Naval pan pan clyde sunday?

Ta

Mate who heard it thought it didn't sound like a training ex, tho that would make more sense. A yacht radioed them back as they had had to leave the bay?
 
We walked across to the cafe, from Port Bannatyne, for a late (11am) breky. She was anchored in Ettrick Bay then, with a Rib close by.

The bay is supposed to be foul, so maybe they're tidying things up. I believe that the bay was used as an anchorage for seaplanes during the war.

Ash
 
A1Sailor said:
Ettrick Bay is marked on the chart as being "dangerous" with anchoring prohibited. I think it has unexploded ordnance.
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On which chart? I don't think I have ever seen "dangerous", just "foul" - which puzzles me, because naval vessels anchor there all the time. Perhaps they are protecting seahorses?
 
Apologies. It is indeed simply marked Foul Area (see note) on the Admiralty Chart - not dangerous.
The note says:
Mariners are cautioned against anchoring or fishing....owing to the presence of underwater obstructions
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No mention of unexploded ordnance either!
 
We picked those up on the way up to Rothesay on Sunday - pretty sure they were giving notice of imminent "underwater explosions" - but
never heard anything !
 
Etrrick Bay is stunning. The bottom is a lovely sand, not the usual mud, good holding and when the sun is out it is almost Caribbean as the water changes from grey to blue. I have anchored at Etrrick Bay a few times, up in the north corner and windsurfed in the bay. Around the anchorage the bottom is clear and there was nothing obviously suspicious. Perhaps it was where the mini subs practised during WW2, limpet mines and all that.
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
Etrrick Bay is stunning. The bottom is a lovely sand, not the usual mud, good holding and when the sun is out it is almost Caribbean as the water changes from grey to blue. I have anchored at Etrrick Bay a few times, up in the north corner and windsurfed in the bay. Around the anchorage the bottom is clear and there was nothing obviously suspicious. Perhaps it was where the mini subs practised during WW2, limpet mines and all that.
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I think from having read a bit on the Naval activities on Bute during WW2, that the west facing beaches were used to test methods of clearing anti-landing obstructions in preparation for the D-Day landings. By implication something remains - maybe ordnance maybe not, and the current Navy uses those remains for demolition practice or something like that from time to time?

If you do anchor there , do it shallow enough to see where your anchor is? Prevailing winds don't make it a very comfortable place to anchor anyway most of the time, pretty as it is.
 
pagoda said:
... If you do anchor there , do it shallow enough to see where your anchor is?
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Thanks for the historical context. I always anchor in about 3m + height of tide and that takes one quite close in and relatively sheltered. You are right, it is exposed from prevailing winds and the sea is quite clear due to the sand on bottom. I would recommend the spot without hesitation as a lunch time, calm weather stop.
 
Al Dickson said:
We picked those up on the way up to Rothesay on Sunday - pretty sure they were giving notice of imminent "underwater explosions" - but
never heard anything !
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We have heard very similar sounding "all ships" messages on two previous occasions - once when passing the Bay - and never noticed or heard any significant activity, though may have been happening underwater
 
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