A favourite Ribbing/Sibbing area

Keith Hart · 28 October 2003, 19:26

Hi folks

Do you have a favourite area for your ribbing/sibbing?

Where? Why?

Show us.

Here is one of my favourites - the Cromarty Firth.

Why?

Well it's an interesting and spectacular stretch of water with loads to see and lots to explore. It is used to park oil rigs awaiting servicing at Nigg and Invergordon. However it is also a safe piece of water for a small boat. You are inside a long 16 + miles sea loch so you can't get lost and you are never too far from the shore. There is a great little harbour at Cromarty and there are tea shops and pubs. You can also often see the Moray Firth Bottle Nose Dolphins and there is a colony of seals.

There are also several slipways dotted along the firth.

If you want to go a bit more adventurous then you can go out past the Sutors and into the Moray Firth itself.

Oh yes, and it's not very far from my heilan hame.

Here are some photographs. Starting with the view down the firth from Nigg Hill.

Keith Hart · 28 October 2003, 19:28

Looking from Nigg Hill across to Cromarty.

Keith Hart · 28 October 2003, 19:30

Rigs in the mouth of the Cromarty Firth, looking out into the Moray Firth.

Keith Hart · 28 October 2003, 19:31

A close up of one of the rigs.

Keith Hart · 28 October 2003, 19:33

A rig and tender sat outside the Cromarty Firth.

Keith Hart · 28 October 2003, 19:35

The 'South Sutor'. You can just about make out the old searchlight battery on top of the rocks at the tip of the headland. There are the remains of the gun emplacements on the top of the cliffs.

Keith Hart · 28 October 2003, 19:38

So this is one of my favourites. Where are yours?

Keith (I'll show you mine if you show me yours) Hart

andy cooper · 29 October 2003, 00:16

I don't know, but were did all these kids come from?

My three plus countless others on a friends medline (wish I had one) in Frejus, South of France this summer

Andy

Red Fox · 29 October 2003, 23:26

One of my favourite places to go...SW Scotland looking over to Ireland at sunset 25th October 2003...sea like a sheet of glass all the way across.

Red Fox · 29 October 2003, 23:31

A sky to remember on the last night of this years holiday. Roll on returning in 2004.

MeMe · 30 October 2003, 09:13

Keith, great photos. Are there any restrictions on how close you can get to the rigs, warning signs, patrol boats etc ?

Andy - Medline (wish I had one) ! I have a Medline I which, you can see all over this site. It's for sale !

Red - nice shots, what camera are you using - any filters on it ? I never seem to be able to capture pictures like that !

Red Fox · 30 October 2003, 09:50

No filters at all and shot on a Nikon D1x. took a series of shots that showed the whole colour change of the sky over about 10 mins...it is one of my favourite locations for sun set but you only get this sort of sky once in a while and this year I happened to be there at the right time.

Keith Hart · 30 October 2003, 11:15

Hi MeMe

The Admiralty Charts say you should stay something like 500m clear of oil rigs! However that would mean that you would be unable to go into the firth in this case. I think that that is more of a restriction when they are in the oilfields. They also state that you should be aware of rig support vessels etc.

I just go out around the rigs and take care. I also give them a shout on the radio and let them know I'm about if I'm going in close.

Great photos Red Fox.

Digital cameras are great. Next purchase for me is an aquapac so I can take my Sony Mavica FD200 out in the sib.

Any more folks?

Keith Hart

MeMe · 30 October 2003, 11:36

Just a simple shot which reminds me of the wonderful holiday I returned from last week. The sib on the beach tenders my brothers Centurian 47 which, as you see is anchored just off the deserted beach. She's sat with about 6ft under her heel, you could make out the crabs walking along the bottom from the deck above. It was about 76 degrees, the water wasn't far off that and the beer was chilled. Tomorrow I'll post a shot of my daugher taken with an underwater camera, believe it or believe it not, there's a shark in the water right behind her

chrisallse · 30 October 2003, 12:06

Dorset

chrisallse · 30 October 2003, 12:07

and another

Richard B · 30 October 2003, 12:15

Hmm - looks like Swanage. Can you moor there?

MeMe · 30 October 2003, 12:16

Should this thread not have been started under RIB CRUISING ?Anyway, one cannot shoot off the the Bahamas each weekend so, Abersoch is a lot closer. This picture was taken at 0855 this moring.

Dirk Diggler · 30 October 2003, 17:48

Theres nothing like a good sunset