Tuesday 30/05/06

The two couples disappear for the day - one heads for the Uists via Uig beach. Bit of a diversion. Apparently there is a kite-flying festival down there that I don't know about. The Swiss couple goes on the 9.10 bus round the West Side. It's a cloudy yet bright day. Still cold. Isles FM blunder by telling us that the Costa Classica cruiseliner was here yesterday rather than on Sunday. The barge is still dredging for hawsers and other discarded materials in the Glumag. It's taking rather longer than planned. Tropical Storm Aletta in the East Pacific is downgraded to a Tropical Depression, and the NHC is no longer issuing warnings about her. The Coastguard were busy this weekend rescuing people from the sea this weekend. A cruiseliner was detained at Harwich (Essex) because of a viral infection on baord. The lunchtime ferry brings an elderly couple from Amsterdam, who are over for a 24 hour visit from their campsite in Ullapool. They have been caravanning up and down the north and west of Scotland, and still have about 3 weeks of their holiday left. Mrs B's ovendoor gets seen to by an engineer, because it tends to pop open in mid-session. At 3pm, I go for a walk round the Castle Grounds as far as Cuddy Point. A heron is fishing in the Inner Harbour near the Stepping Stones. At Cuddy Point, there is a Marie Curie Cancer Care memorial garden. Return uphill behind Lady Matheson's Memorial and Lews Castle. As I walk back down Kenneth Street, I come across the Dutch folk, who are in danger of being overrun by cars. A large lorry is parked in the street, forcing drivers to mount the kerb. Somerfields is full of tourists. Americans asking the girl at the checkout if she needs to see their card, whilst paying cash. Erm? Later on, the MV Explorer hoves into view at Arnish Point. She is a small, 2400 tonnes, cruiseliner, which sails on cruises to the Antarctic. Explorer can take 108 passengers and has 53 crew. The boat measures 74 by 14 metres [246 by 46 ft], can do up to 13 knots and has several auxiliary craft. Some of those are used to ferry passengers ashore. Explorer leaves Stornoway before 11pm; a flying visit.