# Courses from the Clyde



## jacki (Jul 5, 2005)

Hi
I have just seen an old newspaper article ( from the 50s ) where a Master of a tanker suggested that under certain cir***stances, it was possible to take a single course from the mouth of Loch Long ( Clyde Estuary ) to South America.

Having got over my initial mirth, I got to thinking that it might be possible though no right minded seaman would do it eg shaving the Irish coast. Does anyone out there have any knowledge of this.

Thanks


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## 5036 (Jan 23, 2006)

You can go from the Tail of the Bank to Antarctica without touching land, from a very shaky memory the course was 197+1/2 degrees true. It has been confirmed to me by more than one sceptic who whiled away idle hours on the bridge checking that it is true. A submariner also agreed as he had heard and checked it many years previously.


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## Gulpers (Sep 8, 2005)

Nav, 

Sorry to be pedantic.

Interesting concept but you certainly couldn't make 197.5T from the Tail of the Bank without going through Greenock's west end! (EEK)

Surely somewhere between the Gantocks and Cloch Point would be the departure point? (?HUH)


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Gulpers said:


> Nav,
> 
> Sorry to be pedantic.
> 
> ...




Captain Pearson at GCNS once asked me what was the brightest light on the Clyde.

I thought is was Cloch Lt Ho.


He said, "No. Daylight!"


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## Gulpers (Sep 8, 2005)

Stephen J. Card said:


> Captain Pearson at GCNS once asked me what was the brightest light on the Clyde.
> 
> I thought is was Cloch Lt Ho.
> 
> ...


I did like Captain Pearson, as a lecturer and socially - went to school with his son.
Strangely enough, the above mentioned course from Tail of the Bank would damn near pass through Captain Pearson's living room! (Jester)


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## Stephen J. Card (Nov 5, 2006)

Gulpers said:


> I did like Captain Pearson, as a lecturer and socially - went to school with his son.
> Strangely enough, the above mentioned course from Tail of the Bank would damn near pass through Captain Pearson's living room! (Jester)



And that would have earned you a FAIL in chartwork!

I remember one cadet on ONC Phase One was told to plot a course on the chart from Plymouth to Bristol. He drew a single line from Plymouth to Bristol.... about 030 T !!!!

I'm sure there were many brilliant lecturers in the various sea schools round Britain, but for sure, the lecturers at GCNS must rank as the best of the best.


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## jaguar06 (Dec 10, 2006)

Gulpers said:


> I did like Captain Pearson, as a lecturer and socially - went to school with his son.
> Strangely enough, the above mentioned course from Tail of the Bank would damn near pass through Captain Pearson's living room! (Jester)


As long as you're flashing your lights and tooting the horn, it should be okay. (Wave)


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## 5036 (Jan 23, 2006)

Gulpers said:


> Nav,
> 
> Sorry to be pedantic.
> 
> ...


I always assumed the Tail of the Bank took in the area from the sandbanks to the east of Greenock over to Dunoon, would be glad to be proven wrong. Got that impression from some old timers many years ago who gathered in convoys for Murmansk and the USA. They told some incredible stories and it was all done without GPS or Decca and with many more things to worry about besides.


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## John Cassels (Sep 29, 2005)

jacki said:


> Hi
> I have just seen an old newspaper article ( from the 50s ) where a Master of a tanker suggested that under certain cir***stances, it was possible to take a single course from the mouth of Loch Long ( Clyde Estuary ) to South America.
> 
> Having got over my initial mirth, I got to thinking that it might be possible though no right minded seaman would do it eg shaving the Irish coast. Does anyone out there have any knowledge of this.
> ...


The Master in question wasn't Italian by any chance , was he ?.


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## Gulpers (Sep 8, 2005)

nav said:


> I always assumed the Tail of the Bank took in the area from the sandbanks to the east of Greenock over to Dunoon, would be glad to be proven wrong. Got that impression from some old timers many years ago who gathered in convoys for Murmansk and the USA. They told some incredible stories and it was all done without GPS or Decca and with many more things to worry about besides.


Hi Nav,

The UKHO chart (no. 1994, published 1974, revised 1994) notes Tail of the Bank to the NE of the outer end of the navigable channel of the River Clyde, off the Clydeport Ocean Terminal, Greenock. The name is centred at N55 57.4 W4 45.1 [NS 282 771].
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 8 December 2009. (Thumb)


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## 5036 (Jan 23, 2006)

Gulpers, thanks for that. I suppose familiarity breeds ignorance. I remember sending friends and family off from the "Tail of the Bank" in the 60's on the Caronia, the Savionia and the beautiful Empresses, all stunning, seaworthy and dare I say it competently crewed ships. Obviously it was not Tail of the Bank, nor was the Fleet Review my dad took me to see in 1965. We always talked about the Tail of the Bank during many yacht races I took part in and the area you describe is the "Alpha Anchorage" or as we described it, the East Patch. Fascinating, thank you.


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## 5036 (Jan 23, 2006)

ps - is it true that you can sail from the area "somewhere at the top of the Clyde estuary" to Antarctica without touching land and if the answer is yes, what is the course?


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## NZSCOTTY (May 20, 2006)

Stephen J. Card said:


> Captain Pearson at GCNS once asked me what was the brightest light on the Clyde.
> 
> I thought is was Cloch Lt Ho.
> 
> ...


And I thought John Cassels was the brightest light!


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## John Cassels (Sep 29, 2005)

Brightest light in the area is the "Vic " on shore street.

Don't even need an initial course from TOTB , just home in on the booze fumes.


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## duquesa (Aug 31, 2006)

"The Master in question wasn't Italian by any chance , was he ?."

Like. (Applause)(Applause)


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## Blackal (Jan 29, 2008)

Stephen J. Card said:


> I'm sure there were many brilliant lecturers in the various sea schools round Britain, but for sure, the Engineering lecturers at GCNS must rank as the best of the best.


Fixed it for you, Stephen................. 

Al


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