Nessie Sighting

Friday, July 22nd, was our first day on Loch Ness. We left Seaport Marina in Inverness mid-morning on the 21^st and, after a night on the canal, we motored into the northern end of the loch. As we entered, the skies grew dark and a squall briefly engulfed Windleblo, leading us to wonder what was ahead. We kept a keen eye out for Nessie, the Loch Ness monster.

By 2 p.m., we were tied to a dock at Urquhart Castle, about six miles into the loch. No Nessie sightings yet.

We toured the castle, learning its rich history and imagining the Scotland of years gone by. Here, warfare has interrupted the peace since the 13^th Century, with the castle alternating between English, Scottish, Jacobite, and Williamite hands. The latter were responsible for reducing most of the castle to rubble in the late 17^th century to keep it from becoming a Jacobite stronghold. It has remained a ruin ever since.

Perhaps more intriguingly for us, the castle is reputed to be the location of the majority of past Loch Ness monster sightings.

On Sunday, July 24^th, we left Windleblo tied to a dock near the castle while we took a bus to Inverness to view the Scottish Highland Games, reported elsewhere in this blog. As I left the bus, I picked up an abandoned Inverness Press and Journal. Inside, I learned that a veteran Nessie hunter had captured the monster on film the day before near Fort Augustus – the very day we had been plying the waters at the other end of the loch!

That night, visions of Nessie sightings invaded our dreams, and the next morning we shoved off for Fort Augustus knowing we should keep a sharp eye for the monster.

A following wind pushed us south and west as we scanned the waters for signs. Then, mysteriously, ripples appeared on the surface of the loch about 200 yards off our port side. What could be causing them? No boats were in the vicinity, and the ripples were perpendicular to the wind driven waves. It couldn’t be water lapping on rocks. The ripples were at least a quarter mile from the closest bank in water over 50 meters deep.

Grabbing the binoculars, we studied the surface of the water as the ripples grew into waves. We could clearly see what appeared to be humps undulating at the surface, causing the waves. Was this Nessie? What else could it be? It had to be. Just as soon as it came, it disappeared as Nessie dove to the depths, never to be seen again. But before she went, I hastily photographed the scene as proof of the sighting. You can study the photo below and decide for yourself.

We continued on to Fort Augustus where we berthed for the evening, awaiting the opening of the next flight of locks and forward movement into Loch Oich, our next destination.