Chapter 21 - more small ship cruising [map on last page]
Following the experience with the Delta Queen, the Dickasons, with help from the internet and an eager travel agent, began to hunt for more small ship cruises. A pleasant surprise was that there were many to choose from, as long as the travel budget was large enough to pay the higher fares.
Abercrombie and Kent had a very impressive web-site and brochure to match, and we selected a Maritime Britain expedition as our next small ship venture. An all-inclusive package was available and it began with a night in a Radisson hotel near Heathrow which we extended to two nights. Before the Dickasons were in the capable hands of the representatives of A&K there was some anxiety as the inefficiencies of Britain gave us some agitating moments, but they were mixed with some fascinating sight-seeing.
The day after landing at Heathrow was spent in London on the south bank of the Thames. Our first visit to the fascinating exhibits at the Tate Modern, combined with an early morning guided tour of the beautifully restored Globe Theatre nearby occupied most of the day and provided much enjoyment. The evening was when the travel gods frowned, or were they laughing?
Knowing that we had a free evening before joining up with A&K on the 27th of May, reservations had been made on-line to see the hit play “Art” at the Wyndham Theatre in London. With an e-mail voucher in hand, we made it to the front of the line at the ticket office as directed. There the off-hand agent wanted to see the credit card used to book the seats, and confirmed that our voucher was valid and sent us to the door to the auditorium. At the door, the ticket-taker directed us to a different ticket window to have the voucher exchanged for two tickets. At that window, the computer was down: “come back in five minutes.” The Dickasons took the opportunity to visit the toilets; Pat was successful, Les found the male toilet was ‘out of order.’ With just minutes to curtain, the computer came to life, the e-mail voucher was exchanged for tickets, the ticket taker approved this time, and a snippy usherette showed us to seats. Les attempted to point out that she had directed us to the wrong row but she assured us she knew what she was doing and that the theatre had new numbering. Just as the house lights were about to go down, another usher arrived with two other patrons - the Dickasons were in the wrong row! We moved to the seats Les wanted to take us to just minutes before.
However, despite that curtain-raiser comedy of inefficiency, the play was excellent - we loved ‘Art’ and although Finney and Courtenay were no longer in the cast, we recognized “John-Boy” Richard Thomas, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” Paul Freeman, and Patrick Duffy from “Dallas.” Wow! The Dickasons smiled all the way back to Heathrow and to the Radisson hotel for a well-earned, jet-lagged rest.
Our itinerary showed B,L,D [breakfast, lunch, dinner] were included on the following day. The rested Dickasons entered the special room for the A&K clients and alone tackled a huge buffet breakfast table with a wide variety of hot dishes, fruits, cereals and breads. With luggage in the lobby at 8.30 we finally met eight other Maritime Britain cruisers, boarded the large bus together, and headed west away from greater London. Our driver informed us that other passengers had made arrangements to spend a night or nights in SW England and would board Explorer before us.
First stop, Stonehenge, though to reach the car park, our driver had to struggle with a long and slow-moving traffic crawl on the A303. Our ample box lunch was eaten before we alighted to join the hundreds of other tourists who had come to visit on what was a holiday weekend. With patience, it was possible to take a photograph with few or no tourists in view..... but the feet started to shiver on the damp grass before that was accomplished.
Back on the bus, Dickasons and others napped as the bus headed further west. Our driver informed us that the ship was not at Portland as indicated in the itinerary, but in Falmouth, and so our day on the bus would be at least 90 minutes longer than expected. A pub dinner was to be included, and the bus drove into the cobbled stone parking lot of an establishment in Cornwall - The Jamaica Inn. As we left the bus, mystery fan Pat wondered if there was any connection to the novel written by Daphne du Maurier - there was. It was the same building featured in her mystery with that title. It had been built in 1750, and looked its age with its crooked beams and low doorways. The owners had capitalized on the famous name, and there were du Maurier memorabilia pieces everywhere. The pub food was better than expected and after a pint or three with supper a very relaxed group returned to the bus for the final leg to Falmouth where the ‘little red ship’ was waiting - we were the last group to arrive and board, just in time for the briefing, the drill, and to set off on our cruise.
The ‘little red ship’ was M/S Explorer, launched in 1969 as Lindblad Explorer, and renamed Society Explorer from 1985 to 1992. She was the first passenger ship through the North West passage in 1984 and again in 1988, and was bought by A&K and re-named Explorer in 1992. She was custom built as an expeditionary cruise
ship, carried up to 100 passengers, and though not officially an ice-breaker, she had a reinforced bow and a double hull. Her cruise to Antarctica in 1969 was hailed as the forerunner of sea-based tourism in that area. After A&K bought her, she spent months each year in Antarctica, months in northern Europe, and en route from one to the other, went Amazon River cruising too.
She was small at just 239 feet in length and 46 feet wide, with a top speed of only 13 knots. However, she was equipped with a lecture hall, a comfortable lounge/bar/library, a dining room large enough for all passengers to dine at one sitting, a wee pool [not in use on this voyage], a sauna and tiny fitness centre, and 10 Zodiacs which enabled all passengers to go ashore without staggering the landings by shuttling these rubber duckies back and forth.
Very importantly, A&K had hired an expedition staff of high calibre, and they were introduced at the first briefing, minutes after the Dickasons and others from that late bus had boarded. The Expedition Leader was Dr. Kim Crosbie, a diminutive Scot who was on loan from the Scott Polar Research Institute of Cambridge. She provided introductions to the rest of her team with a mix of puns and jokes that set the tone for the interaction with them and the passengers. The others, all qualified as Zodiac drivers, included a naturalist from the Falklands, a naturalist/painter from Alaska, an ice and bear expert from the Isle of Man, an ecologist from South Africa, a fish physiologist from Hawaii and BC, a whale and seabird expert from Maine, and two birders from the Audubon Society, one of whom was a water-colourist of note. Kim also introduced the Cruise Director, Peter, a Brit with a long career in the theatre, as a theatre agent, and as cruise director on river, ocean and now expedition cruises.
Kim explained that first night that the regular daily Explorer routine, late landings not withstanding, would be a before dinner meeting of all passengers and lecturers at which there would be a de-briefing of the activities of the day, and a briefing on the expected activities of the following day. She further explained that on days when there were multiple landings, lectures would be inserted between the landings while Explorer was moving to the next anchorage.
The Dickasons were too tired after the first session in the lecture hall to stay and socialize, besides stateroom 312 had not yet been visited, and the cases were still unpacked. Knowing that rough seas were possible, the Dickasons had booked a stateroom on the lowest deck, and as close to mid-ships as was available. As on Delta Queen, the stateroom was small, but adequate and comfortable - and we quickly found that we were only there to sleep, change clothes after landings, and to use the bathroom.
Sometime during the briefing, the ship had cast off and as the DIckasons tested the beds Explorer was steaming south-west to our first destination, the Scilly Isles. The gentle swell was a contrast to the calm water of the Mississippi, and it rocked the two Canadians to sleep.
The pre-cruise package from A&K had been most comprehensive. Included was a full itinerary for the cruise, extensive reading lists geared to the intended foci of the cruise [flora and fauna, birds, history, geology], guidelines for binoculars, cameras, clothing, weather, the need for backpacks and life-jackets [both provided] when going ashore on Zodiacs, and details of safety, medical facilities and more. The Nanaimo Library had provided several books for pre-cruise reading, and we felt prepared.
The cruise began on the evening of Saturday May 27th and was scheduled to end in Dundee, Scotland on Wednesday June 7th, with none of the scheduled stops between being on the large island of the UK. All of the destinations were islands around England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
Prior to each Zodiac ferrying ashore or before Explorer docked in towns with port facilities, Kim outlined the various options for group or individual travel ashore. Typically there would be a ‘birding’ group accompanied by the Audubon lecturers and one or more painters, a ‘short walk’ group guided by two or more lecturers specializing in history or flora, and a ‘long walk’ group which was guided by very accurate maps and sometimes one of the exercise crazy lecturers not needed by the previous groups. Once passengers had chosen their activity, Zodiacs were loaded accordingly, and the appropriate driver/lecturer steered the rubber dinghy from the gangway to the landing and led the group on shore.
Safety in loading and unloading the Zodiacs was stressed. All gear to be taken ashore was stowed in the Explorer backpacks, life jackets were donned, and only
two passengers were permitted on the gangway at one time. Crew members assisted passengers to step into the bobbing Zodiac using the special two-hand grip taught the first night, leaving each passenger with a hand free to steady against a railing or the seat of the Zodiac. Almost all landings from the Zodiac were onto small docks, or on sandy beaches where the craft would be run up and unloading over the prow of the Zodiac meant that feet [normally] stayed dry. Depending upon the wind and waves and the speed of the Zodiac ride, sometimes passengers at the front of the rubber dinghy were quite wet by the time the shore or ship was reached.
There are almost 100 little islands that make up the Scillies.... and few are inhabited. When all passengers were on tiny Tresco [about 2 miles by 1 mile], the groups set off on their selected activity. The Dickasons were part of the ‘birding’ group and our lecturer Tony was joined by an islander expert Will who was able to identify birds by their call before any of our group spotted the finches and other songbirds which predominated. While Pat enjoyed the activity and used her binoculars to good effect, Les found the inactivity less than stimulating and wandered off to check out the displays at the Abbey Gardens. Typically the birding group [see photo right] walked a few yards, stopped, listened, looked, talked quietly, took photos, checked lists then walked a few yards and repeated the process. The photo at right shows the birder group on Tresco looking for the elusive cuckoo.
For most future landings, the Dickasons chose separate activities. This provided the opportunity for Les to go on long or short walks, for Pat to vary between birding, sketching and short walks, and for the Dickasons to compare notes at lunch and dinner given that they had had different experiences. That first afternoon, while passengers and guides chatted over lunch, Explorer sailed slowly to another island, St. Agnes, where Pat and Les wandered around using the map provided and reached a viewpoint at Gugh, discovered Obidiah’s Grave and burial mounds at St. Agnus, and had a wonderful sighting of a not very shy cuckoo in one of the few trees on the hill. The birding group would be jealous.
That evening, passengers dressed a little more formally for the first Captain’s cocktail party, where Explorer’s Captain, Uli introduced his senior officers, and reminded us that the bridge was ‘open’ and that passengers were free to come and
see the action and view from there. Uli was born in Germany, and after tiring of being a naval architect, went to sea on cargo ships, then container ships and large tankers. When he started in the passenger ship life, he worked his way up the ranks until he earned his Master’s licence and joined Explorer as one of her two Captains in 1992.
As the cocktail party wound down, the seas became very lumpy as we headed north in the Celtic Sea towards Ireland. The crowd thinned quickly with many passengers choosing to go below to their staterooms instead of dinner. When the Dickasons were steered as guests to the Cruise Director’s table for dinner, there were many empty seats in the dining room. Before each of the five courses arrived, more diners left, and when dessert and coffee were served, Peter, the Dickasons and lecturer Dennis were the remaining survivors at Peter’s table, and there were only about 20 left in the dining room.
The complimentary wines served with lunch and dinner [and in the bar] on Explorer were good to very good, and country of origin and grape variety changed with each meal. However being guests at the Cruise Director’s table, we discovered Peter had a long history of wine appreciation, and he ordered some of the cellar’s premium wines to serve for the table. After dinner Peter and Les adjourned to the lounge/bar with the cognacs which had been Peter’s treat at the end of the meal, and with a mutual interest in food, wine and theatre soon found they had much to discuss. They discovered that the teacher of English Literature at Les’ high school, who had directed Les in several musicals and plays, had spent two years in London sharing Peter’s apartment many years ago - a ‘small world’ connection indeed.
Sometime during the night, the winds and seas abated. The wild Irish Sea had shown its fury and calmed just as quickly. When the alarm woke the Dickasons at 5.45am for a pre-breakfast Zodiac trip, most passengers were up and ready to go again. The destination for the early landing was to be the Saltee Islands, a privately owned bird sanctuary. In a short time ashore, passengers noted nesting pairs of
puffins, razorbills, guillemots and gannets. In the gardens of the farmhouse, keen birders spotted lapwings and warblers and cameras were clicking to capture them with telephoto lenses.
After a late breakfast, Explorer continued north, and during lunch she entered the Suir River and docked in Waterford, Ireland. Buses took passengers on a well-planned and busy schedule which included a visit to a local museum featuring many artifacts from the Viking days [8th century]. From there the bus went to the Waterford Crystal Factory where in small groups we were guided through all phases of the production of the famous blown and cut glass. On display there were photos and proto-types of the crystal balls which had been made and shipped to the US to be dropped slowly as part of the New Year’s Eve ceremony in Times Square. Our day in Waterford ended with a tour of the old town with an Irish guide who was a singer and raconteur with a wonderful repertoire of stories and songs. The tour ended at the Viking tower which is reputed to have been in use since 997AD.
A short walk brought the Dickasons back to Explorer just in time for dinner followed by a surprise. A local family, including young award winning Irish dancers, had been invited aboard to entertain us in the lounge, and Guinness was served. After such an early start, a very busy day, and this beer to end the day, it was a very quiet Explorer well before midnight on the 29th of May as she steamed east towards Wales.
First Zodiac trip the next day was to Skomer Island off the coast of Wales. This had been designated a National Nature Reserve and both the short walk and long walk groups had ample opportunity to see fields of bluebells and campion along with wrens, choughs, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars and the comical puffins. Les found one puffin which posed for him on a flower-covered outcrop and a large print of this bird still has pride of place on the Dickason bathroom wall.
In the early afternoon sunshine, Explorer slowed and circumnavigated Grassholm, just 22 acres, but home to more than 30,000 pairs of northern gannets. Passengers stood on deck to watch these birds circling, landing and
clinging to the sheer rock-face of the island.
In no time, Explorer moved on to Ramsay Island, and Zodiac drivers steered us into grottos and caves to find gray seals. They proved somewhat elusive and though some were seen by some Zodiac loads of passengers, most seal sightings were of common seals. Once back on board, Kim provided an illustrated lecture on “Whales, seals and dolphins of the British Isles” - and, as if on cue, we raced to the open decks at the end of the lecture to find 15 dolphins frolicking around the ship, and riding the pressure wave at the bow for almost a quarter of an hour. A wildly crimson sunset lit the sky before almost all passengers turned in after yet another active and exciting day. The Dickasons made a first visit to the bridge and with light winds and seas, found Captain Uli only too willing to answer questions, explain the instruments, and tell some maritime stories from his days with Explorer which was now heading almost due north - destination, the Isle of Man.
Explorer docked there and passengers had a free morning to explore Peel on the west coast. The Dickasons headed up the hill to the castle first and enjoyed the view and a ramble through the well landscaped grounds. Originally built by the Vikings in the 11th century, the sandstone walls were added in later centuries, and more fortifications in the 19th century. From there our map guided us into the narrow streets away from the promenade, where we met several motorcycle riders visiting the island for the TT races.
After lunch, buses collected Explorer’s passengers and a very busy afternoon began. First stop was at Cregneash where the church used in the movie “Waking Ted Devine” was located, and where Pat made friends with a Manx cat - name of Rumpie - on one of the stone walls which seemed ubiquitous around the houses and farms of the region.
It was a short stop, before the buses continued to Port Erin where we were transferred to a local steam train that puffed its way through delightful scenery to Castle Rushen in Castleton on the south coast. This massive medieval structure included a long circular staircase that was challenged successfully by about a third of the passengers. Our guides collected the groups for the bus again, and we drove to Tynwald for our final stop. Recognized as the oldest continuous parliament in the world, over 1000 years old, the buildings we visited were situated in Douglas. Plans to visit a nearby church were cancelled because there were renovations being done in preparation for a visit from Prince Charles.
Rain showers, which had threatened all day, held off until all passengers were on the buses returning across moorland, heath and some farmland to Peel and the warm and waiting Explorer. Over some hot mulled wine in the lounge, lecturers gave an entertaining recap of the day, and provided information about our next day and very varied destinations - Iona, Staffa and Mull - Scotland.
One observation after the first four days on board Explorer was that the passengers had begun to form informal groups and alliances. Those from the US outnumbered those from the UK by approximately two to one - there was one lady from Toronto, and the Dickasons from BC. There were no assigned seats in the dining room, but some groups of four or six, by the third day, were meeting earlier in the lounge or a stateroom for a drink and going to the dining room to sit together. The Americans in particular were mixing less and less, and it was noticeable that some from the UK were starting to do the same.
The Dickasons seemed to have become acceptable to both groups, and in the lounge usually sat with a different couple and continued with them for lunch or dinner. It became obvious that some of the alliances had to do with a language barrier. Some of the Brits could not understand the US accents, and vice versa. The Dickasons’ mixed background - Australia, Canada, travels in the US and UK [and Les’ accent - which Brits and Americans alike mistook for English] - meant we could understand all others passengers and be understood by them. The Dickasons could chat about the Goon Show, the BBC, football, Covent Garden with the Brits, or switch to baseball, the Metropolitan Opera, PBS with those from the US.
Some of the other passengers had fascinating backgrounds and interesting contributions to make to the enjoyment of the expeditions. One of the Brits for
example had a background in forestry and Esmond’s supplementary comments on the trees and logging completed centuries ago were a welcome addition to what our lecturers knew. Derek was an experienced sailor, and his comments about moored or docked old boats as we entered bays or harbours were enlightening.
Les was out on the deck after dinner after the busy Isle of Man day, and the resulting conversation with Anthony, a barrister from Dorset, led to a long chat in the lounge with a glass or two of Laphroig. Without boasting, Anthony explained that his father had been an aficionado of single malt scotches, and that his own cabinet in Dorset had upwards of 45 quality brands. The only single malt in the bar in the lounge was Laphroig, and while not one of his favourites, he suffered in silence and ordered it, again, anyway. Later in the cruise, Anthony was the provider of valuable information when Les was going searching in shops in the Orkneys for a top quality single malt to take home.
There was wild excitement early in the morning of June 1st - breaching minke whales! Despite the early hour, most passengers went on deck to watch some 30 whales porpoising not far from Explorer. It was a cool and windy morning, and showers began as the ship anchored well off the shore of Iona Island, owned by the National Trust of Scotland. There was a long Zodiac ride with rain and spray - the Dickasons were glad of their waterproof outer wear.
All passengers had a guided tour of the Iona Abbey to begin, then the birders set out to find the corncrake, the long walkers followed the map [and Rudolph and Bernice, two Californians who were the fittest and fastest long walkers on board] to the wet, west coast, through a very bleak golf course. One Scot, who was picking rhubarb in his garden, looked up as each of the long walkers passed. When Les commented to him on the June weather, he replied; “We get the weather we deserve.” The long walkers were on the last Zodiac back to Explorer eager to dry out and warm up at lunch, while Explorer sailed to Staffa.
After lunch, the ship’s copy of the CD having been found, the p.a. system played Mendelssohn’s Hebridean Overture [common name - Fingal’s Cave]. Due to the wind and waves, the planned Zodiac cruise into the cave was cancelled, but for passengers who wanted, the Zodiacs
reached a rocky ledge and the Dickasons and most others went ashore.
There was, for an ex-mathematician, an intriguing walk along the edge of the island with the odd shaped basaltic pillars everywhere - Les counted 3, 4, 5 and 6 sided columns, some towering above us, some beneath our feet. When the ledge reached the famous cave, the wind-swept seas crashed and roared into the cave and the spray went high in the air. All agreed the decision not to try to ride a Zodiac into the cave was a very wise one.
Once back aboard, the wet outer gear was hung on the railings in the companionway while hot showers, and hot mulled wine or cocoa warmed those who had ventured ashore on this unique trip.
During recap passengers were cautioned that the weather for the two islands the next day was notoriously misty and wet, but that Captain Uli was optimistic that Explorer would enjoy a rare sunny day.
Meanwhile, Explorer continued on to the Isle of Mull, and as passengers emerged from the dining room the ship was being tied up at the dock in Tobermory. Special arrangements had been made for small groups to tour the distillery which was a short walk along the promenade of this picture-postcard town - in fine weather for the first time that day.
For those who had not been into a distillery before - and other who had - there was a lovely tour past the copper tuns, the bourbon and sherry casks, with the lovely aromas associated with the whisky making process. Tobermory used only water from the privately owned loch above the town, and claimed the distinctive flavour of its product was due to that water. Needless to say, samples were offered and accepted.
The Dickasons did not tarry on the way back to Explorer, but we heard next morning of the lengthy singalong party which broke out in a pub between the distillery and the gangway. Those partying passengers had more energy than the Dickasons that night.
Next morning, as Les was doing laps on the deck [35 to the mile], the few clouds were burning off and it appeared that Uli’s prediction of a rare sunny day on Rum and Skye in the Inner Hebrides was accurate. After landing on Rum, groups of passengers went ashore for a long, long walk, a long walk, a short walk and of course for birding. This day, for the first time, some of the birders were armed with paints and brushes under Mike’s guidance. All had instructions to meet later at the Castle. After days of wind and showers, it felt liberating to push outer wear in the backpack, leave it by the Zodiac landing and stride off to check out the very different varieties of trees, the fungi, the red deer, and, high in the hills, the fire-fighting equipment set out in case of forest or grass fires.
Kinloch Castle, built as a hunting lodge in 1901, was made of sandstone brought from other islands over 100 miles away. Rum once had the nickname “The Forbidden Island” because the owners ordered staff to fire guns at any boats seen approaching. When we toured this strange castle with a guide from the Scottish Natural Heritage we learned that the family had suddenly tired of the castle and everyone left, leaving instruments by the music on the stands and even wine in the cellar. The interior was decorated with heads of deer, foxes, and stuffed birds from hunting on the island, and heads of animals from the US and Africa.
Lunch back on board was provided by the members of the Explorer staff from the Phillipines; very tasty soups, noodle dishes, curries and fruit desserts. Explorer meanwhile shifted to the west coast of the island of Skye, and the cloudless sky remained.
The walks ashore, after the calmest Zodiac ride so far, went inland to various Lochs, with the towering Cullin mountains always visible. Les took along a Walkman and enjoyed a solitary walk on interesting lava formations to a waterfall and to Loch Scavaig - listening to Benny Goodman and then Beethoven in the warm sunshine. Pat’s walk featured bird colonies and orchids, and all Zodiac rides to the ship included a visit to rocks where seals and their pups were sunning.
Back on board, we enjoyed the de-briefing and recap which included presentations from two of the UK passengers who gave a history of the forests and various trees in this part of Scotland. At the end of the recap, we were informed of a surprise. On the back deck of Explorer, an American cookout had been prepared, and with a perfect view back to Skye, passengers devoured sausages, ribs, steaks, grilled chicken, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, and copious quantities of British beer or mulled wine under the clear sky and with flags of all nations represented on board flying in the breeze.
Les managed to discover how to use the wide-angle setting on his camera and caught Maitre D’ Gabor and Expedition Leader Kim against the skyline not long before sunset with the Cullin mountains in the background.
The day was not over. The ‘crew’ band played to entertain during dessert; Tony, from the Falklands, showed his award winning slides, featuring his fish-eye lens series; and a promotional video of other A&K cruises was shown to a very appreciative audience. The Dickasons thought the timing of this video was ideal - a perfect day on Explorer followed by the promise of other cruises on the ship. After the video, many passengers took their nightcaps out to the deck to watch as Explorer left its anchorage and pointed towards St. Kilda.
It was a very quiet ship after such an active day, but Les made another visit to the bridge, and found Kim enjoying the view and entering details of the day on her A&K website. Les, knowing she was a ‘polar’ expert, asked if she knew anything of Seaman Harry Dickason, who went to the Antarctic with explorer Scott. Kim said she was merely aware of the name, and suggested some titles of books which might uncover more information. Kim, an omnivore for background information on passengers [and being confused by Les’ accent] asked some questions and discovered that he had a knowledge of Math and was an experienced teacher. She asked Les if he could add some comments to her presentation in recap on the 4th given that she had but a vague idea of the significance of the mathematics behind the stones in the Outer Hebrides and in the Orkneys.
The following morning, a Ranger from St. Kilda came aboard and provided a quick overview of the history of this remote island. For over 2000 years the inhabitants were self-sustaining with no contact with other islands or the mainland of the UK. They lived for much of that time in stone houses and stored food in cleits - bee-hive shaped cells built of rough stone. However, in the late 19th century missionaries discovered the colony, and tourists brought money and disease. In 1930 the remaining survivors were evacuated at their own request.
Tony and Brent led a hike to the top of the
ridge where the views were to the remains of the village. As the Dickasons climbed the hill, there were some Soay sheep; small, hardy and with naturally moulting fleeces. On the return walk, time was allowed for visiting the small museum, and there the Dickasons discovered that in 1865 some 36 men from St. Kilda left to migrate to Australia. Many of these men died on the sea voyage, others settled on Port Philip Bay - the new St. Kilda - but within a year, all had contracted diseases and died.
The Zodiac ride back to Explorer was a great chance to see puffins, guillemots, razorbills and fulmars nesting on the rocks of the islands. Soon after passengers had boarded, Explorer arrived at Stac Lee, one of the gannet colonies in the Outer Hebrides, and completed a circumnavigation. It was a tall haystack-shaped rock, covered in guano, with nests on every available ledge. Skuas dive-bombed the returning gannets hoping to make them drop the food they were bringing to their young. A minke whale surfaced and flashed its tail as Explorer pointed to the north east bound for the Island of Lewis while passengers sat down to a seafood buffet lunch.
The afternoon was almost a complete break as the distance from Stac Lee to the Island of Lewis required several hours sailing. Dennis gave a lecture, some passengers slept in the sun, then it was time for recap and briefing for the next day and an early dinner. The Dickasons were entertained by Esmond and Jeannette from Cornwall and the ship’s doctor, Greg and his wife, from Lake Tahoe, and really appreciated the main dish at dinner that night - pheasant.
Bundling up after dinner was required for a breezy Zodiac ride to Callanish where buses took those participating to the famous ‘standing stones.’ These are roughly 4000 years old and are considered the second most important pre-historic stone circle in Britain. The sun was setting, the shadows lengthening, and many passengers later reported that they were very moved by the experience of being there so many years after the stones had been so carefully placed.
In walking around the outside for the final time, the Dickasons were chatting to painter/lecturer Mike and his partner Kate and they quietly confessed that he had proposed there at the standing stones and Kate had accepted. Les explained that this ring was possibly designed by or for a woman - when Kate asked why, Les pointed out the main stones were 28 in number, and so it was a lunar calendar as the basis rather than a solar one. Mike later imparted this information to Kim, and she asked subsequently Les to do a longer segment at the recap and briefing the next day to include the history of our calendar.
A vivid gold and red sunset guided our Zodiacs back to Explorer to end another fascinating day. We were informed by a note on our beds that plans for the following day had changed. It would be Sunday, and the strict Sabbath laws observed by the Island of Harris meant nothing would be open for our planned visit. Instead, the island of Fair was substituted for an afternoon visit and other events would be scheduled on board for the morning.
On a cool, grey Sunday morning, the lecture hall was put to very good use; an interdenominational service conducted by Cruise Director Peter; Audubon lecturer Jesse on Bird Habitats and Back Yards; Painter/lecturer Mike on the History of Wildlife Art. The Dickasons noted that, with the gentle rolling of Explorer, many of the older passengers could not keep their eyes open during the lectures.
Les and Pat shared a table at lunch with a pair from Connecticut - Emily and Rudi, who was a very with-it 70 year old GP who was having a ball on Explorer.
The traditional English roast lunch was very well received by all as Uli tried to locate a calm and safe anchorage with the island of Fair in sight.
With the anchor finally down, all passengers had to sit through a very long Zodiac ride to the Fair jetty. Birders went ashore first to meet local wardens who escorted them to the cliffs to spy on thousands of nesting seabirds from on high. On the return stroll, bluethroats and rose finches were spotted and duly noted on the birding lists.
The short and long walkers improvised given the original plan was to visit Harris, but as Fair had but two roads, it was possible to see almost all sights on a long walk using both. The locals turned out in large numbers to make us feel welcome - conducting guided tours of the stained glass windows in the tiny church, and providing staff for stalls and demonstrations of weaving in the village hall.
Many Fair Isle ‘jumpers’ were bought or ordered for later delivery as the locals boasted of their patterns, and happily used their tape measures to note details for orders for gloves, caps, sweaters and more.
Les was so impressed by the tea towels being sold by the grade 2 class from the Fair school that he bought one which had red hand prints of all the children in the class. It is still in use in 2012 when Les bakes bread and covers the dough with the towel during the rising and proofing stages.
On the longish walk back to the Zodiac landing, Les was listening to a BBC broadcast and striding along to the wonderful music of Scottish pipes and drums from a recent competition only to find that, at the end of two numbers, the announcer informed the audience that the two ‘winning’ bands played had been from Williamstown RSL in Victoria, Australia, and from Simon Fraser University of Burnaby, BC, Canada!
The Zodiac ride back to Explorer, via deep grottos, caves and steep cliffs was a wild-life showcase with varieties of sea birds, adult and young grey seals.
At de-briefing and recap, Kim introduced Les who, drawing on his memory of days teaching Math 10 and 11, did a 15 minute history of our present day calendar. Starting with the premise that if octopus is an eight-legged animal, and an octagon is eight-sided, then October should be the eighth month, and leading from centuries ago when there were but 10 months of 30 days each, and explaining where and why July and August came from, and why February has only 28 days, Les tied the history to the standing stones of Callanish and the circle yet to come at Brogar.
Rather than talk further with others about the calendar, the Dickasons snared one of the few tables for two in the dining room to have a quiet dinner and were pleasantly surprised to find venison on the menu that evening, and Chilean wines. A normal Explorer dinner included a choice of two appetizers and of two soups, a salad, a choice of two main dishes [one fish, one meat or poultry], and a choice of two desserts to follow. On the other side of the menu was the listing for vegetarians and of the red and white wine offered that night. Although the publicity for this cruise did not highlight the cuisine, no complaints were heard from anyone about the quality or quantity of food available.
After dinner Pat had an early night, but other passengers wanted to discuss the stones and calendars, so Les was in the bar with David from New Jersey, Mary from Toronto, and the Bakers from Massachusetts and ‘good pours’ of Laphroig were provided as the conversation moved from ‘the year of confusion’ in the history of the calendar to a variety of topics including wine, whisky, French horns, Australia, and Vancouver. Kim dropped by to thank Les for his ‘brilliant’ fifteen minutes and asked if he wanted to join her staff as a special lecturer on the same itinerary the following year. While these conversations continued until the bar closed, Explorer was headed north east to the Shetlands and anchored off Moussa during the night.
On yet another dry and sunny day [in Scotland yet?] passengers landed near a Broch - a near perfect example of an Iron-age fortress, and flashlights were needed to climb the circular staircase to the top to see the view probably seen by Vikings 2000 years ago. Groups separated for the next hour or so, and the birders had a wonderful time with flocks of ducks [the males were displaying] near the beaches where seals and shorebirds were very easy to see and photograph.
The long walkers headed up the hills through rocky areas where butterwort, primroses, thrift and dandelions provided colourful contrasts to the very green grasses. The Dickasons were tempted to interfere in the ‘survival of the fittest’ battle going on on one hillside. Pairs of skuas were antagonizing nesting terns and sometimes, when the terns flew away from the nest to distract the skua, another skua would attack the deserted eggs in the nests. It was very hard not to stand by the nest and scare off the skuas, but the code of conduct on Explorer prohibited such actions, so we took photos of the deserted nest, and returned to the Zodiac landing to don our life-jackets for our last ride of the expedition.
Lunch was eaten rather rapidly by some passengers as Explorer coincidentally docked in Lerwick, further north on the Shetlands. This is the main port and capital, had a population of around 7000, and is almost 100 miles north of the Scotland mainland. The fast eaters wanted to go ashore to the shops, the Post Office, to use telephones, to have film developed, and to participate in other ‘city’ activities that had not been available since Waterford in Ireland.
A bus tour was provided, and Pat joined that and heard a guide point out the lochs, the Pictish castle, Quarff and Sandwick where a stop was made at the Warp and Weft Visitor Centre where there were demonstrations and sales of the traditional Shetland woolens and some traditional music as well.
Les wandered through the town, dropped off a film for processing, visited the lifeboat centre, followed Anthony’s advice and bought some single malt [Ardbeg 10 year old from Islay] at the specialty whisky shop, collected the film and multiple prints and upon arriving back alongside Explorer on the dock, witnessed Captain Uli heading off for a ride through town on his bicycle!
The de-briefing that night featured the famous {?} Explorer Quiz which was, as expected with Kim as quiz-mistress, a bundle of laughs and brought back great memories of the cruise. The newly engaged couple, Mike and Kate asked the Dickasons to join their table for dinner along with a couple from California. The Cruise Director had arranged for a special bottle of red wine to be served at this table and we toasted the couple’s future. One of the main dishes that night was Haggis - Les was the only one brave enough to order it - and found it palatable though it fought with the lovely Cabernet Sauvignon.
Local Lerwick musicians joined us in the lounge that night and fiddlers soon had feet stamping and hands clapping. When the music finished, Les distributed the copies of the Tobermory group photo to those pictured in it, and posted two candid photos, one of Kim, one of Uli, and challenged passengers to submit captions to match the photos. Kim had given permission - she promised to be a good sport and judge and read the winners the following night.... much laughter followed. Meanwhile Explorer was sailing south again.
On June 6th the air was clear and the sun was shining [for the fourth day in a row in Scotland!] as we docked in Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney. The archipelago is just 10 miles north of the coast of ‘mainland’ Scotland, and has been inhabited for at least 8500 years. Buses were provided for a chock-full itinerary of touring the countryside outside Kirkwall.
The first stop was another impressive circle of stones - the Ring of Brogar - and the Dickasons walked around the perimeter, identifying the original locations of the sixty stones although only 28 remained at the 2500 year old site. The birders were also excited by the continuous calling of a curlew, and walkers and watchers were reluctant to leave the magical place.
But more was in store. Scara Brae was the next stop, a complete neolithic village which was unearthed by a freak storm in 1850. A large irregular knoll had been washed away overnight and locals found a complete village of ten houses - without roofs. Dating has since estimated that the dwellings were in use from 3180 BC to 2500 BC.
Sometimes nicknamed Britain’s ‘pompeii’ because of the well-preserved nature of the site, it is managed by Historic Scotland, and a series of sign-posted stepping stones took the Explorer visitors from the present day at the entrance, through 3000 years of history, until the stones reached a viewpoint over the village. A pathway led on to a museum where the excavated artifacts were on display.
Then for something completely different. Passengers rode the bus past lush farmland with the next destination being a farm museum with antique farm implements, and an informal petting zoo with kids, lambs, ducklings, chickens and four small kittens suddenly smothered by the attention of passengers who were missing their own pets.
On the drive back to Kirkwall, the driver took a detour along the coast of Scapa Flow where the German navy was scuttled at the end of World War 1, and further along we saw, in the calm water, an oil slick from the British battleship Ark Royal which had been sunk there in 1914.
Les had the bus driver drop him a couple of miles from the dock so he could walk back to the ship; three other walkers joined him when they realized why he was leaving the bus outside the town. The other passengers had an hour for more shopping, postcard mailing and telephoning from the urban area - some had a final visit to a pub.
During a late lunch Explorer sailed south towards Dundee, our final destination. The afternoon was spent with napping, packing, name and address swapping, and dressing up [a little] for the Captain’s cocktail party. When all were assembled in the lounge, Uli told more anecdotes of the life of a Captain and thanked his crew, Kim announced the winners in the caption contest, thanked her staff, and gently promoted future A&K expeditions on Explorer. Les had been approached by several Brits and others from the States, so at the end of the party, Les took the microphone, thanked the captain, Kim, staff and crew on behalf of the paying guests and led the passengers in a ‘three cheers’ toast.
The Dickasons had noticed that on several nights, there had been a large table in the dining room reserved for the Captain and guests. Uli had presided over dinner for 16 or so guests, and Pat and Les had speculated that the guests had been ‘high rollers’ or returning A&K passengers, but, on the beds that afternoon were our invitations for the Captain’s Table on the final night!
There was a special seven course dinner on the final night - including a palate cleansing sherbet after the first four courses and before the Filet Mignon with Lobster Tail main course. Uli had selected special wines [a Sancerre and a Californian Cabernet] and the table was soon very merry. After the dessert, coffee and petit fours, Uli had the waiters pour us all a glass of Schnapps and insisted we drink a toast to “future cruises on Explorer” - it was probably just imagination but the
Dickasons agreed later he had looked both of them in the eye as he raised his glass [and took just a sip as he excused himself and headed to the bridge].
Two of the other diners with us as that table, Elliot and Monica from up-state New York, stayed behind with the Dickasons to ensure that none of the very good red wine would remain in the bottle. Promises were made by the Dickasons to visit the next time that a New York City flit worked for the Canadians. Gabor, the Maitre D’ who wore a different vibrant tie each day, obliged and took our photograph - it shows the quartet with glasses of Dry Creek Cabernet 1996 yet to finish.
Dundee was sunny for the final breakfast, farewells and for collecting luggage on the dock. The cruise was over, but some A&K delights were still to come before the big bird flew the Dickasons from London to Vancouver.
Our bus to the Edinburgh hotel made two high profile stops en route. The HMS Discovery Museum in Dundee was of little interest to some of the approximately fifteen passengers who were aboard the bus, but for the Dickasons, it was thrilling to be aboard the very ship which Scott had used to voyage to the Antarctic. Les had phoned ahead from Lerwick to ask them to put aside any information on Seaman Harry Dickason, and at the front desk, after the tour of the ship, Les was handed an envelope. It was not very fat; the lady at the desk indicated that the 1910 to 1913 period was not a feature of their library or collection, but there were some references to be followed up later as the hunt for details of Harry continued.
Next stop was St. Andrews - most bus passengers wandered the streets, but Les, the golfer, headed to the Old Course, walked to the Pro Shop, bought souvenirs for golfer friends, then watched golfers on the first tee hit what is regarded as the most nerve wracking shot in golf [the starter has the right to deny a golfer access to the course if the first shot is badly muffed!]. Stands were being erected for the fans who would attend for The Open to be held on this fabled course in July, and the mowers came up the 18th fairway ahead of the first group of golfers playing the course that day.
Lunch was in a Forte hotel with a bay window overlooking the 18th fairway. The leek soup, the salmon, and the service were excellent. Final stop that afternoon was the hotel which AK had booked for those staying the night and flying the next day.
The Dickasons had a huge room in the Balmoral. The bathroom alone was larger than cabin 312 on Explorer! Planning ahead months ago, we had discovered that the Scottish National Opera was performing that evening, so the Dickasons had bought tickets on-line, and quickly changed to go to the theatre. Dropping in to the bar at the Balmoral for a pre-curtain sherry, we found others from the bus from Explorer had taken over the bar and were settling in for the evening. Walking to the opera house, the Dickasons felt somewhat uncomfortable with traffic, noise, crowds, and later in the lobby, the queues of people. The contrast with the isolation, quiet and open air of the past days was so extreme as to be almost unsettling.
The opera was quite a coincidence after a cruise around Scotland - Macbeth! The director had made quite an effort to stress the Scottish setting of Macbeth - the men in kilts, though the witches [there were 18!] were clad in strange costumes which resembled plastic garbage bags with holes for the arms and head. The singing was wonderful, especially baritone Richard Zeller, but there were many heads shaking at the sets and costumes.
We had a fabulous night’s sleep in a very large and comfy bed with countless pillows [though no rocking motion], and the room service breakfast the next morning - including porridge with brown sugar - was delicious. Soon, after taking a final photo of the skyline of Edinburgh from our Balmoral window, we met our chauffeur in the lobby and were apparently the last ones headed to the airport for a flight to London to connect with the flight to Vancouver.
The Dickasons tolerated the usual mess at Heathrow, with our plane parking a long way from the terminal and causing chaos with just one coach to shuttle all passengers out to the open air staircase. Boarding by row numbers or waiting to fill each coach seemed not to have occurred to those in charge in our boarding area that day - but every time frustration mounted, Pat and Les just smiled and thought back over the absolute delights of the previous thirteen days on the little red ship.
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