Inchmickery

Unusually calm conditions on a hot early summer's day encouraged us to anchor at the normally forbidding island of Inchmickery, an island in the Forth that is shaped like a battleship.

Inchmickery from afar, showing the battleship shape with the Forth Bridges in the background.

The first delight was a group of young seals basking under the watchful eye of a large and plump matron. The pups are nearing independence but are still quite small and have much of their golden fuzzy coat, only obvious when they're lying dry in the sun.

The island is a bird sanctuary, with different types of gull, eider and cormorants flying about. There is little evidence of human influence other than the decaying Second World War fortifications.

Fettler and Hannaine at anchor - a fairweather anchorage only.

The Oxcar lighthouse