First dive of the year was last Sunday. With beautiful conditions on the surface we broke a thin sheet of ice as we left the berth in Kip Marina, glad I had my dry gloves with me. Dive plan for the day was the wreck of the mighty Akka off Dunoon, followed by dives further south on the Wallachia and in Wemyss Bay. We arrived on site in blazing … [Read more...]
The Big Storm of January 1953 – 3 vessels wrecked
On the night of 30/31 January 1953 a great storm blew in from the North Atlantic bringing with it hurricane force winds gusting to 112 mph, sleet and snow. Conditions at sea cannot be imagined. Off the west coast of Scotland three ships were in trouble, lifeboat services went to assist but struggled in the conditions at the height of the … [Read more...]
Research yacht Penola – a long distance traveller
While researching the loss of the three masted auxiliary schooner Penola, we came across some interesting information concerning her involvement on a three year British expedition to Graham Land, Antartica during 1934-37. The archive which is held by the University of Cambridge includes an extensive photo record of the expedition, with many … [Read more...]
Clyro @ Culzean
A recent visit to Culzean Country Park provided me with an opportunity to re-visit the site of a shipwreck just south of the famous and ever popular Culzean Castle. I first stumbled across the wreck in the late 70's when on a field trip from Glasgow School of Art. Since then we have visited the wreck on a number of occasions, mainly by boat, but it … [Read more...]
Dive Dunoon
Dive and Dunoon sit well together, not sure which way round but I will leave it there. A recent dive on the wreck of the paddle tug Champion got me thinking about some of the other vessels that have come to grief off this bustling west coast town. In the late 19th century Dunoon was a busy holiday resort jam packed with holiday makers in the summer … [Read more...]
