Following our arrival at Heysham there was a miraculous improvement in the weather forecast that meant we were to have little to no precipitation on the entire trip!  Looking forward to the journey ahead we made our way onboard CLdN ‘Progress’ and were treated to a lovely breakfast to keep us going throughout the day. On our way up to the bridge we could not believe our luck at the calm sea state in front of us.

Our spirits were further strengthened when within the first hour of the voyage we had no fewer than 5 cetacean sightings with a grand total of eight Harbour Porpoise.  What a start!  A quartet of Common Scoter kicked off the first of the bird sightings and before long a regular stream of Gannet, Kittiwake, and Manx Shearwater made their appearance.  In the afternoon large rafts of hundreds of Guillemot were recorded and at one stage the number of sightings was an effort to keep up with.

As we passed the Haulbowline Lighthouse at the entrance to Carlingford Lough the outward survey officially came to an end, but we were treated to the sight of 12 Grey Seal basking on a nearby island. Following a delicious goulash prepared by the steward we made our way to the Whistledown Hotel for a well-deserved rest.  An evening stroll along the shorefront with incredible views of the lough was enhanced further with casual sightings of Oystercatcher and Heron.

The following morning, we each had the very hearty Whistledown Irish breakfast and made our way back to the port to board CLdN ‘Performance’.

The return trip heralded more of the usual suspects with regular sightings of Manx Shearwater skirting close to the waves and flashing their white undersides.  We also began to see more tern and gull species than on the previous day, which gave us plenty of time to practice identification skills.  Midway through the afternoon we had a cetacean sighting with five Common Dolphin making their way past us on the starboard side and through the wake behind the ship – a perfect way to end the trip!

Harbour Porpoise (Library photo)

As we made our way towards Heysham port we came off effort and were treated to another lovely meal made by the steward before disembarking.  Our thanks, as ever, go to the CLdN captains and crew on both ‘Progress’ and ‘Performance’ for their warm welcome and generous hospitality on what was an extremely enjoyable and productive trip.

Lee Hornsby and Robin Langdon, Research Surveyors for MARINElife (Registered Charity No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367)

Weather Conditions

Outbound: Sea state 1-5, Visibility 4-5, Clouds 6-8, Swell 0, Wind 13-22knots, Precipitation None-Intermittent Light

Return: Sea state 3-5, Visibility 5, Clouds 4-8, Swell 0, Wind 9-20knots, No Precipitation