When the vessel cleared the harbour and was passing Mousehole, I was escorted up to the bridge to meet Captain Joe Whetton and the bridge crew. There, I was welcomed with the information that I had just missed seeing a pod of six Common Dolphin!

After discussions on the wind and sea state, I headed out onto the flying bridge. For most of the crossing the visibility was good and the few light showers that appeared passed through very quickly. Manx Shearwater dominated the whole crossing, including one large group of sixty sitting on the water. There were also some small groups of Gannet, and one Puffin.

When the boat turned to go between the islands, I stopped the survey and noticed that the tide was very low. This meant that the approach to the harbour was very slow and careful. On leaving the boat I headed straight to the harbour beach to explore the low-tide line. Amongst the washed-in seaweed there were lots of Blue Jellyfish and non-native Oyster Thief. There was then time for a quick walk over to Old Town and back, before having a late lunch.

By 3.30pm it had started to rain, so I made my way back to the ferry. Luckily, by the time we left harbour, and the Purser had escorted me back up to the bridge, the rain was beginning to clear and visibility to improve. Most of the way back there were Manx Shearwater in sight. I also saw a few Gannet, Kittiwake, Guillemot, Razorbill and Herring Gull. When the ship started to turn into Penzance Harbour, I packed up and once again thanked the crew for the trip and their support.

Judith Tatem, Research Surveyor for MARINElife (Registered Charity No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367)

Weather: Cloudy, light showers, wind force 3-4