Are you of a nautical bent?

[Foghat]

(as a bit of a landlubber, I'm stupidly drawn to things nautical)

As a 'compromise', may I recommend the fascinating 'The Lighthouse Stevensons', by Bella Bathurst, as great insight to the development and construction of this nation's network of shipping-saving lighthouses?

Truly outstanding what could be achieved without hydraulics but with grit and determination.

 

[JamesAC]

Grippingly brilliant.

Now, when there's nothing good on the telly, I can fire up the old pc and watch the shipping!

Hello sailor!

 

[Arch]

As a 'compromise', may I recommend the fascinating 'The Lighthouse Stevensons', by Bella Bathurst, as great insight to the development and construction of this nation's network of shipping-saving lighthouses?

Truly outstanding what could be achieved without hydraulics but with grit and determination.

Oh, I'll look out for that. Saw a fascinating thing on Coast recently as well, about the Foghorns, all sadly now out of use.

I recommend (well I would, if I could ever remember the damn title) <googles>

That's it! "Attention All Shipping - A journey round the shipping forecast" by Charlie Connelly.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Attention-All-Shipping-Journey-Forecast/dp/0316724742


Some great facts, and a funny narration to boot.

Speaking of the shipping forecast, on the Culture Show on BBC2 on Saturday they had a little feature on the faces behind various voices. Turns out Radio 4's Zeb Soanes, who sounds 50 and bearded (nothing wrong with that, of course), is in fact 30ish, and very pretty indeed....

 

[snorri]

Nautical cycling, one for Speicher.

View: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=BrlmOJeOnb4&feature=related

 

[Arch]

Nautical cycling, one for Speicher.

View: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=BrlmOJeOnb4&feature=related

That is very, very silly, but hilarious!

If they stretched that hawser a bit, across the deck, they could play tennis. Have to be careful not to hit the ball 'out!' though....

 

[radger]

there appears to be a pile-up (or whatever the shipping version is) just outside dover



Yes, yes, I know the boats are shown not actual size

 

[yenrod]

If so, here's a great way to waste a shedload of time (already mentioned in another thread, but thought it deserved a wider audience):

http://www.shipais.com/index.php

Choose an area, and watch the shipping. Set to refresh every couple of minutes. Mouseover each vessel to see name, speed, destination, type of vessel...

Go to Fleetwood to see the ill fated Riverdance:

http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=Fleetwood

Marvel at how anything makes it across the English Channel without a collision!:
http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=dover

God almighty - i was gonna post a link to this y.day !

How 'spacey' !

If you look at the correct area you can see the ship by blackpool !

 

[Foghat]

Saw a fascinating thing on Coast recently as well, about the Foghorns, all sadly now out of use.

The foghorns are indeed most interesting installations. I encountered several last summer as I travelled round Scotland, including out at the Cape Wrath lighthouse. They are hulking great devices and now seem to be rusted in place and unswivellable (although they did appear recently painted). The jaunt over to Cape Wrath is very worthwhile, and even has an added comedy 'ferry' service thrown in.

The shipping forecast book sounds right up my estuary, so thanks for alerting us on that. I wonder if it'll tell me why the sequences of area forecasts and of reports from coastal stations start at completely different points on the British Isles 'clock'?

Ref. the younger-than-you-realise-Radio-4-announcer phenomenon, I remember a similar reaction (minus the 'pretty', or indeed any pulchritude-grading, assessment I hasten to add) on seeing newsreader Patrick Muirhead interviewed - sounded 50, looked about 25, complete with dreadful teenage apparel.

 

[got-to-get-fit]

I use this website a lot. This one and PD ports. I manage an oil terminal and use it to tell me how far away the ships are.

 

[arranandy]

That is such a cool sight. I've added it to my favourites. Living on an island - Arran - in my youth means I have always liked the sea and ships in general. Even had the chance to go to a couple of launches years ago when my granpa worked at Yarrows on the Clyde

 

[Speicher]

Nautical cycling, one for Speicher.

View: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=BrlmOJeOnb4&feature=related

Thank you Snorri, good one that. Very late in acknowledging it as I have had a busy day.

 

[Twenty Inch]

What a nice thread. Thanks Arch!

 

[Kirstie]

The jaunt over to Cape Wrath is very worthwhile, and even has an added comedy 'ferry' service thrown in.

Unless they're dropping bombs on it, in which case its' rather dangerous...

 

[ChrisKH]

I like shipping. Used to live on an Island when I was younger too but nothing like Arran. I could see the Thames estuary and Southend sea front and the pier in all its glory until they raised the sea wall when I was 14. Shipping was regularly up and down the Thames (as you would expect) and you could tell the weather from your bed by the sound of foghorns and how rapidly the rigging was tapping against yachts at the local yacht club just up the road.

I had a personal interest in beached shipping as did every other kid up my street as this was our playground and warzone :-

http://www.concretebarge.co.uk/frames/index.htm

I regret to say that the graffiti on the side was my first banksy impressionist work.

Just to add my musical influences were pretty much determined by early listening to Radio Caroline who were moored out there somewhere in my teens.

 

[Fnaar]

I like shipping. Used to live on an Island when I was younger too but nothing like Arran. I could see the Thames estuary and Southend sea front and the pier in all its glory until they raised the sea wall when I was 14. Shipping was regularly up and down the Thames (as you would expect) and you could tell the weather from your bed by the sound of foghorns and how rapidly the rigging was tapping against yachts at the local yacht club just up the road.

I had a personal interest in beached shipping as did every other kid up my street as this was our playground and warzone :-

http://www.concretebarge.co.uk/frames/index.htm

I regret to say that the graffiti on the side was my first banksy impressionist work.

Just to add my musical influences were pretty much determined by early listening to Radio Caroline who were moored out there somewhere in my teens.

Shirley and Marilyn....