Booked for poor parking

[Amber1]

Here's a couple of pics of the M/V Balmoral, approaching Millport, Isle of Cumbrae last night.

It was S.W. F6, increasing, with a heavy southerly groundswell.

The boat is pretty top heavy, and the narrow beam, loads of people on deck coupled to the swell, made for a pretty hair raising berthing to say the least
Her the master over the radio saying, we'll give it a go!

At least the police launch was there to make sure he didn't block anybody's driveway..

The photos don't do it justice, but the momentum of the thing hitting the pier was eye watering......I know which boat I was glad to be on!

Got to take my hat off to the skill of just getting it anywhere near the pier.

We tried to wait off, to see it leave, but the wind was picking up against the tide, and it was getting dark, so discretion being the better part of valour, we left, and encoutered some big seas ourselves heading back to the east side of Cumbrae.

We later watched Balmoral come round the headland in the dark, and the master obviously kept her bow to wind for as long as possible, but when she eventually had to make the turn accross the sea to port, oh my god!....you could see her lights roll about 35 degrees to starboard two or three times. It was terrifying to watch, there must have been a few spilled pints on board.

[alexm]

Is that the same Balmoral that usually operates in the Bristol Channel?

http://www.nhsc.org.uk/index.cfm/eve...essel/vref/128

If so, what's she doing all the way up there? I didn't realise she went so far afield!

[codprawn]

Balmoral and Waverly owned by the same company - based in Scotland - the name should give it away!!!

She has made good time - was in Swansea the other day.

that has to be the biggest Police boat I have ever seen - what the hell do they want that for? Fortunately Swansea doesn't even have one!!!

[craig_c]

police boat only does 27 kts flat out and itll run out of diesel quickly which is handy for clyde ribbers

that balmoral boat is dodgy, i noticed how they had to pull out in front of the qe2 coz everybody was on the one side!

[SDGANDER]

Originally Posted by craig_c

police boat only does 27 kts flat out and itll run out of diesel quickly which is handy for clyde ribbers

It looks like an old Arun to me?

SDG.

[Milo72]

the Balmoral was here a few weeks ago running along the Jurassic coast to the Needles... SE4-5, fine, until she rounded Porland Bill and 400 people all started being sick cos she was rolling like a pig in the waves and chop!

Fair play tho, she's always busy and always full....

[chris123]

Originally Posted by SDGANDER

It looks like an old Arun to me?

Yep, its an old Arun. It must have been re-engined to be able to do 27 knots, though!

[Amber1]

Don't know if it has been re-engined, I would doubt it.

The Arun's did 18 knots I think.

It might be getting confused with the newer Severn class, which can do about 25 knots.

I did read that there was controversy about bigger, faster lifeboats at the time, because the human body can only take so much abuse when one of these new types is launched off the back of a wave, or falls into a trough at 25 knots.

I would say this has to be balanced against the greater capabilities and power of the newer types. You only have to look at the gold medal rescue from the M/V Green Lily, to see that size and power matter in that context.
It has been argued that the Arun might not have been able to pull that rescue off, and would have suffered serious damage.

The Arun is still a very impressive sea boat though.

[Polwart]

http://www.strathclyde.police.uk/ind...D=928&docID=-1

[behavin]

you'd be lucky to find an arun that did 18 knots nowadays.
brand new ours just managed it downhill but 16-17 knots was the norm.
same with the severn's : they were designed to do 25 knots but they won't unless you have a newer one.
We had a relief severn and that did 24.5 knots but ours is more like 23 knots.
Aruns had a "lovely" roll when stopped.....

the severn is a thunderous boat though ..awesome amount of power out the back