Tuesday 10 June

Morning all from the land of sunshine and showers. The southerly wind is driving the latter along, and they are pretty heavy when they do occur. A cruiseliner lies anchored off Lower Sandwick, a mile or so to the southeast. It's the Discovery, which has been in before, I believe.

An intrepid adventurer is currently holed up on top of Rockall, a 70 ft high rock in the Atlantic, 250 miles west of here. He is set to remain there for two months, weather and birds permitting. The birds bombard him and his shelter with poo and puke (sorry...); Atlantic conditions can be harsh. The aim of Nick Hancock's enterprise is to raise money for Help for Heroes.

More intrepid charity events include Niall Ian Macdonald's trans-Atlantic row, which is currently underway. He hopes to cover the 3,400 miles from New York to Stornoway in three months, arriving into Stornoway Harbour before the autumn gales set in. Niall Ian supports SAMH, the Scottish Association for Mental Health.

Later this month (28 June - 4 July), a group of 9 swimmers will tackle the 60 miles from Harris to St Kilda, once more in the Atlantic. They will be supporting The Leanne Fund, The Fishermen's Mission and Yorkhill Children's Charity. More information on their webpage.