Ships in the Sound

Continuing from last month's theme that the best ship photos are taken from close up and personal, this picture shows the Wilson Farsund steaming up the Sound, taken from the Tobermory ferry.  She's a modern cargo boat, having been launched in 2012.  Barbados registered, she's part of the Wilson Ship Management fleet which, despite its Scottish name, is a Norwegian company.  It's a large company, operating around a hundred bulk carriers like the Farsund.

This is the Warber, a Dutch vessel.  Her home port is Lemmer and she's part of the Wijnne & Barends fleet.  The company is an old one, having been trading since 1855, and is unusual in that it offers cargo ships which are ice-class.  This includes the Warber - hence the odd bow shape, which means she can operate in places where rivers freeze during the winter.

We seem to see most cruise ships early or later in the year.  In the last few weeks we've seen several, including this one, the Thompson Spirit.  She's another of the old cruise ships which have been modernised, having been built for the Holland America Line back in 1983.  As her name suggests, she's now operated by the holiday company, Thompsons.

The Black Prince, seen here leaving Tobermory Bay, is a regular vitiator to these waters.  She's even older, having been built in 1966 as the Ola Esmeralda, a cruise ship owned and operated by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

The Seabourne Legend, which came past us the previous evening in the dark, may look a modern ship but she too is a few years old, having been built in Germany and launched in 1992 as the Royal Viking Queen for the Royal Viking Line.  She's touted as a top-of-the range cruise ship, with a menu which includes superb cuisine "from French fries to foie gras".

Lastly, as the sailing season draws to a close, we'll miss superb sights like this, a yacht under sail with a brisk southeaster on her beam.