BLUEMOMENT

Sailed from Dunstaffnage to Rhu over past few days, leaving Dunstaffnage Wednesday.
On arriving in Oban (train so as notto leave a car there), the taxi driver told of rough weather Monday/Tuesday and of the Mull ferry being hove to outside Obans north Entrance for 4-5 hours.
Arriving at the marina, the first thing we noticed was a guy working on the main walkway off the shore. The floating part was about three metres closer to shore than it should be, but there was no gap further out. Guess that means the whole marina has moved (or someone has extended that rock breakwater out a bit further?
The place seemed a mess. Ropes everywhere. Our boat had had both bow and stern fairleads ripped clean out, along with some toe rail and rubbing board. The pulpit stbd leg crushed by the bow rop out of the missing fairlead.
But we seemed to come off lightly, others faring much worse. Didn't stay about too long to find out the extent of the damage, wanting to get away south towards MoK to make good time. I did notice though a lot of people inspecting things, and several fingers either sunk or overturned, especially on the north west end. Divers had been working 2 weeks before on our previous trip out, and were still there. A chain replacement had been on-going. Wonder if that contributed any way?
Any other news of this?

AFAIK the chain replacement was virtually finished at the start of last week (and is now completely finished) and anyway the replacement was one old one out and one new one in i.e. the marina was never left without a full complement of anchors. I'm pretty sure the problem was just too much wind from the wrong direction.

The work on the access ramp (apart from installing the new security gate) was to replace the old channels on the floating part that the ramp wheels move in. I don't think the whole marina has moved although the new channels and the removal of an old bit of ply from the foot of the ramp have changed the appearance of that area.

The channels had to be moved as they were way up under the ramp when the floating part moved under the ramp. At least thats what the guy fixing them told me and it appeared to be so.

The new security gate looks a laugh. I can't see that being practical. Has a security gate worked anywhere else for more than half a season?

I think the whole marina has been blown 2-3m ashore, the pontoon underneath the ramp used to dryout on the sandy seabed, now its halfway up the breakwater. We suffered the boat north of us ( it was a strong northerly) blowing onto us for the duration, eroding 40-50cm of our deck-hull seal - this was caused by her aft mooring warp stretching and the pontoon finger she was attached to also flexing to bring the boat into contact with ours. Quite a few boats damaged - I heard 17 , but didn't go around counting so that may not be correct. Very, very annoying.

I'm not certain of going back next year. Anyone can have a storm, (or in business- a complaint, error, etc), its how its handled that makes the difference. A well handled complaint can secure a customer for a long time. Poorly handled drives them away.
But many customers don't complain - they just vote with their feet. (I'm a bit that way)

Every time I drive past Dunstaffnage I think "If I berthed here it would save me a 3/4 hour drive each way, several hundred pounds worth of petrol each year, and base me closer to the action with fewer tidal gates to bother about". And then I think of the down sides...

But if you did move Davey, where would the fun be wi nae tidal gates and whit aboot ma definyatuv guide?

claymore wrote:whit aboot ma definyatuv guide?

There's a copy taped to the flyleaf of my tidal atlas