NLV Pole Star holds station, despite the strong wind and tide, thanks to "Dynamic Positioning"  - which according to Wikipedia is, "a computer-controlled system to automatically maintain a vessel's position and heading by using its own propellers and thrusters." Certainly seemed to be very effective, as initially I'd wondered if it the ship had run aground such was its lack of movement in the fairly wild wind. It was sitting just East of the Kessock bridge, in the Inner Moray Firth.

I'd guess by the "Clear Water" buoy being on board (the red and white striped one), that they were going to replace the Munlochy buoy. That's the only such buoy I can think of nearby. And I only know that from having spent a good number of Friday nights (on board the former XSV Loyal Proctor) anchored nearby. We'd be waiting overnight, prior to heading off somewhere training over the weekend.

The yellow buoy with an "X" on the top is for "Special marks" - which means refer to your chart to find exactly what's nearby. They're often used to mark the end of an outfall pipe. So probably not the best place for swimming or fishing...

Note the solar panels on both. These are used to charge up batteries during the day. And the batteries power the (LED based) lights when it's dark.

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Regarding the cycle issues, it dawned on me what the problem was on my way to work, and then I vaguely remembered what must have caused it. Dismantling the back wheel tonight confirmed the diagnosis - a sheared/broken rear axle, that was only being held together by a very tightly done-up quick release mechanism.

The scary thing is that it must have broken three to four weeks ago, when I hit a monster pothole. It was twenty years ago that I last had this happen. Back then I broke two within the space of a couple of months. Decided to go easy on the jumping the bike over obstacles (at anything between 15 and 40 mph) after that...

Bit of work ensued to revive an alternative steed for usage tomorrow.