29.09.2008
Shell to Sea Kayakers visit the Solitaire in Scotland
At the crack of dawn on Sunday two Shell to Seas Kayakers, the James Connelly and the Ken Saro Wiwa paid an audacious visit to the Solitiare currently lying 1.5 nautical miles off the banks of the Clyde, Scotland. The kayakers wanted to establish for definate whether the ship was returning to Ireland for a second attempt at laying the pipe or was to return to Rotterdam for repairs. Initially radio contact was made with the ship whose bridge crew refused to disclose its intentions. The activists attempted to board the Solitaitre but were thwarted by security presence on the pontoon lying alongside the accommodation ladder. They then paddled around to the Stinger where they were only feet away from a high tension cable that was being winched onto a nearby barge. Work continued with complete disregard for the health & safety of the kayakers. The kayak crew continued to attempt communications with the ship’s crew for over an hour in order to establish the next destination of the Solitiare but to no avail.
Meanwhile back in Mayo some equipment has been removed from the Glengad compound and the boats that were dredging the bay last Thursday have gone back to Ballyglass, an anchorage just around the headland. However the community in Mayo and its supporters remain on high alert for the possible return of the Solitaire this year.