On Wednesday afternoon vintage tug Golden Cross was towed out of the rocky inlet at Shepherds Point where she had drifted to the previous day. After being lashed to Serco tug SD Resourceful in the middle of Loch Long and accompanied by an MOD police boat and RIB police launch, the vessel continued to her original mooring off Ardentinny Hotel.
On examination of the mooring by the MOD crew, we understand that it was impossible to secure the Golden Cross, as the ‘t/bar’ on the buoy had been ripped off. The buoy will therefore need to be replaced.
HMRT Golden Cross was last night taken to a temporary mooring near to the mouth of Loch Goil.
Click image to enlarge.
Video footage to follow shortly.
Twice adrift , sinking , now spewing oil out !! What’s it going to take before this old rust bucket is towed off to the scrap yard !!
Would appear she is on the beach again and has an oil spill boom around her now. How did she get there not another poor mooring?
The owners don’t seem to have much to say for themselves at the moment and, quite interestingly, the ‘official’ Project Golden Cross website is no longer available on DIIA.org!
? is it sinking ?
I know I said I was bowing out on this one but I must thank J Robinson for his comments in last week’s Observer, which I obviously endorse 100%.
Been reading through the various comments on the whole Golden Albatross saga, am I to assume David Symon is involved with the tub? If so, he makes a very poor ambassador for the project. Demanding face to face meetings (for what purpose? Intimidation? Violence?), wishing people a watery grave! Sounds like he needs to grow up.
I’d put money on the fact that I’ve owned and sailed more boats over my years than you have David (I guess that makes me a Captain!), I’ve not tripped up and drowned yet and, come to think of it, I never lost any of them. The RYA run some excellent courses if you want to learn more, and if you’re going to use Naval contractors in future make sure it’s not the Swiss Navy again.
I’m bowing out on this one, I’ve said my piece, we’re just going round and round in circles with the same old snipey comments. I think your boat should be moved to the Holy Loch; right now the Ardentinny waterfront looks pretty good to me.
Thank you for your support Sigh ,
The armchair busy bodies seem to
Have a great knowledge of the marine
Environment , I hope they keep it up
as they will trip up and drown one day .
We’re no ‘arm chair sailors’ and do know about the sea and ships. (Who said it was sabotage and a faulty bouy – your ‘naval contractor?’) Anyway you’re ‘naval contractor’ doesn’t do moorings for the MOD only ties off ropes and obviously supplies faulty bouys. You are both numpties (note the spelling numpty)
Winners – i understand your frustrations about the tug being moored on the village, however as stated last year by an expert that the mooring was tampered with, the mooring itself was also laid by experts and not “arm chair sailors” as you have suggested. I suppose you have sufficient experience in moorings etc to disagree with them?
David, Your aggressive, tough-guy comments are beginning to tell us who the real numtie is here. I merely suggested moving your boat to a safer, more sheltered mooring. What on earth is wrong with that – everyone wins. Losing it once was an accident (sorry, sabotage), twice was careless (sorry, faulty mooring buoy). I just hope, to save you further embarrassment, there isn’t a third time. Calm down.
By the way, nobody has come back yet and said when the GC is going into dry-dock for restoration. Can you confirm June//July as per your website, or is that still something you intend to arrange?
Told you so & winners if you both knew anything
About moorings or ships I would agree with you but
The mooring contractors were naval contractors
So shut your mouths or come out and voice your opinions
Face to face numties x
We advised the owners as to which local mooring firm to use and they didn’t heed our advice. What can we say……
Look, I’ve had my say on this unfortunate episode and everybody who looks at the comments on this website will be only too familiar with my views, but hasn’t the time come to put differences aside and shift the rust bucket to a more sheltered mooring. Twice now she’s been cast adrift in high winds and stuck where she is, just off the hotel, she’s going to get the worst of it every time; maybe next time she’ll hit another boat or smash herself on the rocks somewhere further up the loch. Why won’t the owners do the sensible thing and give her a mooring somewhere a little more protected from the elements. Why is the Holy Loch such an unreasonable option?