Even Big Ships Tack

Somehow we imagined that only small vessels like yachts tack or heave to. We had visions of merchant mariners ploughing ever onwards regardless of the weather, making only the smallest of course changes to allow for the likes of major events such as cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons etc... I still recall my journey to Australia by ship as a child. The Bay of Biscay and the Cape Town 'Rollers' gave the MV Oriana a hell of a pounding. Force 7 or 8 gales on ferry trips across the English Channel  are also vivid memories. Fair weather or foul, the ships keep on going.

We had a couple of big fronts come through while we waited for a good spell to ride a pressure bus down to Kangaroo Island. To amuse himself while we were kept below, the Bloke followed the movements of shipping on the Marine Traffic AIS site. We are now better educated as to what the big ships do in view of the wave heights that were recorded recently at the Cape du Coudedic lighthouse on the South West corner of Kangaroo Island on Friday 1st August, 2014. Yup, 10-14 metres!!!

The screen shots below are examples of what the big ships are forced to do.

 

1st August, 2014

Westward track for a container ship just south of Portland, Victoria that had left Melbourne

1st August, 2014

This container ship left Adelaide, heading West.

It turned back and anchored off Kingscote, Kangaroo Island for 24 hours before continuing