Flannan Isles

The Flannan Isles or Seven Hunters, lie about 40 miles off the west coast of Lewis in the Western Isles.  Their main claim to fame is the mysterious disappearance of three lighthouse keeepers in December 1900 who are thought to have been washed into the sea at the west landing due to a very large wave.  The lighthouse was first lit in 1899, and was automated in 1971.   Fl(2)30s101m20M

All times are BST (GMT+1)

• Sunday July 4th
• 14:00 left Stromness on converted fishing boat "Snowdrop. HW Dover 15:26, skipper Robert Swannay.
  
• 22:00 passing inside Dulsic Rock off Cape Wrath which was mostly mist-covered and quite gloomy. Slack water, start of flood.
  
• Monday 5th July
• 04:00 passing Butt of Lewis, misty and damp.
• 06:00  White-beaked Dolphin
  
• 10:00 arrived at Flannan Islands, landed at west landing on Eilean Mor.  Getting onto the island itself was made difficult as some of the steps have been washed away, well above the high tide mark.  There is a ladder and steps which made getting ashore OK.  There was some lift with a NE force 3 and rising tide.  No sheep but plenty of rabbits, so sparse vegetaion.  Jack Marshall and his crew of painters were working on the extremely spruce lighthouse so we were able to visit.
  

  
• 19:00  Minke whales seen  in South Bay.  Lots of Puffins, Stormy Petrels calling and Leaches Petrels below helipad.
  
• Tuesday 6th July
• 13:00 left from East Landing, which is much better than the west one.  It would be possible to come alongside in calm weather, but there are two projection steel spikes (the remains of a ladder), which could puncture fenders.  If fenders were rigged from the landing stage there would be no problem.
  

  
• 13:30  Landed on Eilean Tighe midway along the SE side.  It has a ruined (round) house, and very lush vegetaion.  One pair of Bonxies nesting along with GBB Gulls.  Risso's Dolphin seen in bay and off Soray where we landed about 15:30 on the eastern tip.  Weather sunny and warm with occasional light showers.
• 16:00 landed on Roareim (on the east side) which has a small Gannet colony at the south end.  We completed landings by finding a small geo at the west end of Eilean a'Ghobha.  All of the islands had lush vegetaion, but the western two had less.  Between the two small islands there are spectaular rock stacks and caves which we explored.
• 18:30 left Flannans for Sula Sgeir