Scotland jitters

Babylon

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Its DULLS again, as usual, digging up old threads, trying to be clever or provocative, but just being annoying and utterly pointless.
 

Shuggy

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Dulls - the great thing about sailing (in my experience) is that it dilutes national or political leanings and unites people who love the sea and enjoy some boat chat. I’m Scottish... I don’t care if you like us or not. Come and enjoy the west coast (perhaps you already have?) and consider leaving your prejudices behind. I don’t think you’ll find anyone who doesn’t want to chat to you. Just saying.
 

Sgeir

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Just a word of caution regarding the North Channel and the TSS between Rathlin and Kintyre as I do not think it wise to play down the traffic density.

We have made that crossing on many occasions, often at night, but, with the exception of our last passage, always undertaken without the aids of radar and AIS. Two points;

1. While perhaps infrequent, there is indeed movement in the TSS and there have been occasions where we have had to make a judgement as to "when to go" across the TSS with up to four or five ships within a handful of miles.

2. While, with careful passage planning, you can use the tides to your advantage, you need to remember that there could be 4kts (or possibly more at some places) of tidal current which means that you could find a ship closing on you rather more quickly than you might expect.

Crossing on a moonless night without radar or AIS can be tense. On one occasion, we thought what we believed to be a normal freighter would pass us at about one mile ahead. A call on ch16 did not raise a response. In the event, the vessel turned out to be very close, fairly large and very fast, possibly a naval ship, completely unlit apart from its nav lights. We got a quite a shock hearing the loud throb of its engines as it very quickly passed in front of us and disappeared into the night.

I would feel much more comfortable making that night time passage now that our current boat carries AIS (tx/rx) and radar.
 

JumbleDuck

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Just a word of caution regarding the North Channel and the TSS between Rathlin and Kintyre as I do not think it wise to play down the traffic density.
I don't think I have ever seen a ship in the Rathlin/Kintyre TSS. I don't doubt that there must be a few, from time to time, but the English Channel it ain't and the traffic density doesn't seem anywhere near enough to justify the scheme. Here's the current situation: one ship has come through it (red) and one is heading for it (green). The blue one is a Liverpool-Belfast ferry.

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Meanwhile, down south

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The North Channel can certainly be busy - I had a fun crossing in fog from Portpatrick to Bangor a few years ago during which I heard several Big Things I couldn't see. I fitted AIS that winter ...
 
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NormanS

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2. I expect that the tide would have exactly the same influence on the ship, as it would on your yacht.
 

dulls

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Dulls - the great thing about sailing (in my experience) is that it dilutes national or political leanings and unites people who love the sea and enjoy some boat chat. I’m Scottish... I don’t care if you like us or not. Come and enjoy the west coast (perhaps you already have?) and consider leaving your prejudices behind. I don’t think you’ll find anyone who doesn’t want to chat to you. Just saying.
Condescending irony, my favourite.
 

cherod

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Just a word of caution regarding the North Channel and the TSS between Rathlin and Kintyre as I do not think it wise to play down the traffic density.

We have made that crossing on many occasions, often at night, but, with the exception of our last passage, always undertaken without the aids of radar and AIS. Two points;

1. While perhaps infrequent, there is indeed movement in the TSS and there have been occasions where we have had to make a judgement as to "when to go" across the TSS with up to four or five ships within a handful of miles.

2. While, with careful passage planning, you can use the tides to your advantage, you need to remember that there could be 4kts (or possibly more at some places) of tidal current which means that you could find a ship closing on you rather more quickly than you might expect.

Crossing on a moonless night without radar or AIS can be tense. On one occasion, we thought what we believed to be a normal freighter would pass us at about one mile ahead. A call on ch16 did not raise a response. In the event, the vessel turned out to be very close, fairly large and very fast, possibly a naval ship, completely unlit apart from its nav lights. We got a quite a shock hearing the loud throb of its engines as it very quickly passed in front of us and disappeared into the night.

I would feel much more comfortable making that night time passage now that our current boat carries AIS (tx/rx) and radar.
These naval boats seem to pose quite a threat ,, to the wrong people
 

dulls

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Actually it wasn’t. Thanks.
I suggest you read all the posts from 1 through to 5 to get the gist of my responses. Then you can advise those posters. I replied to them, i did not originate the Scottish English debate. Hence why i find your advice condescending.
 

Quandary

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You resurrected a dead thread , to what purpose, certainly not to inform, perhaps trolling is what you do? There is a lot more scope and probably some folk like yourself down in the Lounge, you might even be welcomed there. These sailing fora are for mutual help not political stirring.
 

dulls

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I suggest you read all the posts from 1 through to 5 to get the gist of my responses. What is the law on resurrecting a dead thread? In the same spirit why are you responding?
 

SaltIre

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I suggest you read all the posts from 1 through to 5 to get the gist of my responses. What is the law on resurrecting a dead thread? In the same spirit why are you responding?
Welcome back to the forum Dullsy. I presume you sold your boat in 2014 and renewed your interest in boating a month ago when you resumed posting.:)
dulls
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I dont have a boat now..........Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
 

dulls

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Welcome back to the forum Dullsy. I presume you sold your boat in 2014 and renewed your interest in boating a month ago when you resumed posting.:)
2016 and am now looking to buy my third boat possibly in August but i am sort of keen to wait for the boat market to drop a bit in this financial uncertainty. So in a rush to go sailing again but trying to be patient and watch the prices come down. The reason i am looking at Scotish threads is because one of the boats i am interested in is up in Scotland so i was thinking we might spend a few years up there before moving on. So was picking out information about sailing up there.
 

dgadee

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I don't think I have ever seen a ship in the Rathlin/Kintyre TSS. I don't doubt that there must be a few, from time to time, but the English Channel it ain't and the traffic density doesn't seem anywhere near enough to justify the scheme. Here's the current situation: one ship has come through it (red) and one is heading for it (green). The blue one is a Liverpool-Belfast ferry.

The North Channel can certainly be busy - I had a fun crossing in fog from Portpatrick to Bangor a few years ago during which I heard several Big Things I couldn't see. I fitted AIS that winter ...

Too true. That TSS is just a nuisance and another reason never to transmit AIS when ignoring it. I did hear of one prosecution - a German naval vessel reported a yacht in the wrong lane. In my view a TSS should not apply to yachts excepting that they must stay out of ships way. As it is in a channel where ships are constrained by size/depth.
 
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