Ships in the Sound

Last month's 'Ships in the Sound' commented on the apparent lack of cruise ships passing us but, on a recent visit to Brown's, the traditional hardware shop in Tobermory which stocks everything a man could need for the work shed, including whisky, The Diary was informed that Tobermory had seen more cruise ships than usual this summer.

The ship on the left, which is using its lifeboats to ferry passengers in to Tobermory, is Le Diamant.  It's one of the sort of cruise ships which takes people adventuring in places like the Antarctic, so it should feel thoroughly at home in Tobermory.  As the name suggests, she's a French ship, of whom her owners, Companie du Ponant, write, "Enchanting yacht f and widely opened towards the outdoor, Le Diamant answers perfectly in the great tradition to the wishes of the cruises lovers and amateurs of new horizons. An enthusiastic and intimate atmosphere prevails on board: the French art of living. This liner welcomes 226 passengers and 120 crew members and offers his privileged hosts a refined luxury through the discovery of original coasts and calls."  Check this on their website, here.

Coming up beyond her is Discovery.  She's another of the old cruise ships which have seen several owners and a lot of the world.  Built in 1972, she was owned by P&O for a time as the Island Princess, cruising in the Pacific. In 1999, she was sold on to Hyundai Merchant Marine of South Korea and renamed Hyundai Pungak, when she transported South Korean pilgrims to religious sites in North Korea.  There's more about her history here.

This is the Thomson Spirit, another vintage ship built in 1983 for the Holland America Line.  She was later sold to the United States Lines, but returned to her original owners before being bought by Thomson Cruises.  She's seen heading for Tobermory early one morning....

....and leaving again in the late afternoon, carrying a shipload of passengers who probably have damp memories of their day on Mull.  The company boasts of the ship that, "Every little detail, from the sumptuous cuisine to the sizzling entertainment, has been tailor-made with you in mind."  They don't mention the weather.  The ship's website is here.

OB5, Ceol na Mara, has been a local boat for some fifteen years, working out of Loch Sunart, Glenuig and Tobermory.  At present she's fishing for lobsters - she's seen here just off Kilchoan Bay.

The last time we saw the Wick-registered Gunnhilda was back in August 2011.  She's pictured just off Mingary Pier, with the houses of Ormsaigbeg in the background.

We see plenty of these boats in the Sound.  They're well boats, which carry live fish and other supplies to fish farms.  This one is the Solundoy, a Norwegian-built boat which operates under the Irish flag.

Lastly, the usual cargo ships have been passing us, including this one, the Swami.  While she's registered in the Bahamas, she's a Norwegian-owned bulk carrier.  Swami seems a slightly strange name for a ship - in its normal meaning it refers to a Hindu ascetic or yogi - but the Misje company which owns her seems to enjoy giving its ships a variety of names: see a list of their fleet here.  Long time readers of this blog will know that The Diary likes the tradition of giving ships feminine names, and still refers to ships as 'she' and 'her'.