A Stowaway On The Majestic Line

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Guests on the Heritage and Wildlife of South Argyll cruise with specialist Scottish cruise operators The Majestic Line got more than they bargained for during their 6-night cruise – a sneaky wee stowaway in the form of a red squirrel. The uninvited guest joined the cruise whilst their vessel, the Glen Massan, was anchored for the night in a secluded bay on beautiful Loch Riddon on the Argyll Coastline.

Although red squirrels are common on the Cowal Peninsula, there is a mystery as to how this one came to join the cruise. Martin McWhirr, the skipper of Glen Massan has 2 theories.

He said: ‘‘unday night was relatively windy, which may have resulted in the squirrel being blown from its tree overhanging the water and with it then swimming to the Glen Massan and shinning up the anchor chain. The other possibility is that it had been caught by a large bird of prey, possibly even a sea eagle which then lost its prey with it landing aboard. I can’t see any other possibilities.’’

However Jan Ferguson, Chairman of the Cowal Squirrel Group, has another opinion. She said ‘‘The most likely scenario is that he got involved in a fight with another red, probably over territory. If there was nowhere for him to run, he could have jumped into the loch and, as squirrels are good swimmers, he could have swum to the boat and climbed up the anchor chain.’’

However, she doesn’t dismiss Martin’s view. She continued: ‘‘It is very possible he was scared by a bird of prey or even a cat or dog, leading him to jump into the water.’’

The sneaky stowaway was discovered very early on Monday morning by one of the vessel’s guests, Canadian Steve Boyton, who is a professional photographer. He’d risen early to capture the stunning sunrise over the Loch, only to get the fright of a lifetime. In his attempt to capture the squirrel, the commotion awoke the crew and other guests. Further attempts to catch the squirrel only resulted in the Glen Massan’s bosun Jamie Duncan being bitten on the finger!

Further deatils on Majestic cruises can be found at http://www.themajesticline.co.uk/

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