There was quite a bit of activity off the East of the island this afternoon as a creel boat ran aground on the skerries (creels are used to catch lobsters, skerries - rocks that run out from the shore and only emerge at low tide). Nobody was hurt though our island ferry was out to assist, along with two barges, the coastguard and lifeboat. I think the plan was to wait till high tide and hope that the vessel would float again. There have been some very low Spring tides lately so areas that are normally OK may be dangerously shallow at low tide.
I can alreay visualise the headlines in "The Graemsay Weekly News" - CREEL FEELS THE SKERRIES
ReplyDeleteIslanders were shocked when news spread that a local creel had grounded on the treacherous skerries to the east of the island. Voluptuous islander Ms Sian McNobbin (22) said, "I was just playing a bagpipe tune in my humble croft when a wee lassie came running doon the lane with the news."
The mayor of Graemsay, Mr Hamish McNobbin, said, "The news has so shocked the island I am declaring a public holiday the noo!"
Close - 'cept it was a man on a tractor stopping by, and then me phoning someone with a marine radio........ and may I take this opportunity to say that the rumour of me singing a siren song to lure men onto the island is completely inaccurate. But I like the idea of a public holiday - but it would be "the morn" rather than "the noo"... Orcadians neither sound Scottish, nor consider themselves Scottish having only been annexed to Scotland due to some unpaid debts by a scoundrel of a Norwegian King 400 years ago....
ReplyDeleteWhat? No photos?
ReplyDeleteNo pix cos I was working and waiting for a work call so could not desert my post! However my neighbour, Mick, took photos - see them here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.graemsay.org.uk/