!" - Kerry
"It's nice and light. Stunning!" - Lewis
"Delightful!" - Lois
"I think its perfect, just what I needed." - Mike
"Brilliant!" - Dylan
As you can see, the team LOVED the butternut squash cake.
Mike and Dylan made us a Shepard's pie based on Mikes Mum's Recipe, Lois made a butternut squash soup for a starter and we ate Jennifer's butternut squash cake as desert. With our various courses, we settled down to watch the football. With three people supporting Scotland and three people supporting England, there was a small scheduling complication (with both England and Scotland playing at 8pm) but we resolved it to the best of our ability. The Scotland game was put on the TV in the drawing room while the England game was on a laptop in the kitchen. Despite the team divide, we were all disappointed that Scotland didn't qualify.
We ended the evening with cake and an early night to catch up on sleep and get ready for more data collection on the boat tomorrow.
The Seaweed Team
P.S: the team says hello to Anne (aka Lois's Granny)
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