It's been a thin few weeks for ship-spotting in the Sound of Mull. Partly it's the short daylight hours, partly the poor visibility in the limited daylight we do have.The smart ship above is the Arklow Ranger, a Dutch-registered, 90 metre-long bulk carrier of 4,400 tonnes dwt. She went north on 15th January. More details, including plans of the ship, in .pdf format, here.
This is the Lys Foss in the Sound today approaching the Ardmore Point light. She's a frequent passer-by - though in 2001 she failed to do the 'passing' bit and ran straight onto the rocks at Auliston Point on the opposite side of Loch Sunart. It's good to see her looking so smart.
CalMac's Clansman and Lord of the Isles seem to have been taken off their normal timetables and been replaced by the Isle of Mull, which is normally on the Craignure-Oban route. This is her going south today, approaching Bloody Bay - more details of the ferry here.
This large trawler passed Ardmore Point light on 10th January - the creel-fishing boat to the right is the Dawn Treader out of Tobermory. One of our recent frustrations has been that the AIS site hasn't been working for some time, possibly following an electrical fire at Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, so we don't know the trawler's name. The registration looks like N204 or N201, N being Newry, but neither of these seem to exist. Can anyone help?
No certain but my guess the trawler is Havilah N200.
ReplyDeleteHi Andy -
ReplyDeleteHaving checked the close-up picture I have, a 'blow-up' from the one above, I'm certain you're right. Many thanks - it really irritates me when I see a ship and can't identify it.
Jon
What has been going on at the lighthouse Jon?
ReplyDeleteAn electrical fire - what was the damage?
Thank you for all the great blogs as ever.
Sara
Hi Sara
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, there was a problem with the batteries which are used as a back-up for the electrical supply for the light. Fortunately, the lighthouse, while it is unmanned, does have someone who keeps an eye on it, and he was able to deal with the problem.
The AIS system doesn't seem to be working over quite a large area locally. It's sorely missed. Fishing boats, in particular, are often very difficult to identify, even though they're supposed to have a very visible registration number.
So pleased you continue to enjoy the Diary. Thank you for your support.
Jon