Sailing Grounds & Wildlife
Grounds
The Clyde Estuary is one of the most spectacular sailing areas in the World. It is made for adventure. High mountains drop into deep fjords and Islands and sheltered fishing ports provide excellent stop off points on your journey around the Clyde.
Being on the West Coast we are subject to rapid changes in weather, which are normally predictable. In any event, the geography of the region means that if our first choice destination is impacted by the weather, we can almost always find a very acceptable alternative.
Weather will not normally be a problem to the boat but it can get a bit 'bouncy' and can be more adventure than your average visitor is looking for. However, some hardy souls like the 'bounce' and we will be happy to indulge our visitors if they want to test their sea legs. This will always be at the discretion of the Skipper and always with safety as the primary consideration.
Wildlife
We do not keep a colony of Grey Seals, a pod of Porpoise or a flock of Gannets. They are creatures of the wild and go where they please. However, like us they have favourite spots and if they are in the mood and we are lucky they will make an appearance. Likewise, we cannot vouch for the whereabouts of the wild Soay Sheep, the Saanen Goats or the Eriskay Ponies, other than to say they are all on Holy Isle and I have not gone around the Island without seeing at least one of them. Likewise, Basking Sharks and Dolphins make the odd appearance.
COAST Surveys and MPA consultation
Have your say! Community of Arran Seabed Trust (COAST) is conducting two questionnaire surveys and a public consultation over the next few weeks. These comprise of:
- Survey of awareness and attitudes to the No Take Zone
- Survey of Arran sea angling experiences
- Drop In sessions on the proposed marine protected area around the south of Arran
No Take Zone survey
Ross and Rachel, masters students from the University of York, have been working with COAST this summer and are now conducting two surveys.
Rachel's survey is aiming to look at awareness of and attitudes towards the Lamlash Bay no-take zone. Please click on the following link to complete Rachel's quick survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B9BTZNH.
This is your opportunity to give some feedback to COAST: Good or bad, we want to hear it all. If you have any questions, please email Rachel at rebower88@gmail.com.
Sea angling survey
Do you have a story about what sea angling around Arran was like?
Do you remember the days of the sea fishing festivals in Arran?
Have you recently been fishing off the coast of Arran?
Ross' survey is aimed at finding out how sea angling has changed over the years in Arran. He is eager to hear from anyone who has experienced sea angling in Arran. Whether you?re a seasoned professional or just a keen amateur, why not take 5 minutes to answer the questionnaire below.
Sea Angling Questionnaire (MS Word Format)
Just download the file and save it to your computer desktop so that you can fill it out at your leisure and send it back to: rwsg500@york.ac.uk
If you have any further comments or stories that were not covered in the questionnaire then please don?t hesitate to email Ross to let him know. We need as many respondents as possible, so if you haven't already and have a couple of minutes to spare, please take the time to help out.