Struthan Cottages – Tiree Accommodation

Get into the festive spirit at An Talla on Saturday 17th December 2011. 7.30pm for 8pm . Bring your own bottle. £25 a head. Enjoy your dinner and complimentary wine and then dance the night away to Cornaig Ceilidh Band.

The Crown Estate has approved a further five offshore renewable energy sites in Scottish waters.

It said the projects had the potential to deliver 5GW of electricity between them.

The total capacity for projects awarded agreements for lease in Scottish waters is now nearly 10GW, which is in line with Scottish government targets.

Final consent for each development is controlled by the regulator, Marine Scotland.

The Crown Estate’s Scottish commissioner Gareth Baird said: “The Crown Estate has already invested £16 million in offshore renewable energy in Scotland, and plans to invest another £20 million in the next five years, funding ‘enabling actions’ such as environmental studies and engagement work that help de-risk the projects and attract investment.

“We’re very pleased to achieve this important milestone, and will continue to work closely with Scottish Government and developers to progress projects and attract investment, with the aim of helping meet Scotland’s ambitious targets on renewable energy production.”

Of the five new sites, two are off the west coast: Argyll Array, 5km (3mls) off Tiree, and Islay, which is located 13km (8mls) off the west coast of Islay.

The Inch Cape project is in the outer Firth of Tay, approximately 15km (10mls) off the Angus coast.

The Beatrice offshore wind farm will be in the Moray Firth, close to the Beatrice oil field.

The final project, Neart na Gaoithe, lies 15km (10mls) off the coast of Fife.

Rural Affairs and Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “Scotland has an estimated quarter of Europe’s offshore wind resource, making us the powerhouse of green energy in Europe. With this wealth of natural resources it is vital that we plan now to secure the benefits of this next energy revolution for future generations.”

Would all holiday guests please be aware that from tomorrow, Calmac commences their Winter service with ferries only sailing to Tiree Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, until 29th March 2012. You can view the full Winter timetable here

http://www.calmac.co.uk/timetables/winter-timetables.htm?id=winter-coll-and-tiree–oban-coll-tiree.png

Another few photographs from our Tiree Wave Classic Week holiday. Having a great time, although i admit the weather could be a little warmer! Still, at least it’s been dry and only rained through the night. Doesn’t stop us having a fantastic, relaxing holiday.

The elderly and vulnerable members of the community were informed this week by the Big Lottery that funding was granted to the lunch club to supply a minibus and recruit a community outreach worker.

The lunch club has been running twice per week with the help of volunteers and now will be able to offer a much wider service of support to the community, hence the lunch club has become The Resource Club.

This is an opportunity to enhance the lives of people in the community who are otherwise restricted from taking part in community events. The minibus has seating for wheelchairs and will attend community meetings and events. The minibus will also be available to other community groups to access. Importantly the recruitment of an outreach worker will enable the Resource Club to develop activities, outings and offer a more structured support system for carers.

A windy experience greeted Glenrothes MP Lindsay Roy on a visit to the Western Isle of Tiree.

The visit was part of the ongoing enquiry by Scottish Affairs Select Committee.

Lindsay said: “It was mainly sunny and the islands looked wonderful, but the wind was very, very strong.

“When we came into land at Benbecula, the pilot made three attempts before deciding it was just too dangerous and headed for Stornoway on Lewis instead. It was pretty hairy in a small plane!”

As part of our occasional series profiling the big cruise companies, SeaView’s cruise expert David Simpson gives the low down on Hebridean Island Cruises, and their flagship the Hebridean Princess…

Royal mission: The Hebridean Princess played host to the Queen in 2006

The Low Down

Since the demise of the Royal Yacht Brittania in 1997, only one ‘ship’ has been able to rightfully claim to be fit for a Queen.

Hebridean Princess, the lone vessel of Hebridean Island Cruises, was chartered by Her Majesty in 2006 to take her family on an 80th birthday celebration cruise around the Western Isles, and again in August last year for a family vacation.

Not bad for a tiny, 2,000-ton vessel that began life as the Caledonian MacBrayne car ferry, and now sets the benchmark for luxury, child-free cruising around the dramatic coast of Scotland, the Western Isles and beyond to far-flung St Kilda, the Orkney and Shetland Isles. In
2012 she returns to the south coast of Ireland.

Hebridean Princess, acquired by Hebridean Island Cruises in 1989, offers a lifestyle more akin to a sumptuous stately home. The 30 bedrooms – not vast but perfectly formed and all with Victorian-style bathrooms – are named after West Coast Scottish islands, castles, sounds, lochs and bays, and bedecked in finery usually associated with life of the aristocracy. Ten of them are for single travellers.

A real brick-walled Inglenook fireplace is the focal point of the Tiree Lounge, but don’t expect it to be lit for safety reasons. Don’t expect to find a swimming pool or a casino with slot machines either.

But you can count of exquisite cuisine.

Royal progress: The Queen comes aboard for her 80th birthday cruise

The 50 guests – many of them repeaters – who are fortunate enough to sail on Hebridean Princess seek genteel pleasures, watched over by just 38 crew members. They are piped aboard at embarkation by a Scottish piper and greeted individually by the captain.

But all of this regal attention comes at a price – in fact some of the highest to be found for cruising.

All-inclusive cruises of between four and nine nights, departing from Oban or Greenock, concentrate on destinations inaccessible to larger vessels, each designed to capture their cultural essence and historical significance.

The itineraries are always being refreshed, and there are 20 new ones for 2012.

Some cruises have themes such as castles, gardens, walking or cycling, but the common denominator is spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife and remote locations.

Most nights, the ship anchors in sea lochs or bays far from habitation – but she is well protected in case of inclement weather, which is not unrare.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2045516/Hebridean-Princess–ship-fit-queen.html#ixzz1aZMVSmrj

Light cross-onshore winds at Balephuil. First heat was the Masters double elimination which saw big Davey Edmiston start a charge through the pack. Unfortunately conditions didn’t stand up long enough to complete the elimination as Head Judge Duncan Coombes called it a day for the sailors.

And with more wind and waves forecast for the end of the week, all sailors now eagerly await the opportunity to take down the current leaders who are:

Pros: John Skye

Ladies: Debbie Kennedy

Amateurs: Aleksy Gayda

Masters: Mark Lloyd

Three Time Winner Takes Control On Day 3

John Skye produced a sensational comeback to take the lead at the 2011 Tiree Wave Classic.

The three-time winner of the event – being held for the 25^th time on the Inner Hebridean isle of Tiree – had to win eight different heats to finish the “double elimination” stage in first place.

That included beating the previous leader Ben Proffitt twice as the sun began to go down.

“It was really, really hard work but I’m super happy to be in front,“ said John, who’s based in Dorset.

“We’ve got the best guys from the UK here this year – everyone’s competing – and I ended up going against almost every single person. I would say every heat could have been a final,” John said.

If John – who’s known as ‘Skyeboy’ – wins this year’s event he would win a fourth Tiree Wave Classic, beating a record he jointly holds with this year’s Head Judge Duncan Coombs.

“I didn’t do any of the other UK events this year, I had a break, but I thought it’s the 25^th year at Tiree, I’ve got to do it, and if I can win it, I can be the record holder, which to do it on the 25^th would be amazing,” John said.

“If I do end up winning it, I’d be so happy. And to do it by winning eight heats, it’d be my best ever title – for ever and ever.”

Cornwall’s Andy King again impressed but finished the stage in third place.

There was the occasional delay due to wind conditions at Balephuil, but competition was able to continue for several hours.

The amateur event was also extremely keenly fought, with Pembrokeshire’s Lewis Merrony <picture attached> climbing from third place into a “super final” with 17-year-old Aleksy Gayda from Canvey Island.

Merrony won the first of two contests against the teenager but Gayda held on to first place by winning their deciding heat.

Alfie Hart, who’s also from Pembrokeshire, is the third placed amateur.

The “Masters” contest also got underway, which is for amateurs aged over 40, with Mark Lloyd in the lead.

In second place lies Keith Shorrocks while Essex’s Dave White – a windsurf speed specialist – is third.

Still in charge of the women’s contest is Debbie Kennedy from Hayle in Cornwall.

Sophia Joy Gilje, from Norway, is second and Finland’s Kariina Perhonen third.

The standings may hold all the way until results day if wind conditions drop, but judges are confident of getting plenty more action in ahead of Friday when competition is due to come to a close.

Tiree is famous across the world for its outstanding conditions for windsurfing, with several sandy beaches and high average wind speeds.