View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Saturday 19 May 2012

Saturday 19 May

A wee bit milder than of late, with the mercury tipping 12C in the afternoon. Weather is quite benign with good sunny spells and not much wind. Spent the day backing up pictures onto CD-ROMs. Since I got my new camera last year, the images are taking up rather more space on the disks. They are now spread over 67 CDs.

The search for the missing fishing boat has been called off. The vessel was found at the bottom of the English Channel, with liferafts still attached. The body of its skipper was found on the surface, the other two remain unaccounted for but are now presumed dead. My thoughts go out to the families and friends of those lost off Weymouth on Thursday.

The hurricane season made an early start in the Atlantic Ocean, with tropical storm Alberto spinning up some 120 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach, SC. The storm will do an about turn and will approach the coast of the Carolinas tomorrow. The storm is carrying winds of 40 knots, equivalent to force 9, near its centre. However, the radius of those high winds is not more than 45 miles at present. NHC carry advisories every 3 to 6 hours.