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2010 - 05:30 hours on 13 May 2010 saw us negotiating the “Doom Bar” on leaving the port of Padstow in Cornwall. At last we were sailing the new “Shearwater” to her new home in Pwllheli. Just 9 hours later, after crossing both the Bristol Channel and St. George’s Channel, Bardsey and St. Tudwal’s Islands came into view – we were home. We thoroughly enjoyed the idyllic voyage, accompanied by many pods of both Common and Bottlenose dolphins, along with flocks of Manx Shearwater, particularly off Pembrokeshire.

Common dolphins accompany the new "Shearwater"

The fact that we had finally arrived home in the new boat did not bring to an end the frustrations of registering a brand new passenger vessel. Although “Shearwater” had been examined by the MCGA surveyor at every stage of her build, there was still the formal licencing procedure to be negotiated. We finally became fully operational at the end of June 2010 - licenced for 30 passengers.

Despite the late start to the season (and poor remaining summer weather), we managed to complete a total of 77 cruises, seeing dolphins on 54 of them. We are both thrilled and impressed with the new boat. She has unbelievable stability and passengers enjoy both her roominess and comfort, which enables them to move around the boat, standing on the foredeck, sitting on the stern lower deck, the stern upper deck, or staying in the spacious lounge. On one very memorable private cruise with a disabled group, we were able to give 8 wheelchair users their very first sea voyage experience. We really look forward to the 2011 season and hope for decent summer weather.

2008 - Despite the very poor weather of 2008 we still managed to find suitable conditions for 95 cruises and we actually saw bottlenose dolphins on 87 of them.  This was by far our best year for dolphins, due mainly, we think, to the leisure boating enthusiasts being put off by the prevailing dismal weather.  This provided a much quieter underwater environment and the dolphins seemed far more relaxed and playful,  remaining in their favourite feeding spots for lengthy periods.  We were very encouraged to see a lot of juvenile animals. 

During the later part of the season we had the good fortune to encounter a pod of the enigmatic Rissos dolphins (Grampus griseus) that occasionally visit our area from their regular travels up and down the Irish Sea, where they feed on fish and squid.

Rissos dolphin, showing the characteristic scratch markings – Sep 2008

2007 - The 2007 season was yet another busy one with 109 charters being completed. The most notable feature of the year was the increase in dolphin encounters, numbering some 107 sightings. The "Seawatch Foundation", for whom we carry out Photo ID work on the dolphins, advised us that our results for the season included no less than 4 individual animals that had not previously been recorded. These individuals have now been added to the database of known dolphins in Cardigan Bay. For each encounter, we produce a report giving details including dolphin numbers, lat/long position, detailed activity etc. We attempt to obtain a close-up photograph of each animal's dorsal fin, using a powerful telephoto lens, for later identification by "Seawatch" scientists. We do this within a strict time limit in the vicinity of the dolphins, keeping to the strict guidelines prescribed for boats encountering them and other cetaceans. A few examples of the very distinctive fin shapes and markings are shown below.

Returning team members to “Shearwater” after the unique visit to Sarn Badrig

2005 - One of "Shearwater's" more interesting charters during 2005 was having the BBC Bristol Wildlife Unit aboard, filming part of the superbly produced "Coast" series of programmes, featured on BBC2. Their particular interest in our area was the annual incidence of huge numbers of the Rhysostoma (or Barrel) Jellyfish in this part of Cardigan Bay. This huge creature can measure 75 cm across the bell and weigh over 25 kg. The Rhysostoma jellyfish is the favourite food of the largest of all turtles, the Leatherback. Although it breeds in the Caribbean, the Leatherback is fully adapted to our waters, is considered a native species and spends much of its life here. They are unique in being the only warm-blooded reptile. There are records of Leatherback turtles being found in Welsh waters going back centuries. There was one stranded here in the late 1980's measuring 9 ½ feet long (nearly 3m) and weighing 916 kg, nearly a tonne (over 2000lb).

Rhysostoma Jellyfish viewed from the deck of "Shearwater"

By popular demand from our regular customers over the last 2 years of our operation, we now offer a 6.15 p.m. evening cruise, where the fabulous coastal scenery can be viewed in the light of the setting sun.