Can you hear it? The wind is blowing and the sails are flapping in the strong Scottish wind. The sky is growing darker, but the vibrant purple sky gives a chill that runs down you spine.

Standing on the edge of the cliffs watching the ship sail passed, the children stop running, the ladies stop laughing and the men stand strong awaiting the direction of the pirate ship. It has been told that Captain Long Toe was the meanest pirate on the Scottish seas. As the ship approaches the shoreline, everyone knew that it didn't take long for the crew to reach the top, so in the quietness of the moment, mother's gathered their children and hurried them towards home. Each man stood waiting to see what would happen. As the men stood and watched they couldn't believe what their eyes were seeing. Each of the crew members were carrying bags and baskets and chest filled with treasure. They knew that Captain Long-Toe was rough, but to see all of this treasure they knew they were in trouble. There were several young men that wanted to get closer to the ship to see if they could get to the Captain while the crew was away. It was a bad idea, but they were young and couldn't be stopped.. The men watched as the crew members took the treasures into the clef of Kilt Rock, just behind the beautiful waterfall. The plan was made, they would wait until the Pirates left and go collect the treasure for themselves. It wasn't very long before the young men came running back naked and covered in molasses and feathers, the men tried not to laugh.. the young men were angry, so angry they were crying.. how could they go home to their new wives like this. They were so embarrassed and ashamed... Jack was the oldest of the three men that went looking for the Captain, he said, Angrily.. That is the meanest Pirate I have ever met... I can't believe she did this to us.... WHAT? SHE? replied one of the men? They erupted in laughter. Hours later the ship set sail and the men found their way to the treasure, they were so excited to have found the great Long Toe Treasure.. they opened up each bag and each box and each treasure chest and they found the greatest treasure any pirate has ever buried... What do you think they found?

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This was one of my favorite places to visit. Kilt Rock is on the Isle of Skye. Skye is an amazing place to visit and carries a peacefulness that I have never felt anywhere else. You instantly feel sad when you cross the bridge, leaving the Island. 

Kilt Rock looks much like the pleats in a traditional pleated kilt. Sometimes the rock even appear to be tartan.  Just like the man in a kilt would possibly blow the bagpipes to make music, this beautiful landscape makes some unusual music of its own.. The winds blowing and the water rushing, the sound of Mealt falls, that plummets 328 feet over kilt rock to the shoreline below. Visitors have reported haunting sounds, one might think there’s fairy folklore behind it, but its just the noise from the fence surrounding look out point.


My kids watched with excitement as the ship came closer and closer to shore. Our imagination soared as we chatted about it being a Pirate ship. What fun we had imagining the Captain.

What were they doing and why were they coming so close to shore. We looked close to see if we could see them onboard. We knew it wasn’t a pirate ship, but it was fun to think about. It gave us a feeling of excitement to just imagine the story that could unfold. What kind of Pirates could be aboard?

What type of treasure ? is there a Treasure? will they keep it or bury it?

Built in 1948 in Le Havre, France, Pelican was originally a double beam Arctic fishing trawler. In 1968 Pelican was converted from a fishing trawler to a coaster. She was sold to man in Norway and was renamed Kadett. It was sold after its owner was arrested for trafficking a whole cargo of Vodka.  In 1995 she was bought again this time by an ex-navel commander who transformed her into a tall ship. It took almost 12 years to restore this beautiful ship to what we see today. Her maiden voyage was in 2007 bound for the West Indies. She spent the winter there and was used to take groups and colleges between the islands and to and from Grenada to Antigua. She returned to the UK in 2008 and is now is part of a winter and summer program. I was so glad to not just to get a view of her, but to capture this amazing picture of her at Kilt Rock on the Isle of Skye. She has sailed many waters and traveled many miles.  At the time of this photo, she was on a 13 week voyage research cruise. They were surveying the extent of plastic pollution in UK coastal waters. 

 

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