Menoway, Menoway, Menoway...

After a weekend at Banchory (hiding from the rain), I dropped an hour's drive south to the Ferryden park up I enjoy so much, beside the channel to the Montrose harbour, just for a couple of nights. Watching that tide come and go. 

And ships. Lots of ships. Coming and going. I'll put a load up in a Views post, but today, let me share from a specific point of view. Lifeboats. I noted in the two and a half days I was parked up, the local RNLI boat was out and in several times. On the last return that I saw, it came in as fast as it went out, and all the crew were on deck... I fear there may have been a serious casualty aboard. Due to the amazing summer weather we'd been having, there were folk with no sense at all going out on the waves on paddle boards and other tiny, flatwater craft, or just swimming beyond their abilities, having no concept of the power of the North Sea currents in that particular stretch of coast. 

When it wasn't the main boat going out, it was the tender...

Blessings upon these first responders of the sea, who are almost entirely volunteer crews. 

As the larger ships passed, I noted some major differences in the lifeboats provided to the crews of those ships, according to the line they were sailing for. Take a look at this one on the Skandi Lifter...

There will be another on the other side of the bridge tower. Here's another that might take some effort to spot. This is the Shannon Fisher.

Yes, you're allowed to biggify! Do you see? Yes, there's the standard little rowboat type... but note the fully enclosed crane launch on the stern. I wonder who draws the straws for that one?

The Vestas line is clearly more up to date with their life craft - that's nearly as nifty as the RNLI's one!

Last of this little focus, here's a moving picture of the Loke... you'll see her lifeboat come into sight soon enough... again, there will be another on the other side of the vessel.

To round off this visit to Ferryden, here was a surprise I woke up to one morning...!!! I told The Grey not to get any ideas...