大象传媒

Bha mi a鈥� se貌ladh ann an gheat o chionn ghoirid. Chaidh sinn a-mach gu 脪igh-sgeir. Tha 脪igh-sgeir na laighe anns a鈥� chuan gu siar air R霉m. Tha i an iar-dheas air Canaigh. Tha taigh-solais oirre.

Nise, chan eil mi a鈥� bruidhinn mu Heisgeir gu siar air Uibhist. Tha an d脿 ainm coltach ri ch猫ile. Tha cuid ag r脿dh gu bheil 脪igh-sgeir a鈥� ciallachadh 鈥渧irgin rock鈥�. Ach tha mi a鈥� smaoineachadh nach e ainm G脿idhlig a tha ann. 鈥橲 e ainm Lochlannach a tha ann.

Bha sinn an d貌chas mucan-mara fhaicinn. An latha roimhe, faisg air Canaigh, chunnaic sinn muc-mhara mhiongaidh. Ach faisg air 脪igh-sgeir chan fhaca sinn muc-mhara sam bith.

Ach bha sinn fortanach ann an d貌igh eile. Bha sinn cuideachd an d貌chas cearbain fhaicinn. Agus chunnaic sinn feadhainn! Faisg air 脪igh-sgeir chunnaic sinn d脿 ite a鈥� briseadh na mara. Bha d脿 chearban ann. Agus bha iad m貌r! Bha iad a鈥� sn脿mh gu mall, air ais 鈥檚 air adhart. Bha na be貌il aca fosgailte. Bha iad ag ithe biastagan beaga 鈥� plankton.

Chuimhnich mi an leabhar a sgr矛obh Gavin Maxwell mu iasgach nan cearban 鈥� 鈥淗arpoon at a Venture鈥�. Bha Maxwell st猫idhichte ann an S貌dhaigh. Tha an t-eilean sin faisg air an Eilean Sgitheanach. Bha iad a鈥� glacadh nan cearban le m貌r-ghathan no harpoons. Bha e furasta gu le貌r na m貌r-ghathan a losgadh air na cearbain.

Chaidh sinn don chaolas eadar 脪igh-sgeir agus an Garbh-sgeir. 鈥橲 e sin sgeir eile ri taobh 脪igh-sgeir. Tha clach iongantach air an d脿 eilean. 鈥橲 e basalt a tha innte. Tha i ann an colbhan.

Chaidh dithis air bhog anns a鈥� chaolas. Bha iad ann am b脿ta beag rubair. Bha ceathrar againn air t矛r air 脪igh-sgeir. Bha an dithis anns a鈥� bh脿ta am measg c貌mhlan de chearbain. Bha gach iasg nas motha nam b脿ta. An robh an t-eagal air an dithis? Bha! Agus bha an t-eagal oirnne. Cha robh d貌igh airson faighinn air ais don ghe脿t ach am b脿ta beag rubair 鈥� no sn脿mh!聽

I was sailing in a yacht recently. We went out to Oigh-sgeir. Oigh-sgeir lies in the sea west of Rum. It is south-west of Canna. There is a lighthouse on it.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Now, I鈥檓 not talking about Heisker west of Uist. The two names are alike. Some people say that 脪igh-sgeir means 鈥渧irgin rock鈥�. But I think it鈥檚 not a Gaelic name. It鈥檚 a Norse name.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We were hoping to see whales. The previous day, close to Canna, we saw a minke whale. But close to Oigh-sgeir we didn鈥檛 see any whale.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But we were fortunate in another way. We also hoped to see basking sharks. And we saw some! Close to Oigh-sgeir we saw two fins breaking the sea. There were two basking sharks there. And they were big! They were swimming slowly, to and fro. Their mouths were open. They were eating small creatures 鈥� plankton.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 I remembered the book that Gavin Maxwell wrote about fishing for basking sharks 鈥� 鈥淗arpoon at a Venture鈥�. Maxwell was based on Soay. That island is close to Skye. They were catching the sharks with harpoons. It was easy enough to fire the harpoons at the basking sharks.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We went to the narrow channel between Oigh-sgeir and Garbh-sgeir. That鈥檚 another skerry beside Oigh-sgeir. There is amazing rock on the two islands. It鈥檚 basalt. It鈥檚 in columns.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Two people went afloat on the channel. They were in a little rubber boat. Four of us were on Oigh-sgeir. The pair in the boat were among a group of basking sharks. Each fish was bigger than the boat. Were the two frightened? Yes! And so were we. There was no way of getting back to the yacht but the little rubber boat 鈥� or swimming!