Latest film added...

NUTMEG

NUTMEG

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1 Sep 2009
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Essex
www.theblindsailor.co.uk
... if any of you fair weather sailors would like to see how us real men behave in the winter, take a peek at the latest film in the video section of my blog.

Alright, it was freezing cold, but not another sailing boat in sight, just a few nutter fishermen out. It really seems like a different place in the winter, no jetski's at all! Wonderful.

Steve
 
Thanks

I had never seen one before. Danny, who only rarely comes sailing, asked why they have a cross on top. We had no answer and he suggested that perhaps in the past, they marked where souls had been lost at sea. A romantic notion, but I wonder what the reason really is.

Anyone know?
 
I don't know if that is the origin of the choice but the topmark of course is there to identify the type of buoy when the colours cannot be seen. The cross is differently aligned to the x top mark on a yellow special buoy - but which came first I don't know. Looking at a pre-IALA chart the x top mark seems to have been used on a variety of marks - laterals and special marks. Looking at my 5011, a cross top mark is not listed at all. Isolated danger is of course two black balls but that means navigable water all around which is not the case at the Nass and special marks are a 'x'. Trinity House keep then covered as much as possible as the colours fade in sunlight. They are only intended for short term use (until a set of cardinals can be put in place) which will be interesting with the Nass wreck as the owner is refusing to do anything about it and there is no 'authority' over the water at that location.
 
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Thanks Tillergirl,

many of the top marks we see regularly are '3 dimensional' to a greater or lesser extent. In other words they can be seen, and identified, from any angle. The cross on the Wreck buoy however was just a simple cross. So from side on it will look like a stick!

Anyway a very pretty buoy in any case, and easily spotted by us visually impaired types!
 
Thoroughly enjoyed video & part of the blog I've got through - 'fraid time is of the essence as I'm a full time carer but planning the odd outing when swmbo is in Day Centre. Cheers!
 
Thanks chaps(esses)

Make the silly films for fun and 'cos I can see a computer screen much better than in 'real life', often surprised how much I miss when out sailing, and if others like 'em, then that makes it doubly worthwhile. Thank you all for watching them.
 
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