HMS Daring

14.2C starting very wet with heavy rain all morning then clearing to showers and dry later. Wind to 24 mph with gusts to 34 mph.

Maeve the Deerhound woke us up at 5am. She was standing at the bedroom door. I got up thinking she wanted to go out but realised she had been disturbed by the noise of the torrential showers on the Velux window above the stairs to our upper floor. I settled her and closed the bedroom door to minimise the noise. Thankfully I didn't have to get dressed and take her out for a walk in the rain ! When we did go out about 7am we went out for a very short walk between the showers.

Through the morning the showers were very heavy.

After lunch when the showers appeared to have stopped Maeve and I went for a walk. We wandered out Low Askomill to the old shipyard to get a closer view of the naval vessel I had noticed come into the loch earlier. I thought I would get the best look at her across the loch rather than by walking out the Kilkerran road on the South shore to Glenramskill.

The ship had come into the loch about 8am, turned and then docked at the NATO jetty which is a refuelling point. This is the first vessel I have seen dock at the jetty since we have been here. I took several shots when we were out at the shipyard but most, as I suspected they would be, were slightly out of focus due to the strength of the gusting wind and me being right out in the open. I think this is the clearest shot. The fuel tanks are quite well hidden in the hillside on several terraces. The ship is D32, HMS Daring. She is a type 45 destroyer built at the Scotstoun yard on the Clyde, launched in 2006, and in service by 2009.

Afternoon music ... Nazareth.

E-PL5 f/11 1/320 sec. ISO-200 42mm


Extra: Davaar island from the old shipyard. Wind behind me. Camera slightly more sheltered.

Note: The Arran ferry (Brodick to Ardrossan) is on amber warning of service disruption due to high winds.