St Kilda
August 10, 2022
St Kilda has a mystique all of its own. A UNESCO Dual World Heritage Site, it is famous for both its incredible bird life and its human history stretching back 3,000 years. Described as being "the islands at the edge of the world", four separate islands make up the archipelago.
Superlatives abound - the highest sea cliffs in GB (426 metres), one million seabirds including the largest colonies of atlantic puffins and fulmars, recordings of the greatest wave heights & strongest wind speeds in Europe! Amongst all these extremes, a soft green amphitheatre surrounds a dramatic bay where unbelievably an isolated community survived undisturbed until 1930. The National Trust now look after this fragile environment.
As we approached, we saw sun fish "sunning" themselves in the clear water before we were enveloped by the MASSIVE cliffs teaming with birds. One other yacht was in the bay and we spotted a couple of people ashore. All visitors must land on the island in an "open" boat to ensure your boat is not carrying rats which would descimate the fragile bird colonies.
My first job was to identify a Harbour Master - and we eventually found Angus and Ewan who worked for the MOD contractor QinetiQ, manning the missile tracking radar stations working one month on, one month off. I asked Angus if we were OK mooring on their buoy and when he said "no problem" I immediately promoted him to HM and grabbed Photo 3. Another one bagged!
The human history of St Kilda is well documented but I will just quote Martin Martin from his visit in 1697 "... he estimated that 180 St Kildans ate about 22,600 sea birds annually. Rye grass and barley were cut green and stored in the 1,400 stone cleits (photo 7 & 8 with nearly tame Great Skua bird). He found the population 'happier than the generality of mankind, as being the almost only people in the world who feels the swetness of true liberty' ".
Good Dog's crew were lucky to experience that "true liberty" and I strongly recommend you visit St Kilda once in your life!
Superlatives abound - the highest sea cliffs in GB (426 metres), one million seabirds including the largest colonies of atlantic puffins and fulmars, recordings of the greatest wave heights & strongest wind speeds in Europe! Amongst all these extremes, a soft green amphitheatre surrounds a dramatic bay where unbelievably an isolated community survived undisturbed until 1930. The National Trust now look after this fragile environment.
As we approached, we saw sun fish "sunning" themselves in the clear water before we were enveloped by the MASSIVE cliffs teaming with birds. One other yacht was in the bay and we spotted a couple of people ashore. All visitors must land on the island in an "open" boat to ensure your boat is not carrying rats which would descimate the fragile bird colonies.
My first job was to identify a Harbour Master - and we eventually found Angus and Ewan who worked for the MOD contractor QinetiQ, manning the missile tracking radar stations working one month on, one month off. I asked Angus if we were OK mooring on their buoy and when he said "no problem" I immediately promoted him to HM and grabbed Photo 3. Another one bagged!
The human history of St Kilda is well documented but I will just quote Martin Martin from his visit in 1697 "... he estimated that 180 St Kildans ate about 22,600 sea birds annually. Rye grass and barley were cut green and stored in the 1,400 stone cleits (photo 7 & 8 with nearly tame Great Skua bird). He found the population 'happier than the generality of mankind, as being the almost only people in the world who feels the swetness of true liberty' ".
Good Dog's crew were lucky to experience that "true liberty" and I strongly recommend you visit St Kilda once in your life!