Time marches on.

Seems that a year or so has passed since I last put a single word on the blog.  Time has marched on but I haven't bothered to record any of it.  For those that have dropped by only to be disappointed by any lack of progress my apologies, no excuse unless idleness and a lack of energy are pardonable reasons.
Time seems to run like water through my fingers, last month I became eligible for an Entitlement Card, previously known as a "Bus Pass" and I now look forward to travelling the length and breadth of the country on the taxpayer.  It seems like it was just a couple of days ago that I was at college doing my tickets and now the college is a pile of rubble.
My or I should say our big news is that Julie and I have decided to get married, it has all been a bit of rush as we have been stepping out now for barely 20 years but us young impetuous things aim to get hitched about a year from now.
I hope that I can drop by more often and report on things, it will be an interesting year for Calmac and hence for me with the contract for running the ferries becoming decided in May.

Fun weekend.

We've had a fun weekend, Saturday saw us sweltering indoors at the
Chris Hoy Velodrome watching very skinny fit folk cycling against each other round the track. It must have been about 30 C inside. Lots of
different races one of which involves balancing on the bike not
touching the deck or anyone else but being prepared for the start that
randomly starts.
Today we nipped down to Largs to check out the boat and then we parked
at the top of Haylie Brae and walked up to the Windmills at the top of
the hill looking over Fairlie and the Cumbraes. It was damn cold
coming back down when the wind got up. Still, great views and lots of
sunshine.

Extended break on Arran

It's Wednesday and my two weeks on the Caledonian Isles is up, time to go home for rest.  It has been a particularly hectic, tiring, frustrating time due to the dry dock shenanigans in Birkenhead then the weather up here and getting back into service.  Last night we were in Ardrossan and woke to a screaming NW'ly up to 55 knots but departed in a lull, regrettably we never made it back.  My relief arrived on time as he lives in Lamlash but that's not much comfort, he has gone home for the night and we are going to have another go at getting back to the mainland tomorrow.

Not a great day to be travelling.

We hid away over in Arran overnight to shelter from the Westerly gales overnight.  It isn't that sheltered from the wind in Brodick but there isn't any swell or seas to contend with so a much happier berth than Ardrossan.  The first two sailings of the day were cancelled then we did the one crossing at 13:50, flew over with the wind behind us and got in safely, wind gusting over 40 knots at times.  On departure a squall came through just as we pulled away, great timing, so we lay alongside Winton Pier for 10 minutes or so in the lashing rain, the Carpenter on the focstle head was particularly amused.  Then shot out through the entrance to once again tie up here in Brodick for the night.  Ardrossan is scary enough in the daylight without doing in the dark too.

Tomorrow looks more promising before Sunday's blow comes in.  Not great timing on the run up to Christmas but what can one do??

Strangely photographs never seem to convey bad weather as horrible as it actually is, but the spray coming over the harbour wall must convey some of the strength of the breeze.

This photo was on the BBC web site. 

Roofing repairs

The residents at 16 & 17 would like to thank you for leaving the area in front of their flats clear of vehicles.  Here's a photo of work in progress. 

Broken away

The bulk of the repairs to our turbo chargers were completed overnight so we headed out on trials this morning, nice day for it too.  Initially we headed for Ardrossan to drop off the Troon pilot and then we headed south past Ailsa Craig and back. So far so good, we are back in Troon tonight as the weather forecast, again, is looking pretty grim overnight which makes Ardrossan difficult.  More trials tomorrow and then all being well into service on Thursday.  Bit scary as we haven't loaded vehicles for weeks.

On the passage to nowhere

I joined my ferry last week in Troon, which is a first.  We were tied up on the rather grandly named Portland Wharf but those of you who have sailed in here will probably know it better as the timber berth right beside the marina.  

I left the ship in dry dock back in mid January and a week or so later she went back into service with her new turbo blowers in place.  Unfortunately, after a couple of days cracks in the piping taking the exhaust to the blowers appeared and the ship was taken out of service to Troon to be repaired by MAN, who fitted the blowers, with able assistance from Garvel dry dock personnel.

Repairs complete we headed off out on trials on Thursday, lovely day sunny and a gentle breeze.  We headed south towards Ayr to drop off the Troon pilot when the fire alarm went off and this was the same problem with exhaust fumes leaking into the engine room.  We turned round, fortunately the pilot was still on board and returned to Troon.  A German engineer was flown over and our original one returned and along with Garvel and others they have been working 24/7 to find a solution.

Meantime as you'll be aware the wind and the rain have been going at it, but this is a wonderfully sheltered berth and I doubt that we would have been running anyway.  

It's a grand life here in Greenock

Dear readers, apologies for not writing more this year. I joined the
ship on the 2nd of January, it should have been the 1st but due to the
winds and stormy seas the ship stayed over in the sheltered waters of
Brodick on Hogmanay and didn't fancy coming back to pick up the
relieving officers.
We had a very busy day on the 2nd taking all the good folk and
holidaymakers back to the mainland, indeed the biggest loads I have
ever taken on in Calmac with 108 cars one time. We ran an hour late as
the high spring tides prevented the use of the gangways at both ports
so the foot passengers had to come on board through the vehicle deck
which delays everything.
We then headed up the river to James Watt dock tying up about midnight.
The weather intervened and we lost a day before we could safely go
into the dry dock next door in the Garvel. And we have been here ever
since, this is one photo of the port engine which appears to have been
taken down to its constituent bits as it appears to just be the shell.
I'll take a few more photos about the place to let you see what
appears to be chaos, we are scheduled to be floated out next Wednesday
the 15th to be towed round dead ship to James Watt dock where they
will carry on with the work. I know from experience that it appears
unbelievable that everything will come together and it usually does
but my goodness there is a lot to do.

Votes wanted for advert of the year

Not for the squeamish.

Doritos

New ships and the same old enemy

Not taken today!

9 days into my trip on the Caledonian Isles, ferrying folk and their cars, bread, post and pretty much everything else between the mainland at Ardrossan and Brodick, the main town on Arran.  A similar service in many ways to my last ship though the crossing time is 55 minutes, 15 minutes longer and we have half an hour to load and discharge rather than 14 minutes as on the Isle of Mull.

Similar service and ships but in a lot of respects very different as the layout of the passenger and crew accommodation is nothing like the Mull and the vehicle deck is quite dissimilar.  For my comfort my cabin is considerably bigger, though that isn't saying much given the cupboard that I lived in on the Isle of Mull.  The cabin here hasn't got the galley dumb waiter, hot press and pantry sink right next to my bed, nor is the galley directly underneath to warm the carpet up, all bonuses.

The vehicle deck on here however appears to have been designed by a naval architect with a sense of humour.  To be fair the design of the ship seems to have been changed while it was being constructed as casings added later run down both sides of the ship and protrude in by about a metre making life much more complicated and confined.  There are also two mezzanine decks that can drop down to take 48 cars half way up the space and a central casing dividing the deck which has an overhang that can take cars and Ford Transits but not if they have anything protruding up like a roof rack, and the height tapers as you go forward.  When the mezzanine deck is in place the height is halved as well and the locals suddenly need to park near the lift, avoiding the dreaded mezz deck as it will be the last to discharge whereas lift cars are on the main deck.

I also need to get my head round the local terminology, "Wullie NAC" is the driver of the North Ayrshire Council garbage disposal wagon at 19m and 40 odd tons and "Sticks" are timber wagons about 11m and 44 tons.  The information from my colleagues sometimes comes in drip form, oh aye you always load them first, you have to leave space up to the O in No Smoking on the bulkhead if you want to get him in, that's the escape hatch and you cannae put anything there and so on.  I'm sure in a year or two it will all be clear, others have been here before me and survived. 

Some things are the same, the weather is just as windy.  My first full day on here we didn't go anywhere due to a screaming North West gale and last night we spent in Brodick sheltering from the viscous storm passing through this weekend.  We did one sailing across to Ardrossan late afternoon today and some say they have never seen the ship moving about quite so much even when alongside.  Well the waves were going over the top of the lighthouse which is about 30 feet high.  Here's a video someone posted on Youtube.

Home on Wednesday for Christmas and then back on the 1^st before the ship heads North to Greenock for the annual dry dock in Garvel.  

First full day, didn't go anywhere

I'm here on the Caledonian Isles the ferry that has for the past twenty odd years taken folk back and forwards to Arran.  We stayed overnight in Ardrossan on the Ayr shore and the wind got up during the night to over 80 knots with an impressive swell coming through the harbour entrance.  We clearly couldn't sail first thing, actually we couldn't even stand upright when I was on the quay trying to sort the gangway out.  The situation was reviewed at 14:00 and as it was still gusting up to Force 10 we called the rest of the day off.  The good folk of Arran will have to wait for their fresh bread, newspapers and milk until tomorrow.  

Gave me a chance to look around and do some maintenance work on board which was useful.  On my last boat, the Isle of Mull, I mentioned how much I missed not having an opening porthole in the cabin.  I have on here but I'd just as soon not today anyway, as it leaks, over my bed unfortunately.  

Going nowhere

It's been an unsettled few days peaking today with a NW F 8 or 9 blowing into the Bay. No sailing to Mull for a while today, fortunately it is blowing us onto the pier, feels like we are being shaken about. 

Change afoot.

I'm on my last trip on the Isle of Mull this fortnight, off South to the Clyde to join the Caledonian Isles for the next year or so from December the 4th.  Really looking forward to the change and on one of the busiest runs in the Company.

Weekend Activities

We covered a lot of miles over the weekend. John, Julie's youngest son who lives with his girlfriend Tracy in Newcastle, had a baby last Monday, Ethan James weighing in at 9 lbs.  We set off on Thursday evening and stayed overnight in a hotel near Carlisle, the Wallfoot so named I guess as the last part of Hadrian's Wall runs through the back garden.  Four poster bed and a great breakfast to set us up for the day for £50.

Then on to Newcastle and here is the proud granny, son and grandson.

Then it was four hours to Birmingham to stay with Julie's parents before driving into London on the Saturday to meet her brother on the completion of his 16 day, 1,400 mile cycle around the UK for charity and to prove that at a certain age he could still do it.  That's David spraying the contents of a bottle of Cava around.  Sam, his son is on the left with Jason and John the team coach and mechanic.  Well done guys.  We met them at the newly refurbished Kings Cross district of London, very trendy.  

Back to Birmingham that evening before returning to Glasgow on the Sunday.  I am always surprised by the amount of traffic down South, back here in Scotland on the M8 seems very ho hum.  Saying that, bowling along the inside lane of the M40 keeping up with the traffic doing 85 and watching all the fine items of German engineering flying past in the other lanes is no way as scary as driving a Fiat Panda in Italy.

And finally some more news that I had an interview for a 2nd Mates position last week on our return from Sardinia, yesterday I had a phone call from HR to say that I was successful and in due course will be promoted.  Triples all round please.

Home to grandsons and blocked drains

We've been home for a few days and there are always things to catch up on. I have the man flu but not making a fuss, Julie is back at work.  The kitchen sink is blocked and we are off to see Julie's younger son's little boy Ethan James who was born on Monday afternoon.  Here's a link to some holiday photos  Then we are going to London to meet Julie's brother David who has been cycling around the country to raise cash, his journey ends on Saturday at Kings Cross so we are going to be there to celebrate. Red Cycle

And I bought a new car

All things must come to pass

Home again and a nice surprise to land at Glasgow with the sun shining
and 20 C in the shade. We had a wonderful two weeks in Sardinia and
would recommend it. I will organise my photos and put a link on line
in due course. Look forward to meeting up with everyone again and
boring them with my stories.

Local Tesco

Half way point

One of the main attractions here in Alghero is to make the trip out to
Grotta di Nettuno a local cave complex about 10 miles to the west of
the town. We opted for the full day tour and headed off on a wooden
launch along the coast to view the beaches and cliffs close up. The
last couple of days there has been a strong west wind which has died
away but unfortunately there was still a high swell running when we
got to the point and entering the caves would have been too dangerous.
Cal Mac style the skipper took us out there for a chance to see how
big the seas and swell were before turning back to anchor in a
sheltered bay for a few hours. While the cook knocked us up a mussels
and pasta dish we all went snorkelling in what turned out to be
jellyfish infested waters, luckily enough they seemed to prefer one of
our party a young man from the UK and left us alone. There was as
much of local vino to drink as we wished, and water, but being British
we opted for the alcohol and the evening was spent recovering.

Healthy eating

We are consciously trying to eat healthily. Pasta features quite a lot and there are loads of ugly looking vegetables that wouldn't get shelf space in Tesco. The two glasses contain the local recommended liqueur, Mirito. It tastes similar to Benolyin Expectorant, foul. 

Dull weather

This is the forecast for next week here in Sardinia. No variation from one day to the next, just sunshine with no cloud and gentle winds.