Direction of buoy age when not clear...?

[ianj99]

Except in the Sound of Kerrera, where that will land you right onto the Ferry Rocks! (Unless your charts are bang up to date).

I watched a yacht heading south a year or so ago. down the Sound. He was definitely heading for them but must have looked at his chart again because there was a rapid change of direction, just in time.

 

[Matata]

Hi All, from the number of thoughts and comments its strikes me that the direction of buoyage is not so obvious. I was thinking of getting a chart plotter and the over riding opinion was the bigger the better. I think an evening spent looking at paper charts may be a very worth while alternative!. Ta Nik

 

[Robert Wilson]

Hi All, from the number of thoughts and comments its strikes me that the direction of buoyage is not so obvious. I was thinking of getting a chart plotter and the over riding opinion was the bigger the better. I think an evening spent looking at paper charts may be a very worth while alternative!. Ta Nik

Enjoyable evening, too!

But, even if you have a big plotter, don't forget to take your "marked-up" charts with you on the boat when you come up here

Enjoy it when you come.
Pop into Loch Ewe and/or Gruinard Bay and let me know - refreshments available!!

PS I loved the foregoing bit about HMS Astute !!!!! Very entertaining incident, for those of us not involved:redface-new:

 

[davidej]

Bad advice to follow in the Thames estuary years ago. There was a red buoy marking the south edge of the Oaze deep which also marked the West side of the Red Sand Towers, with a green buoy on the East side, and therefore having the towers in the middle. It was like that for years until a ship tried to go between them. Then they took the green buoy away.

I made a similar mistake in my early years and nearly ended up on the Barrow sands

 

[scottie]

The north Chanel and Oban bay have had their fair share of liners going aground also

 

[Minchsailor]

Hi All, from the number of thoughts and comments its strikes me that the direction of buoyage is not so obvious. I was thinking of getting a chart plotter and the over riding opinion was the bigger the better. I think an evening spent looking at paper charts may be a very worth while alternative!. Ta Nik

An evening with charts of a new area is always enjoyable. But, I have been sailing area for years and there is no difficulty in following the buoyage. A couple have been pointed out; Kerrara Sd going into Oban was the obvious one, and that has been sorted. Just follow the rule - flood tide green to stbd, red to port.

A chart plotter is a nicety and comes in handy for the finding the remoter anchorages, but the data will be based on HO charts and some surveys of the area go back to the early 1900s when a leadline was the norm and chart datums were a bit random. The HO does not now normally survey inside the 10m line unless it is for the use of commercial traffic.

Bob Bradfield's Antares charts are very good for detail of anchorages and can be used with confidence with GPS and Memory Map.

 

[Aja]

The church is where the flow changes in the east Kyle

Not terribly helpful when on passage through the narrows from Tighnabruaich and you don't look at the chart....



Regards

Donald