Peter and Martin with trophies

The Treasures Island of Coll was revisited by your club members again this year. Peter and Eileen Thompson together with Anne and Martin Johnson.

Peter takes up the story of their dive with one of the locals Rick. On Monday after having been out to Hyskeir we decided to dive on the East side of Coll. As it was quite choppy, Martin and Rick took both boats through the Cairns of Coll with the rest of the team going by road. Arriving at the track that gives access to the shore only to find it securely locked. I called the boats up on the VHF radio and was told to cut the chain with the Sthil saw. Having sacked myself the previous day for forgetting it, I was not impressed. We therefore had to find another way down to the sea. I knew of an inlet with a tidal slipway just to the south . That is where we went. It was quite a walk to the boats and when we arrived it was nigh on dinner time.

Eventually I was on board with Rick and Martin only, so we took the one boat. Found where we thought the wreck was, I chucked in, wrong spot. A bit further South? Martin chucked in right on top of it. Tied to the wreck.

I went in viz. mint. Swam up reef looking for gullies and found what to me looked like a Ford Transit Van brass bell housing, tied a bag to it and sent it up. Martin joined me and we recovered a large pipe. A second pipe was stuck tight under a biggish plate. We eventually managed to tip the plate over and free the pipe but whilst doing so I just caught a glimpse of yet another. Through the yellow fog we had stirred up moving the plate, I got a hold of the third pipe and wriggled it out. We were amazed that pipe was in fact the ships whistle, which had lain jammed in this gully for nigh on fifty years. During that time countless storms must have raged above tossing around wreckage and tearing steel plates like tissue paper. There was hardly a mark on it, what saved the whistle was landing in the gully and being protected by the piece of the wreck jamming over the top of it. Meanwhile on the surface Rick had been rescuing all these goodies from their lifting bags, that we had sent up. When I hit the surface he nearly fully kitted and boy was he revved up to go in.

Back in the boat we discovered the Transit van bit was a Compass Binnacle, no wonder Rick was so keen to get in.

Hamish one of our local friends gave us the low-down. The man who kept the gate lock was “poaching” the wreck and wanted to keep it all for himself.

According to Hamish the Richard Croft was a steam trawler of about 100 feet and upon a cruel night in February 1952 struck the Roaring Jake reef going down with the captain and two crew though some say more were lost. The Oban life boat attended and four were saved. Today the remains are in seventeen meters of water out from the grave yard on the east coast of Coll. Further research reveals: Richard Croft, Steam Trawler, Built 1918 Beverly Yorkshire, first operated out of Lowestoft, Last registered in Milford Haven Wales, Sunk February 20th 1952.

The Whistle and Binnacle have cleaned up into two excellent trophies, all from a dived out wreck!

Peter Thompson.

A Sparkle of Starlight

Ann is on her eleventh visit to Coll. “Our little Jewel” is what she calls the island, here she gives us her inspired observations.

Sunday was a beautiful day, flat calm sea. Plan to go to Hyskeir, a lighthouse island 28 miles west in the Atlantic. We set out from Arinagour with butties, charts, flares, radio and that new invention the mobile phone. Peter was sitting in the back, his usual comfy position, Martin driving and me standing behind the consol. We had not gone far when I spotted a large fin and a long curving back slipping beneath the waves. “A Dolphin” I shouted pointing to a big one playing in the surf. Peter responded with a tut and “Where, I suppose we are going to have another load of pictures of the bl**dy sea again”.

On we went with Coll rapidly disappearing behind us. Ahead though was the breath taking spectacle of Muck, Gigg and Rhum greeting us with the Coolins of Sky lit up behind them in all their majesty. How lucky we were. The Lighthouse was now in view and growing bigger by the minute, this is starting to sound like a Famous Five adventure but we are only four and Eileen is back doing a crossword. Approaching from the east, close enough to see the surf marking the edge of an otherwise peace full sea, our friendly dolphin put in another appearance. Around the west coast of Hyskeir the rocks are basalt columns like those at Fingals Cave, with natural harbours formed by deep water close in and flat top rocks.

Anne Bartholomew.