The storm
Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Tue 2 Jun 2015 09:18
| We went into Oban in the morning (Sunday) for the ritual Costa Coffee and newspaper awaiting the arrival of the forecasted severe gale 9 and storm 10. Snow on the 1 June 2105 encouraged Mark to buy yet another heater.  Tojo, the ferryman said that he would stop running the ferry in the afternoon but in fact it stopped of its own accord mid morning as we crossed back to the marina——the engine just died when we were in the middle of the tidal stream. He managed to start it but it kept stopping. We stopped and started our way back back to the marina without summonsing the Oban lifeboat. The culprit was probably dirty fuel although he said that it just been serviced the week before. Helen occupied herself by sewing on the new wheel cover—and very smart it looks.  The pilot book says that Oban Marina provides good shelter from all directions. The ferryman says that it is good but exposed to the south east. The wind started at about 1500 and by 1600 was gusting in excess of 40 knots from the south east!. The sea in the marina was rough with torrential rain and hailstones, with boats tossing around and fenders squashed hard against the pontoons. It blew until about 1900 and then all went quiet and the sun even made a brief appearance. We assumed that the wind would then veer to the west as forecast but in fact at about 2100 it started to blow from the south east again——fortunately no spillage of the whisky or wine! !  It then went quiet and and then in the middle of the night it blew hard from the west as promised——we were spared the storm 10 but had another bout of severe gale 9 into the early hours of the morning. With a better forecast we are now about to head north up the lochs for a few days. stop press——the fuel filters etc were changed on the ferry. Tojo then put 50 litres of new fuel into the tank but by the time he got over to Oban it was empty———it hall disappeared into the bilge and he suspects a faulty fuel pump. We are now being transported by the reserve ferry which is somewhat open to the elements! |