Can we go over my passage plan? Belfast ---> Swansea (NI - Ireland - Wales or NI - NE - Wales)

[zoidberg]

I started taking marine navigation more seriously when I discovered it's the coloured side of charts that mattered.....

 

[Kerenza]

Dig out your monochrome fathom charts. I've rolled mine up in a cardboard tube, in the garage, can't bear to part with them, sadly.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

I note the news that a huge area of seabed in Plymouth Sound and Approaches has been discovered carpeted with an otherwise rare form of ancient seaweed, which 'fixes' lots of carbon.
Expect hordes of yoghurt knitters and muesli munchers - apologies, Life Members of the RYA's Blue-Green Brigade - to descend on Plymouth demanding no more anchoring, running of engines, moorings placement and submarine activities. Expect The King's Harbourmaster to have apoplexy, explode and disappear in a cloud of smoke.

A Welcome Result in both eventualities.

We need to be serious about limiting global warming even if it needs a few rows and some inconvenience.

As for the KHM - well a/ the harbour masters title is Ruritanean, and b/ as the harbour seems full of decaying submarines, uncertain live submarines that may not work to deter but if used could help extinguish life on planet, plus the harbour providing a stopping point for Putins largest and best target, the harbour masters job seems to be fiiddling while Rome burns, so I am not worried if he is troubled in his idyl

 

[rotrax]

You really should keep opinions like that to yourself.

Forum rules and all that.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

You really should keep opinions like that to yourself.

Forum rules and all that.

When my whole country is going down the pan due hubris and archaisism, perhaps forum rules dont always trump other considerations.

Im sorry if that thought disturbs you

 

[john_morris_uk]

A Welcome Result in both eventualities.

We need to be serious about limiting global warming even if it needs a few rows and some inconvenience.

As for the KHM - well a/ he's not my f king and the harbour masters title is Ruritanean, and b/ as the harbour seems full of decaying submarines, uncertain live submarines that may not work to deter but if used could help extinguish life on planet, plus providing stopping point for Putins largest and best target, the harbour masters job seems to be fiiddling while Rome burns, so I am not worried if he is troubled in his idyl

Should one be worried about people who have no idea what they are talking about? Britain’s deterrent isn’t based in Devonport. There are a few boats laid up in Devonport waiting to be dismantled but so what. I looked after the submariners of SM2 once upon a time and the only submarines based there then didn’t carry nuclear warheads and their reactors can’t explode. (Wrong sort of nuclear.) I think SM2 is no more nowadays and all in service boats are moving or have moved to Scotland?

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Should one be worried about people who have no idea what they are talking about? Britain’s deterrent isn’t based in Devonport. There are a few boats laid up in Devonport waiting to be dismantled but so what. I looked after the submariners of SM2 once upon a time and only submarines based there don’t carry nuclear warheads and their reactors can’t explode. (Wrong sort of nuclear.). I think SM2 is no more nowadays and all in service boats are moving or have moved to Scotland?

I didnt know all the deterence had all moved - which makes me wonder where they will go once Scotland is independent. I certainly dont think the dead ones can explode but they can and probably will leak nuclear residue eventually. Some certainly seem active according to local gossip about departure times, but if all the Devonport ones are out of commission the harbour master is more like a scrapyard manager. However the Devonport Police patrols seem suggest there is something to guard other than scrap iron

 

[john_morris_uk]

I didnt know all the deterence had all moved - which makes me wonder where they will go once Scotland is independent. I certainly dont think the dead ones can explode but they can and probably will leak nuclear residue eventually. Some certainly seem active according to local gossip about departure times, but if all the Devonport ones are out of commission the harbour master is more like a scrapyard manager. However the Devonport Police patrols seem suggest there is something to guard other than scrap iron

Devonport is the home base to a number of surface ships in addition to being a major refit yard for the RN and the home of FOST. (Flag Officer Sea Training) which multiple foreign navies buy into and which generates substantial training revenues for the UK.

PS Devonport has never been home to our nuclear deterrent so it hasn’t moved.
PPS You get more radiation dose walking across the granite of Dartmoor than you get from the Naval Base but don’t let the facts get in the way of any bias on your part.

Apologies to the OP for the thread drift.

 

[zoidberg]

Da nada, John. I don't mind. I've had my fair share of 'rads' from one source or another. Having a mooring on the Tamar isn't going to make a discernable difference.
And I respect 'oldmanofthehills' for his views.

'Meanwhile, back at the ranch', the OP will still be sifting through the stack of input he's had. He should be well able to 'pick the bones out' of it all.

Now.... did I ever tell you of the time we were intercepted by a nuclear attack submarine in the dead of night ( HMS Torbay ) on the fringes of the Cardigan Bay missile testing ranges, which frightened us witless? No? Well, 'it was a dark and stormy night'.....

 

[oldmanofthehills]

PPS You get more radiation dose walking across the granite of Dartmoor than you get from the Naval Base but don’t let the facts get in the way of any bias on your part.

Apologies to the OP for the thread drift.

Dont let you Patriotic bias get in the way of common sense and the spirit of enquiry. Several local nuclear power station decalred harmless actuaually had radiation warnings logged with local council as revealed to me by my sister when working for such council. She expressed surprise I needed nav light as thought boat should glow in the dark.

OP Dont go up the Upper Bristol Channel its full of mud much of which is chemically or radiation wise fairly polluted. Hinchley Pointless doesnt help

 

[john_morris_uk]

Da nada, John. I don't mind. I've had my fair share of 'rads' from one source or another. Having a mooring on the Tamar isn't going to make a discernable difference.
And I respect 'oldmanofthehills' for his views.

'Meanwhile, back at the ranch', the OP will still be sifting through the stack of input he's had. He should be well able to 'pick the bones out' of it all.

Now.... did I ever tell you of the time we were intercepted by a nuclear attack submarine in the dead of night ( HMS Torbay ) on the fringes of the Cardigan Bay missile testing ranges, which frightened us witless? No? Well, 'it was a dark and stormy night'.....

I like Dark & Stormy’s. They can be a great cocktail. They can also make a great tale.

I agree that Oldmanofthehills is perfectly entitled to his views and there are very good reasons to be worried about some things including radiation hazards. I just get irritated when people trot out the local misinformation that’s gossiping about in Plymouth.

 

[vyv_cox]

Now.... did I ever tell you of the time we were intercepted by a nuclear attack submarine in the dead of night ( HMS Torbay ) on the fringes of the Cardigan Bay missile testing ranges, which frightened us witless? No? Well, 'it was a dark and stormy night'.....

Many years ago we made a night crossing of Cardigan Bay in company with a friend in his Westerly. His boat was equipped with an ancient LCD radar, heavy on electricity but very sensitive. He watched a signal astern of us for some time, keeping about the same speed as ourselves, when it suddenly disappeared. We assumed a submarine.

 

[rotrax]

When my whole country is going down the pan due hubris and archaisism, perhaps forum rules dont always trump other considerations.

Im sorry if that thought disturbs you

A valid point if you truly believe that.

In my 76 years on this planet I have read extensively and taken on board much of what I considered to be 'Good Stuff'.

Clearly, stress, anxiety and worry are serious issues for some people.

If you are in the same situation as me, only having one vote at General and Local elections, you can, in truth, do little to change the way we live and are Governed.

My advice to you is to enjoy life while you can. Dont worry about things which you have no control over.

Like the things you pointed out above

 

[zoidberg]

We're well and truly t'drifting now, and I believe the OP has had a barrel-load of sound advice as requested, so apropos submarines....

A long time ago near a British Overseas Territory at the western end of the Mediterranean, three of us - 2 young pilots and myself - had been deployed with a Canberra aircraft to support some radar trials being carried out by HMS Penelope, a Leander-class frigate equipped and staffed for trials work. The GWS25 aka 'Sea Wolf' radar kit 'fell over' and while waiting for delivery of spare parts, the ship's captain 'invited' us to come to sea, when Penelope was attached to the weekly anti-submarine CASEX exercise with other NATO vessels, in the eastern approaches.

We three were parked in the frigate's operations room - me peering over the shoulder of a rating whose job was monitoring the surface radar picture, while the sensor operators nearby were listening for the exercise's two Dutch submarines.

Penelope had a full complement of highly experienced anti-submarine matelots, but most of the goings-on were being conducted by the other ships.
The 'Jimmy' ( or No 2 for Startreck fans ) was monitoring a vertical perspex plotting sheet, listening to communications from several helicopters and other surface vessels in the Task Group to the south of us, and I was treated by the naval senior rating to a running commentary on what the surface radar could 'see'.

The Spanish coast was clear to the north of us, and so were the 'paints' of many commercial ships lined up and heading west for the Traffic Separation Scheme. It was explained that commercial crews often jettisoned broken-down fridges and washing machines which also provided clear radar 'paints' while they remained afloat. and my chaperone explained that these were called 'Classified Garbage'.

"Like that one?" I pointed to one return on the screen about 3 miles to the north. "Yes," was the reply. "That's a good example"

"Odd," said I. "That fridge or washing machine seems to be keeping station just a few hundred metres astern of that big bulk carrier, doing the exact same 16 knots speed - and has been for quite some minutes."

"Bloody hell!" was the retort, with a longer string of Royal Navy technical obscenities. "That's not garbage.... it's a periscope" and he started rattling-off urgently into his mic headset. The 'Jimmy' came over, peered at the contact, rattled-off rather more into his mic - and the captain in his High Chair also started issuing commands.
It took about 20 minutes before HMS Devonshire, controlling the exercise to our south, was sufficiently convinced to send a sonar-dipping helo to go have a sniff. I noted that as soon as the helo pulled up its dipping-sonar cable and headed in our direction, the radar contact of interest - the periscope - dived and disappeared.

It emerged later that the contact was identified from the sonar library as a Russian nuclear submarine, exactly the sort of opponent that the exercise was intended to find, but it was also clear that the Task Force was so occupied with 'going through the motions' within the Exercise Box that no-one was looking any wider.