The lovely story below was written by Robert Holden and appeared in the Ileach of 16 July. Robert: I have worn several ‘business’ hats in my Islay life. Nothing like as many as my friend Seumas (I always called him Mr) MacSporran who sported fourteen while living on Gigha – and all at the same time! – but my last regular contact with Islay was as skipper of a yacht doing charters pretty well all around the Hebrides; a magnificent, delightful, challenging, and sometimes even frightening job of work. A surprising number of clients must have enjoyed it, as so many of them came back year after year, and one question nearly everybody asked was “What is your favourite anchorage?”, and very difficult to answer. I think we got it whittled down to a ‘Top Ten’: places like Acarsaid Mhor on South Rona, Fladday Harbour at the north of Raasay, Loch Spelve on Mull, Outer Oitir Bay on Kerrera, Tinker’s Hole on Earraid, Scalpay Harbour, Eriskay, Loch Scavaig on Skye; even Village Bay St. Kilda. Favourites varied depending on how perfect the weather was for different friends, but always included were Bagh Gleann na Muc in the Corryvreckan, Ardmore Islets on the north-east corner of Islay, and West Loch Tarbert, Jura.
Always for me the last two mentioned were very near to the top of the list, and one cruise to Ardmore with a family party of five was quite memorable. Leaving Crinan the weather was perfect, and with a light westerly breeze Ailsa, eldest daughter of the family and all of seven years (roughly), competently took the tiller for a spell reaching down the Sound of Jura. I shouldn’t have been surprised as her mother is a Shetlander. She took a keen interest in passing sea-birds, so I got her to make a list and identify each one as we coasted along. At the end of the day I asked her what the score was. “Fourteen, if you count goats and jellyfish!” she told me.
I’ve visited 
The Scotsman published an article by Gareth Moore titled Inner Hebrides Cruise. In fact it’s more a travel report about a cruise in November, a time when the first winter storms hit the west of Scotland which, as the author confirms, results in alterations in the schedule. Gareth choose not just a cruise ship but embarked on the Hebridean Princess, a familiar sight in the Inner Hebridean waters and according to the writer a floating palace of pampering. I myself never had the pleasure of making such a cruise but if I would I know that the Inner Hebrides would be my nr1 choice for 
Some of the secrets and mysteries surrounding Scotland’s rich marine heritage could soon be revealed according to the Scottish government. The Scottish Marine Bill aims to improve the protection of Scotland’s treasured marine heritage and our understanding and enjoyment of it. It is hoped that technological advances and opportunities for closer co-operation on survey and data collection, will help locate undiscovered marine heritage sites such as historic shipwrecks. And under the Bill, a new Historic Marine Protected Area provision will allow a broader range of historic assets to be protected in a proportionate manner. 
The eighth International Conference on the Languages of Scotland and Ulster was held at the Columba Centre (Ionad Chaluim Chille Ìle), Isle of Islay in July 2006. Although papers from the entire field of Scottish and Ulster language study were included, a special focus was on the areas of Islay, Jura and coastal mainland Argyll. The languages, place-names, culture, history, literature and culture of this distinctive area of Scotland were examined in papers which are revised and edited for this publication by Derrick McClure, John Kirk and Margaret Storrie, presenting a fascinating collection of new studies by leading scholars.