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Diary - February 2006 |
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Sunday 19th February |
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A
more leisurely time to get up this morning - 0800 is far more convenient
(sorry, student speaking here!). Our day today involved catching Coruisk
over to Rothesay on the first crossing of this particularly bright morning.
She was lit up just right as she swung round into Wemyss Bay, the sun
highlighting her slab sides very nicely.
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It
wasn't the busiest of sailings this morning. About 10 cars came off the
ferry and the same number went on again. It was also a bit warmer today -
considerably warmer than the biting conditions that greeted us in Oban
this time yesterday... As it was Sunday there was no ship to pass on the
way over - the Bute was tied up at the second berth at Rothesay when we
pulled into the bay. One little bonus though was with the help of Grahams 500mm
lens we were able to pick out the Loch Ranza sitting up on the slip at
Ardmaleish yard, just round from Port Bannatyne. She is in having one of
her prop units repaired, havnig spent the last couple of weeks down at
Fairlie. As we got closer to Rothesay the pictures became clearer before
losing sight of her altogether. |
Coruisk approaching Wemyss Bay
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Coruisk turning to berth
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Loch Ranza high and dry at Ardmaleish
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As
usual it took a few minutes for the Coruisk to be brought alongside,
however it was a marked improvement on the Bute! Dave drove off and pulled
into the small car park adjacent to the harbour so we could pile out and
go off looking for more photos. We didn't have to go far, for there is a
handy stairway down onto the beach which I took, while Dave went a bit
further along the pavement. |
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Bute lying off duty at Rothesay
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I
don't know who was more hacked off, me or Dave, when some bloke in his
yacht came crawling out from the inner harbour, right in front of the
Wemyss Bay boat as she pulled away from the pier. I mean for crying out
loud, its as though he did it on purpose! Dave swore blind that the guy
was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he came past. We didn't take any
pictures of the offending yacht, although in hindsight one of us should,
so he could be named and shamed here!!! |
Bute and Coruisk together at Rothesay
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Coruisk leaving the Isle of Bute
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Anyway,
now I've had my rant for this page, Dave got his pictures and came wandering
back to the car while I got a few more of the Bute up close. We then set off
for the Kyles with one eye kept firmly on the clock. For once we timed it
just right as we approached the Kyles of Bute. We got to a convenient layby
just in time to get some distance pictures of the Loch Dunvegan as she left
Colintraive. Once again the sun was on her and the conditions could not have
been better. I went down onto the shore again to get a quick couple of
pictures while Dave sat there revving the car. I think he might have been
hinting at something...
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Loch Dunvegan in the Kyles of Bute
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As
usual we were about the last ones onto the car deck before the ferry set
off for the crossing. Not long after and we were once again stuck
behind some old fart in a clapped out heap, holding us up and increasing
the likelihood of missing the next Portavadie sailing. By a stroke of
fortune this individual turned off to go to Dunoon and Dave put his foot
down. Even more lucky was the fact that the Tighnabruaich road was
deserted for once. We got to Portavadie in plenty of time to don the
trusty wellies and go out to the point. It was my first time out there but
Dave has been a couple of times before. It was his idea to get the wellies! |
Loch Dunvegan loading at Rhubodach |
Loch Tarbert in Loch Fyne |
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The
path out around the bay is certainly moist to say the least. I had to laugh
when Dave put his foot into what looked like a normal pile of mud and nearly
lost his right ankle as he sank into it. Eventually, after much squelching
through the mud we got out onto the headland and Dave immediately got us
lost by taking the wrong path up through the bracken (note to brain, go
left next time!). Still we got to our chosen (quite by random) viewpoints in
time for the sun to come out and the Loch Tarbert to come across Loch Fyne.
I was higher up so had the better view, although most of the background to
the pictures was water, while Dave was down by the water and framed his
shots with Kintyre and Arran in the background. |
Loch Tarbert seen from Portavadie headland
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Loch Tarbert leaving for Kintyre
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The
Loch Tarbert came crawling in and sat at the slipway for five minutes or so
before setting off again. Don't ask me how but Dave managed to get a picture
of a roadworks speed sign sitting on a rock down below where I was... I
didn't ask where he got that from! The path back down from the headland was
far simpler than that we had taken up there in the first place. That said,
it still took a good 20 minutes to get back to the car through all the mud.
The wellies were washed in a frozen puddle before getting dumped in the boot
of Dave's well-travelled little car. |
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Just
as we got ready to go, a car pulled up and went down into the queue for the
ferry (which had left some 20 minutes ago I might add). Unfortunately this
poor guy was in for a bit of a wait as the next one wasn't until 1545 - some
4 hours away. As we left Dave spotted the Loch Tarbert heading out to
Lochranza on Arran - I can only imagine how long that guy (who obviously
couldn't read the dot matrix display board which told him when the sailing
times were) sat at the slipway before realising he had missed the last
morning crossing! |
No idea why this was lying on the headland...! |
Looking down towards Colintraive |
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Anyway
I digress; Dave took us back along the Tighnabruaich road and over the hills
towards Dunoon. We did stop along the route for some pictures looking down
over Colintraive, but not from the bog standard viewpoint that every tourist
stops at... We got to Dunoon and parked up. The plan now (and by this time
it was threatening to rain on us) was to climb the hill behind the new pier
for some shots if Saturn as she came across the Clyde. Unfortunately none of
our pictures were free of the red tea trays that clutter up many pictures
taken in the Dunoon vicinity. Still it was at least a new view for me and
Dave. Unbeknown to us earlier this afternoon, another member of Clydesite (www.clydeshipping.co.uk)
was standing not 3 metres away from us - the only reason I know this is that
we have just seen his pictures on the net! |
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Saturn approaching Dunoon Old Pier
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With
Saturn loaded up and away, we got back in the car and headed south down
Cowal to Toward Point and Ardyne. Coruisk was operating the Wemyss Bay -
Rothesay run solo at this point, the Bute being off for a break. By this
time it was starting to get very hazy which wasn't good for views. It was ok
in the wind at Toward but Ardyne was a very different story. We couldn't
even see across to Ardmaleish for example! There was nothing for it but to
return to Dunoon after Coruisk had gone back over to Wemyss Bay and catch
Saturn over to Gourock once more. |
Bute leaving Wemyss Bay |
Coruisk approaching Toward Point |
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It
was dusk by the time we got to Gourock and the light was failing fast. I got
a couple of pictures from near McInroy's Point of the Saturn as she went
back over to Dunoon and then Dave took us back to my house where we
reflected on the last two days and set about trying to arrange another trip
in the near future...watch this space! |
Saturn and Sound of Sanda in the fading light
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