Surprise Encounter On The Way To St Kilda

We arrived in the Sound of Harris ahead of schedule and dropped anchor for several hours to get some sleep while we waited for daylight and favorable current to continue through the shallow sound. Though the wind picked up during the night we woke to a mirror calm and had to motor through Stanton Channel. Once we exited the sound, Frances thought she spotted a pod of whales and we changed course to have a closer look at the black fins gracefully skimming the surface.

Basking Shark

The whales continued elegantly curving through the water with a confusing number of fins making it difficult to count. However, the more we looked at the shape of their dorsal fins and lack of blows, we began to realize that they were actually two large sharks with prevalent pectoral fins. We turned the engine off and let Snow Dragon drift and made doubly sure we didn’t accidentally fall over the side while we photographed and watched their magnificent movement. Our suspicions were confirmed when one came along side the bow and we could see its gills flexing. Then the other came up behind Snow Dragon, using its tail to steer a sinuous course and mouth wide open to collect plankton.  

Video Of Basking Shark Following Snow Dragon

Luckily we didn’t confirm they were harmless Basking Sharks until after the fact otherwise we would have put on our diving gear and hopped in. Which might not have been the best idea with the world’s second largest shark even if they only eat plankton and small fish they still massive animals averaging 20-33ft in length.

Basking Shark Following Snow Dragon

Still jazzed by our shark encounter we continued motoring to St Kilda. Normally the idea of motoring 45 miles when there are other interesting places to stop nearby would make us reconsider our plans. But in this instance we knew that conditions requiring us to motor meant there was a good chance St Kilda would be a tenable stop. 

Approaching Hirta and Soay Islands, St Kilda

On arrival we called the St Kilda Warden on the VHF and requested permission to anchor and come ashore. He stated that permission was no longer necessary but did ask that we anchor clear of the landing stage that was used by a military landing craft to supply the base. Once Snow Dragon was securely anchored in the clear water over white sand, we made our way to shore not knowing how long we would be able to stay before the wind picked up and forced us to move on.