Menovering; Movements Afloat

Sitting here by the mighty Clyde, long-timers will know I get to see all sorts of shipping activity. Everything from little local 'tinnies' with outboard motors, yachts from one of the several clubs on the coastline, small cargo ships and tugs, giant floating hotels and tankers... and naval shipping. HMNB Clyde (Faslane) is just a few miles up the water. Mostly I see the frigates and minesweepers, and sometimes catch one of the nine submarines which call it home port. Some of you may recall this image from my archives:

Originally shown on my now-retired photography blog (where, if you are so inclined, you can go to the Shipping Label and indulge in all the different vessels spotted over the years - some are even rather fine photos, if I say so myself), this was one of the nine. For the image-curious, yes, that was the actual lighting of the day - you can just make out the green on yonder hillside. It is not a black-and-white photo! Back to submarines. Note the configuration of the conning tower, the length... now compare it to this one spotted moving out a couple of weeks back:

Rather longer, slightly sleeker-looking... checking my AIS app, it was revealed only as "USA naval vessel"; which was more than I sometimes get, as many of the military ships quite literally fly under the radar. That is to say, they are not obliged to turn on the Automatic Identification System if they are deploying. Anyway, this glimpse reminded me of one of my 'indulgent watches', the film Hunter Killer. I rather like submarine films. Das Boot was a classic, of course... but let me not get distracted. That's a subject for another time!

Another vessel my eye was attracted to was this one;

It was quite different to other stuff seen here on a regular basis. Well, that was interesting! I couldn't quite make out the name, even with my binoculars, as it was on the far shoreline, but the AIS revealed it to be the RRS Discovery. Yes, the same name as the ship that Robert Scott and his ill-fated team sailed to Antarctica. You can read all about this scientific research vessel on the rather magnificent website of the National Oceanography Centre. There's lots to explore (no pun!) there. 

I was rather taken with the fact that the third officer is a young lady - on a ship's crew made up entirely of men. Also, the current captain is an Edinburgh-born fellow who, in this short video, gives you all the basics of the job, the ship, the purpose... (and I bet you weren't expecting this sort of post today!)

Menootering No More...

The Menootering Tour ended, as Ducky told you, the first weekend of August when we came over the water to Dunoon. I do quite like being in town during this month as it tends to be buzzing, building up to the final weekend when The Cowal Gathering takes place. That does mean parking is a bit of a b*****r, but I just stay in The Grey and settle into kerb-side life by the shore. This means putting up with constant traffic (it's the main road from the vehicle ferry into town), some of it quite buffeting because, apparently, the suggested speed marker is taken as a minimum rather than a max...

But nothing quite beats opening up in the morning to scenes like this...

To be fair, most of the time it is overcast and probably raining, too, but on the whole, the weather this year has been kinder (although, as we all know, it's also worrying, the tropics arriving this far north...)

I didn't only stay in the main town. For one week, I drove a bit further down the peninsula to Innellan and parked right on the shore in a wee community park. That was rather fabulous and much more peaceful.

There were a lot of photos and links and memories of the trip to sort out, so most days I was working on getting the blog posts working as you have found them. Sadly, I had let the knitting sit unattended for some time, but a couple of weeks ago I did pick it up again... As Saturday Stitches is back and running, you will know by now (as will I) whether the cardigan got finished! 

There were some spectacular sunrises, though sunsets tended to be clouded over... particularly during the eclipse. Very disappointing, because I had a prime viewing spot, had it been clear. Instead, the clouds just got thicker and thicker and thicker... sigh... so yes, the world went dark, but not because of the moon boistering the sun.

I did get up to the Hutch, eventually... 

The Waverley was having a good time with all this not-raining weather, and appeared to have capacity loads each trip out. As it tours the Clyde Estuary, it does stop in at various harbours, including Dunoon, enabling visitors to walk the prom and visit the Castle Gardens... so that is where I 'planted' Ducky 6939, in the hope that one or other visitor will spot her and whisk her off on yet another stage of her great adventure.

Tomorrow, Hettie will bring you lots of lovely nature views from our wee part of Scotland's Secret Coast, but let me end today's post with another etherwobbly whinge. As I typed this today (two weeks before you read it), after a system update last night, I found that at the start of each paragraph, I have to retype my first word because the system is now 'eating' whatever I first put...😶 Not only that, but for reasons it alone can know, in the drafts listing, it has chosen to rename my 'menoizikul' posts and label... What the actual....??!! When I preview the posts, they appear to show correctly, so it will be interesting to see what happens when they go live... I'm pretty sure that this and the late delivery of posts is all part of the ever-creeping influence of the arsehole artificial mental thing... (am I becoming a GOW? [grumpy ol' wummin])

Menooooooooooo....And Breathe

NB: Blogger continues to be very tardy with many of your posts... and then a whole bunch will turn up at one go, with anything from two to four of those missed posts. Beyond frustrating!!! Am I the only one experiencing this, or have any others of you had this happen? I think David mentioned it might be with him. Anyway, for those to whom I regularly comment, know that I have not abandoned you and will get there eventually! For those I only comment occasionally, know that I am still reading all your posts - just not as timely as they could be!!! (moves on with clenched jaw and gnashing of teeth...).

I mentioned last Thursday that Mac1 is over by the Clyde house-sitting and looking after Barney, the Himalayan Terrier. I took a turn at 'watch' last week, and there will be another brief visit this weekend. My sister's friend and her hubby are overseas and were happy for Mac1 to use their place as an artist's retreat... and she certainly spread herself around!

The table by the window, the main dining table, the kitchen table... and many, many bags and boxes between! Friend Annie is, herself, a creator, mainly with fabrics, but a little with paints and other media. Mac1 loves printing in different formats, using whatever she forages from the beaches and woods and streamsides... and streets... Magpies would have trouble keeping up with her! 

Anyway, other than her three-week retreat, the other focus is the pupster... and what can be seen from the wonderful back deck... I'm just going to leave the rest of this post to the photos (in no particular order)...

Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More Peek

Traffic flow, Montrose Harbour

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...

Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More Peek

Passing traffic...

Menolyrical - Words for Words' Sake - A REPOST

This image was snatched at Montrose Harbour on the train from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.  It seemed nothing... and then...

grey the day

rattling by

battleship sea

silvered the sky

mottled carpet

dappled ceil

bridge with blue

under wheel

land is lost

between the two

silos blank

awaiting crew

all seems naught

twixt ‘n’ tween

till bright flash

of yellow seen

but the train

pulls us on

we blink and

the bright is gone

(c) Yamini Ali MacLean 2014

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We have had to say farewell to our darling diva, an elder of Blogville, Madison D Cat. We are sad, but none more so than her wonderfurs peeps. I shall be joining a memorial bloghop next week. If you knew Madi and have not heard about the hop, then CLICK HERE.

Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More Peek

offerings of random shots from the TAKE bloggy; over there I have themes for each of the seven days. Click the links to see the full array! This week we look at a few from Shipping By...

Me-Now-Views; Less Speak More Peek