Following up on clues from local skipper Kenny Livingstone, we took a walk down the shore at Chuaig Bay at low tide. He had informed us about two historic wrecks that have never been included in the RCAHMS database. Although the wreck on the shore was not exposed we found several parts of the second wreck in the intertidal part of the stream including a well-preserved capstan and a boiler.
Investigating the beach at Chuaig Bay
The SAMPHIRE team made several stops this morning. Starting from Applecross we crossed over the spectacular snowy mountain pass at Bealach.
Crossing the pass at Bealach.
We descended to Lochcarron and spoke with a local commercial diver. We then moved on to Plockton where we met up with John, a creel fisherman from Torridon who knew of several wrecks further north which we marked on our charts. After dropping in to chat with the good folk at Calum’s Plockton Seal Trips we drove on to Dornie, beside the amazing Eilean Donan Castle, to meet Matt Baron, an instructor at Dornie Divers.
The in-depth knowledge of local maritime communities.
Dornie Divers are a relatively new sub-aqua club and are focused on discovering new wreck dive sites in the area. We had a great chat with Matt and will be following up on the sites he has reported to us, including a possible lead on a submerged flying boat. We are now heading on to Skye where we will stay for the night at Portree.
After finishing recording of the cannons in Shieldaig we made for Applecross. The weather took a turn for the worse but we pressed on. Our first stop was the Applecross Heritage Centre which was unfortunately closed although we spotted an interesting anchor outside in the grounds.
Investigating the maritime history of Applecross.
We then met up with local archaeologist Nick Goldthorpe who is a font of knowledge and has a number of possible leads on unrecorded local underwater archaeological sites. Nick also introduced us to several local fishermen who had accurate locations for several recorded losses. The fishermen also gave us some local knowledge on an old double-ended boat lying near the Applecross Inn. By the time we were finished the sun had come back out to reveal stunning views across to Raasay. We will head on for Dornie in the morning to meet some of the local divers.