A Monday cruise

This was a Colonsay day, we go there three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  This is only during the winter when there are fewer vessels in service, in the summer this vessel is solely on the Oban to Craignure run.  Heading off South to Colonsay brings an enjoyable change in the routine, rather than the 40 minutes run to Mull it is a 5 hour round trip to Colonsay.  Down the Sound of Kerrera on past Seil Island with my favourite anchorage at Puldorian, through the gap at Insh Island and spotting the hermit's abandoned home on the East Coast we head down to the Great Race.  This is the tidal race that results from the daily flow of water through the gap where the famous Corryvreckan  Whirlpool lies at the North end of Jura sucking in all around.  Once clear we start to pitch moderately, the stabilisers stop the rolling very effectively but have no effect on the pitching, our 9 passengers and 4 vehicles are however safely tied down and are a hardy bunch.

On arrival at Colonsay with the wind gusting up to 25 knots in the shelter of the harbour we need to approach from the south and hug the coast heading for the roundhead at the end of the pier.  Getting a line ashore we cant round the end with the stern swinging close in to the shore so that we can lie alongside.  Despite being in the shelter there is still a swell coming in and the ship is surging up and down the pier, everyone is left on standby fore and aft while the ramp is lowered down and the vehicles disembark.  As soon as the last of these are off the pier master gets on his bike and sends the waiting cars and truck down to load.  In all we are in for about 5 minutes, fortunately not much longer as it can't be called a safe haven, memories of Waverley, Clacton, Margate and Dunoon in  a fresh southerly breeze.

The weather as forecast has deteriorated blowing up to an gale force 8 now but the difference is that it is behind us so we are wafted along back up to Oban and a safe berth alongside for the night.  Back to the normal tomorrow, 6:15 start as we need to shift berth before loading. 

This evening I went for a walk along the prom, tropical rain tonight without the temperature.  Not many others out and about strangely.

 

Dolphin Watch

After four days I feel that I am starting to settle down, and understand the routine.  Routine is all on board here, there is little time at either end to do other than follow the script.  We have explicit check lists that are followed on each docking and departure, despite it being the same each time it is easy to forget if all the items have been carried out.  Well it is for the writer.

Glorious weather again today, the sunset over Mull was straight of a chocolate box, it could have been a July evening rather than January.  I had a school of dolphins following along for a while, I thought that they would have departed south for the winter?  We had a lot of round trip passengers during the day, they had just come along for the ride to look at the scenery, like being back on the Waverley.

I joined the Isle of Mull at midday in Oban.  The handover is a brief affair, the new relieving crew wait at the gangway and nip on board as soon as possible, straight up to the bridge, dropping off luggage in the cabin on the way then meet the outgoing mate for a minute to hear that everything is working and he's off.  Five or so minutes later we sail off south to Colonsay with our 4 cars and 19 passengers.  Lovely weather with a stiff NE'ly which is the worst direction for berthing but all was well.  Back to Oban for 17:00 and tied up for the night.

All different crew on here so lots of new names to remember.  Hopefully I won't have forgotten all the stuff from last week, tomorrow we are on the regular Craignure run from 08:00 till 18:00 so we see how much I can recall.

Weekend Activities
I'm thoroughly enjoying my week off, I could easily get used to this a week of work followed by a recovery week at home.  Last night we navigated our way through the fog to Braehead to see the film The King's Speech, fantastic piece of work and I do hope that it wins recognition at the Oscars.  You know when it's a great film when it seems that the time has just flown by and the final credits are running; I would encourage any of my readers to go along and see it.  Colin Firth is excellent but any one of the other actors deserve an award as well, Helena Bonham Carter is as dishy as ever.

Home for a spell

I came back yesterday on the bus from Oban, glorious scenery on the way with most of the hills topped with snow and the sun glinting off the lochs.  
At my interview it was suggested that I would be going around the fleet to gain experience of the different ships and routes.  I'm on a temporary contract for six months, hopefully to be renewed, and I would get my leave at the end of the six months.
So you can imagine I was slightly surprised that my rota has me on the Isle of Mull for the rest of the season with a spell of leave at the end of April.  Looks like I'll be pretty familiar with the stretch of water twixt Oban and Craignure.  I would mention that the two busiest routes that Cal Mac operate are Adrossan - Brodick and the one I am working on. 

Rain and wind of Biblical proportions

This is some place in the winter, the seas out there today when the
wind was up to 65 knots with the tide swirling around us was a sight
to see. In between the squally showers which came down like a fire
hose. Still raining here tonight which even after all my years living
in this country never fails to amaze me how much water there is up
there.

An early start today with a sailing at 06:45. Good job that this is
considered a lifeline service, the 5 cars we took to Oban and the 2
post vans with one car back as a return trip wouldn't support a
private ferry for sure. Horrible weather today, blowing a Force 7 to 8 from the SW, pop the stabilisers out and everything calms down nicely. Tonight our last run is at 22:30 and overnight in Craignure.

To and fro

Nearly eight in the evening now and we are alongside at Oban for a
couple of hours before doing the late night run back out to Craignure,
presumably with the evenings revellers who have been living it up in
the sin bins of old Oban town. We will then spend the night alongside
in Mull before returning at 06:45, which means a 5:30 start for me.

The weather went downhill today with a South Westerly 6 to 7 when we
were on our way to Colonsay but the vessel seems to take it in it's
stride, not that this will have been the first time that this
particular ship has experienced bad weather in her 23 years of running
around this part of the world. We took eight vehicles and and about
10 passengers out to Colonsay and returned with even less. Looking at
the little settlement that is at the pier head there doesn't appear to
be a lot there, maybe just over the hill there is more.

The regular mates on here dislike the long 2 and a half hour run down,
can't be doing with all this sea time, they much prefer the 45 minutes
back and forward from Oban. I have started to supervise the loading
of the vehicles, finding it quite tricky with so many factors to take
into consideration.

Anyway that's the first 48 hours over, I seemed to have survived, wish
me luck for the weekend.

Touch of the Groundhog Days

Today was an excellent example of a normal day, 5 runs across to Mull
from Oban starting at 08:00 and finishing at 18:00 here back in Oban
and tied up for the night. I'm starting to get my head around the day
to day stuff, the navigation part is pretty straightforward two
courses from clearing the berth at either end, if it wasn't for
Lismore it would be the one but the lighthouse gives a wee 5 degree
dogleg on the way.
Traditionally Cal Mac has been manned by locals and folk from the
islands. Suffice to say the folks on board are Duncan's, Murdo's
Euan's and the talk is of farming and tractors a lot of the time. One
of the mates has a photo of a prize ram posted on his cabin
bulkhead,beside the photo of the wife and kids. As well as learning
about RoRo's I'll have a fair knowledge on the price of hay and sheep
blight.

By bus and boat

I don't think that I have ever joined a ship by bus, so today was a
first. Down to Great Western Road and the 8:40 Citylink direct to
Oban. Pretty trip up the road with quite a lot of snow still around,
particularly at the top of the Rest and be Thankful.
The vessel Isle of Mull duly arrived at 11:45 and sailed 14 minutes
later for Colonsay, pretty familiar territory to me from last year's
sailing down Sound of Kerrera and then an hour and a half trip with
our 10 vehicles and 22 passengers. So much warmer today with the wind
round to the SW at last, a little bit of a swell coming in but that's
not a problem on here, just stick out the stabilisers and all is well.
We were back in Oban for 17:30 after a very early dinner, they eat
dinner at 4 on board here. All tied up for the night and the evening
free to do as we wish. Which is reading the safety management manuals
in my case.

To the Isle of Mull and then back again

My first appointment with David MacBrayne is the Isle of Mull sailing from Oban on Wednesday.  Familiar territory from last year's sailing on the boat, so quite pleased about that to ease me into the way of things.  Only going for a week on this first trip and then two on two off.

Travelling to join is easy too, a bus from Great Western Road to the terminal at Oban.  Only £5 with an advance ticket, mind you if my experience from last year is anything to go by I'll be one of the few actually paying.

New Year, New Job?

With the arrival of the New Year I have news of the next step in my career.  On Christmas Eve I received a phone call from Clyde Marine advising me of an interview with Caledonian MacBrayne, the ferry operators.  I duly attended last Thursday and met one of their Superintendents who after a chat, it couldn't really be considered an interview more of a convivial discussion, offered me a position with the company as a deck officer.

Subject to my references being acceptable, the cheques are in the post guys, I should be offered the job shortly with a view to taking up a position sometime this month.

Really looking forward to hearing about where I'm going to be sailing from, indeed quite excited about the whole thing.  A good start to the New Year.