Treasure Islands

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Iwas sure I could persuade the bank to give me an overdraft but my confidence ebbed as soon as I walked through the doors. The manager was friendly, and I explained my intention to buy a second-hand fishing boat that we would live aboard while using it to dive for scallops off the Isle of Barra. I handed him the figures of the estimated costs and returns, assuring him that we would not take wages but live frugally on our earnings. Sitting in silence as he looked at the figures, I was unprepared for the next statement.

“I hear you’ve been undertaking salvage in the Firth of Forth.”

“Yes,” I replied. I looked at him curiously, wondering how he had found out, although I remembered that there had been an article in the local paper. I did not expand, as it had not been a particularly successful season and might act as quicksand to the project. “Has it been successful?” he queried. “I’ve made a living and bought some useful equipment,” I said. “It’s been good experience.” “Are there any wrecks off the isle of Barra?” I wondered if I should tell him. I knew I was a soft touch when people showed interest in salvage. It was like sneezing: I couldn’t control it. I detailed some wrecks – the Samuel Dexter, the Cyelse, the Seniority, the Maple Branch, the Jane, the Colonsay, the Baron Ardrossan, the Empire Homer – with their various positions around the coast, the dates they had been lost, their size and tonnage, ending with the SS Politician, the wreck on which the film Whisky Galore! was based. My story of going to dive for scallops was quickly losing its credibility.

“The wrecks sound more interesting than the scallops,” he said, as he flicked through the pages of my old bank statements.

I had fallen into a trap of my own making and felt foolish. “Yes,” I added sheepishly. “I’m sure we’ll have a look at them when we’re out there.’

“Do you think they’re worth salvaging?” he asked.

“They might be,” I answered warily – the damage had been done, so I was not going to add to it.

“The scallops are to be your main income?” he reiterated, as he placed my file back onto the desk.

“Yes,” I answered, adding, “We’ll look at the wrecks, if we get the time.”

During a long, uneasy pause, I was tempted to say some more positive words to convince him, but he looked up from the file and gave me a serious stare. This is it, I thought, he’s made a decision .■

About the author

Alec Crawford has spent his whole career in the world of marine salvage in various locations around the world, and has been actively involved in the development of salvage technology. Treasure

Islands: True Tales of a Shipwreck Hunter is published by Birlinn, £14.99