Adventures Aboard a Rib Boat

AHOY, MATEY!

Our first full day on the Isle of Lewis I had booked us on a two-hour rib (a zodiac-type) boat tour with of the coastline, specifically looking for sea eagles, seals, and whales. Bill was a bit uncertain about this as the weather was quite cold (although sunny) and almost every time I've taken him whale watching he's been miserably cold for hours out on the boat. It doesn't help that most of our whale watching trips have had less luck than walking along the coast at home, at Point Lobos or Big Sur, and easily spotting them from shore. 

In our many layers and waterproofs

But he was willing to give it a try, so we both donned our long underwear, shirts, jumpers, and jackets before putting the tour company's water proof trousers and slickers. The tour employees were emphatic that we needed all layers and Bill's skepticism about the adventure was growing.  Can you sense his reluctance in the photo above.  

NOT MY PHOTO - RIB BOAT 

I didn't actually take any photos of the zodiac-type boat (they called it a rib), so I went on their website and grabbed a few photos. Each person sat on a saddle seat and had a handle bar to grab hold of. Bill's interest peaked when he saw this… this was no ordinary put-put motorboat. 

NOT MY PHOTO - RIB BOAT IN ACTION

Bill asked as we boarded the boat what we were supposed to do in the event of seasickness. The captain of the boat said that he would be very surprised if anyone became sick; in his many years working at the company, no one had ever gotten sick onboard a rib boat. And then he took off… Yeah, that handle bar? That's not just for show! Whoooo-hoooo!!! 

Heading out from Uig

We stopped on several occasions to look at the geology, animals, and for a bit of history. And the layers of clothing really kept us mostly warm! 

View from the Zodiac boat

Whenever we stopped, I took my phone out from its hiding place within the waterproof layers and took a few photos. It was a gorgeous day!

Gorgeous day

Although we didn't get to see any whales or sea eagles, we did see quite a few common seals and many shorebirds. 

Common seals

All along the coastline, in amongst the many little islands, the views were spectacular. 

Looking for sea eagles

Yes, I did stay mostly warm, but that means I took advantage of all my layers - even my rain jacket's hood underneath the waterproof's hood!

It was dry, but very windy

As did Bill. Don't let that scowl in the photo below fool you, he had a blast! 

Very windy, indeed

At one point we stopped to check on a crab trap that the tour company sets to show visitors. On this occasion, we caught a small crab (it went back in the ocean) and a...

Did we catch anything? 

We did! A crab and a..

massive lobster! This one was within the 'you can keep' weight, so the captain took this guy home for dinner. Sorry, buddy! 

massive lobster!

We slowly boated into a cave. I was somewhat expecting to see a horcrux or at least a pirate's treasure chest in there, but sadly, no gold doubloons or pieces of Voldemort's soul. 

Boating into the sea tunnel

Halfway through the tour and we were having a lot of fun. The sun was even warming us up enough so that we could lower our hoods when we weren't moving. 

Happy boaters

The last portion of the tour allowed us to go out from the sheltered harbors to open ocean in the hopes of spotting a whale or two. 

Heading out to look for whales

Sadly, no whale sighting. When we came back in the captain swung by a few natural bridges. And then it was back to the wee tiny dock to peel most of the layers off and have a cup of hot chocolate before continuing on our sight seeing adventures on the island. 

A sea bridge

Another sea bridge

As we drove away from the little village of Uig we stopped to take a look at one of the beautiful beaches on Lewis. It was somewhere in or near the village of Uig where the Lewis Chess Pieces were found—several sets of Viking chess pieces carved from walrus ivory. Many of the pieces are now on display in London's British Museum, but a few have finally made their way back to Lewis. More on that in an upcoming post. 

If you ever find yourself on Lewis, check out Seatrek http://www.seatrek.co.uk, they're a great bunch of folks and you'll have loads of fun! 

A view of one of the beaches in Uig