Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

ATLANTIC WIND passing Custom House Quay, Greenock for Fuel Terminal, Rothesay Dock, Clydebank

Contributed by Sandra B.  (Senior Site Administrator)

   The weather this morning was relatively kind.   Light rain and moderate visibility.   So I decided to go to Custom House Quay in Greenock to meet and greet the tanker ATLANTIC WIND when she arrives around 3pm (15:00 hours)

   Big mistake.

   Afternoon brought persistent rain and frequent heavy and prolonged and torrential showers.   Visibility was extremely poor.

   However, being tremendously brave, I sat in the car and seriously hoped for a break in the weather to get some photographs.

15:09   Tug CMS WRESTLER left her base at Victoria Harbour and passed Custom House Quay and making her way to join her fleetmate tug CMS THUNDERER off Greenock Esplanade, to meet the inbound tanker.     It was raining heavily and, against my better judgement, I took a few photos of the passing tug.

    A waste of time and effort.   Just horribly blurry images.

You may be interested to know that both tugs were certainly earning their keep that day.   A few hours earlier they had been in the Largs Channel and berthed the Royal Navy Frigate HMS SOMERSET at Fairlie Quay.    My fellow contributor Sandy from Skelmorlie had taken some lovely images of the event and these photographs are on this site. 

 15:20   Both tugs, CMS THUNDERER and CMS WRESTLER were now waiting patiently off the Esplanade.

15:29   The inbound Gibraltar registered tanker ATLANTIC WIND was passing Western Ferries Terminal at McInroy's Point, Gourock. 

15:45   Tanker was now passing number 1 buoy off Greenock Ocean Terminal and entering the shipping channel for her 19 miles (30.5km) passage up the River Clyde to the Fuel Terminal at Clydebank. 

15:47   Tug CMS WRESTLER was ahead, leading the tanker.   The rain was torrential, and I wisely sat in the car and snapped off a few images.  I was not intending to get drenched and contract influenza or pneumonia to get a photo of the tug.   Again the images were no use, all blurry in the heavy rain.

   Tug made a moments detour into Victoria Harbour to collect another crew member then rejoined the other vessels.

15:50   ATLANTIC WIND, followed by CMS THUNDERER, swept past the Quay.   The rain had eased off just a teensly-little bit  and I photographed them.

   So ended my afternoon's soggy and sodden visit to the Custom House.   Back home I checked the twenty-nine images which I had taken.   Only three were of any use and I have edited them as best I can to remove the rain and put them below on site.

Tug CMS THUNDERER escorting at the stern of the tanker