Diving Scapa Flow ….

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Mark Lyons

Riding the big gun ! 😀

Scapa Flow !!  What can I say but the dream destination for drysuit wearing , cold water adventure divers. Wrecks and history “flow”ing from every nook and cranny of the Orkney Islands makes it an unforgettable dive destination!  The Flow is home to the scuttled German fleet captured back in World War One and sank by their own crews to stop the British Navy using the ships. Theres history galore and If you want to know much more then please follow this link for a fantastic resource far better than I could ever do here … SCAPA FLOW WRECKS

meet the gang cos they are all here. The divers to entertain you 😀

I was lucky enough to get a chance to live on a boat diving the Flow with my friends the madcap Glasgow dive crew of Grant, John, Karon,Neil, Davie and Donnie , along for the ride with me was Undersea Wull and a special guest appearance by Laura from London and the sidemount magician Luca from IL Grande Blu in  Portofino all made for an incredible dive trip way beyond what I had been expecting.

The old man ….

Wull and I dragged our arses out of bed at 4:30am and headed North for for the Orkney Islands in what can only be described as inclement weather. Wind and rain battered us all the way to Thurso and we arrived at Scrabster half expecting the crossing to be cancelled but not up there in the North, oh no!  on we went, boarding as normal, rough crossing aye aye sailor !!  Holding down my dinner for most of it and sleeping the rest we survived the stormy crossing and as we hit the headland the mist opened up to give me the view I was waiting for, the Old Man of Hoy standing erect and proud against the headland welcoming us.

Stromness Harbour

We docked at Stromness harbour and met up with the rest of the troops. Heading dockside to board the MV Sunrise, a converted deep sea fishing vessel that was to be our lodgings for the week. Geordie was the captain and Chris his son was our 1st mate/main man aboard ship, both are characters of the highest degree so good times were sure to ensue.  Downstairs in the small small cubicles that were to be home for the week we unpacked our kit , I barely fitted into my bunk and couldn’t help wonder how my giant of a friend Neil Farmer would get on as the week passed 😀

MV Sunrise , legend of Scapa

Day one was a rough sea and a baptism by fire to the Flow. Thankfully the MV Sunrise has a sheltered gear-up so despite bumping my head a million times on the iron roof I was dry and wind free. The boat has a diver exit hatch with limited visibility and a long drop into the sea , as we approached the dive entry point a siren would sound and off we went like parachutists through it … exciting when all you can see is a big dark pitching sea!  We were in good hands though with Geordie and Chris in charge.  My first dive was with John on the SMS Karlsruhe , a battle cruiser with its large guns still intact. We exited nicely and dropped down to the wreck at 30m hunting for the guns to grab a photo opportunity or two. Our dive went to plan and soon we were daydreaming on a 35 minute decompression stop  before surfacing to a quick pick up by the MV. Sunrise. After all the divers were onboard we headed for our next dive site the F2 Barge sank in Gutter Sound. Karon and Grant were in charge of lunch, hot dogs and soup on the surface interval menu. The F2 was a worthwhile dive and a good end to day one .. Our teeth were sunk and time to dial it up on day two.

Now thats a gun breech !

Day 2 saw Neil and I dive the 150m long  battle ship KronPrinz Wilhelm and the cruiser Coln Wreck , it was amazing to dive a huge battleship and appreciate the massive scale of it just lying there on the sea bed. Our first dive was rough but the forecast was for the weather to break in the afternoon and true to its word it did just that , we cruised back to port in flat calm conditions.

Marwick Head and the Kitchener monument

That night we headed to Marwick cliffs, visited the Kitchener monument and I braved a “tree”on the cliff edge looking out at the most beautiful sea vista I have ever seen.

The morning start of fire !

Day 3 was an early start to a morning sun like I have never seen before, blazing orange with the birds following us out to sea swooping and crying over us. Every day the sky treated us to show of grandeur but this morning it had outdonr itself!  Our intention was  to dive the light cruiser SMS Dresden and return to the SMS Karlsruhe . Everything went to plan and we dived in dead flat sea.

A Bayern Turret looming

Day 4 another early start to the famous Bayern gun turrets and onto the mine layer SMS Brummer.  This day was one of the best , the turrets have fallen out from the upturned wreck and landed turtle in the sand at 47m deep.Laura joined Neil, Karon and I as we dropped down the shot line into the darkness. There are 2 huge identical turrets next to each other, it was a fantastic sight to see.

Boom Boom …

After the turrets and everyone was accounted for we headed for the port of Lyness. Its where the Scapa flow Naval museum is and well worth the visit just to see the big defence guns and a cinema inside a huge gas storage cylinder running a loop of “The history of Scapa Flow”. Sat alone in there watching the movie on a 100 foot high projection on the wall listening to the reverberating commentary, it was surreal, very surreal !

Hanging out inside the …

The SMS Brummer was next on the horizon and what a dive !!  Neil and I descended to the huge hull of the 140m long mine laying cruiser, following along , exploring and chilling until our dive plan required us to surface , loved that wreck !  that night we headed to Twatt and the cliffs of Yesnaby. Another place everyone must visit !!

The giants of Yesnaby !

Day 5 was to be the gargantuan SMS Markgraf sat in 47m of water,  and it was indeed huge!!  This has to be the largest wreck in Scapa and with our good visibility we could really take in the enormity of it.  This is what its all about I thought as we cruised along its bow.  Next up we had a visit to the Seydlitz salvage site and dived around all the broken wreckage. Not the best dive but huge shoals of fish spinning around in huge bundles made it a gem anyways.

EArly morning bliss .

Day 6 and our last day in the water had us choose to return to a couple of favorites from the week, the Bayern Gun turrets for another exploration and the Koenig to finish the week. Man Those turrets really were a sight sat upside down on that sandy bottom.

Geordi and Chris , legends of the sound !

Sadly it was our last night but we hit the pub in town for a meal, inviting Geordy and his wife to join us .  Steak, fish, Beer and great stories ensued, just as they should when 12 excited and battle seasoned adventurers get round a table.

Scapa Flow I will be back !

What a dive !

Anchor !!!

2 old men 😀

Mark Lyons ッ

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Chill Swim 2016

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Mark Lyons

 

CHILLSWIM


Chill Swim 2016 ….. “Long distance open water swimming isn’t just about swimming around buoys in a loop– it’s about the journey.  Travelling the length of a lake from one end to the other, swimming across a channel, or completing a swim from one set point to another gives the swim meaning.  You haven’t swum a lake until you have completed the full length of it”  ……

Lake Coniston

I had another Shoulder operation back in late 2015, 4 years since my accident and they were still hacking away at me !!  To aid my recovery and speed up regaining my mobility I hit the pool a few months after hoping for the best. Swimming definitely helped so I needed something special to keep me bashing out those strokes (repetition is my Achilles heel and swimming is definitely not the most exhilarating sport, especially when your doing serious mileage) so I was on the hunt for something to train for. Something needed to capture my imagination and excite me … its always something different, unusual, often daring and this time I found it in the Chillswim Coniston. A long distance swim from end to end on the famous Lake Coniston. Full of History and lore it is the 3rd largest lake in England , home to the Swallows and Amazons tale, Donald Campbell and his speed records in the Bluebird and the infamous “Lady in the Lake” murders…. Was this for me ? … yes! , Did I need any more persuasion ?  No! … sorted then I was in.  I fired off the link to my friends and Al , Deeksy and Lyn rose to the bait , a team was born!  We spent most of the summer on Alemoor , the best wild swimming loch within easy reach of Hawick. An occasional foray here and there  to mix it up including a cracking Sunday afternoon when  Al , Mick and I swam the length of St Marys loch with a now injured Lyn supporting us. We finished the day off with Steaks at the Gordon arms, for recovery of course 🙂

Chillswim 2016

On the day we were all feeling fit and my shoulder the best for years, Ill never have a good shoulder again but it was as good as it will ever be so I was buzzing for a 5ish mile cruise up the lake. We arrived to high winds and heavy rain !, pretty much the normal for the lake district  😀    The Event organization was professional , friendly and smooth running , we were on the bus and off to the start in no time and soon we were running into the loch and swimming out the bay …. next stop Wild Cat Island.  I stopped to take it all in as I swam along the famous Island , several times in fact. It’s all to easy in an adventure to be to fixed on the finish line or chasing a time, and not stop to take mental photos and bask in the feelings of being somewhere special.

Every mile and a half there was a food stop, I ignored the first and continued on , stopping at 3 miles for a banana and a blether with a guy from Wales. He was swimming in his trunks. I was in a wet-suit and it was chilly enough. To be honest swimming in a wetsuit isn’t that hard, it takes a lot of the hardship from wild swimming and sorts out your bad technique , heavy legs etc . Swimming in speedos 😀  is a LOT harder and you need to acclimatize your body to the cold as well as swim a lot better and harder. Kudos to the hardcore Welshman 🙂

the 3 bananas 🙂

The swim went great and the 5 odd miles went in very quickly , pretty soon I was swimming up the finishing straight cheered on by the crowds … picking up my medal and goody bag on the way through the sign off. We posed for photos by our beautiful assistant and photographer Jan 😀    The weather was cold and rattling with wind so very Quickly we headed to the pick up point and jumped in the bus headed back to the registration car park .. the driver was pumping out the heater … luuuvvvvverly !!!   what a day !

Deeksy the fish 😀

Champions !!! 😀

 

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Climbing the Forth Road Bridge …..

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Mark Lyons

Tam was ringing my phone,  maybe he had another bag of 20 oz sirloin steaks ?  I better answer I thought ! 😀 😀 …..   Hey Mark fancy climbing to the top of the Forth Road bridge he says  … , Sounds good I said !!

up there ? Aye right up there !

Tam had fallen heir to the opportunity from some Edinburgh top brass who won it on an “auction of Promises” a prize donated by Amey Highways, the company who maintains the Forth Road Bridge. We were to meet Davie Gill chief of maintenace from AMI at their Edinburgh control centre , the big glass building you see when you come over the bridge from the Fife side. He would give us a safety brief and equipped us with the relevant rope access safety equipment to get us to the top. Soon we were at the bottom of the Southside tower looking up ! Its tall 😀  Great link here for loads more info FORTH ROAD BRIDGE

In we went and the 3 of had to squeeze into a service elevator , Davie from Amey explained that it had a load of 435kg for equipment so could handle our weight no problem but it wasnt built for 3 burly fellows like us …. He wasnt joking !!  If anyone even had a “semi” we were all in trouble ! 😀

Up we went until it stopped and we had to climb a long long 90 degree ladder to the top , strenuous work but eventually we reached the top hatch and daylight !

We exited on the bridge and what a view !!  WOW WOW WOW !! we were looking down on EDinburgh, Fife , North and South Queensferry , all the surrounding are and best of all the 2 other bridges , the classic Rail Bridge and the New bridge which is approaching completion.

New bridge ..

Tam and I felt like we were eye to eye with the crane drivers working over it. Watching the traffic, both cars and Boats was mesmerizing and the shudder every time a lorry crossed under us a little unnerving !  WE were also able to see the HMS Queen Elizabeth the huge aircraft carrier being built further up the Forth.

Next stop , the very top!   Davie was happy we could handle it so we headed up the final ladders to he birds nest , the pinnacle of the main towers where the aircraft beacons were. We were flying high today , more than 500 feet above the Forth to be exact!

The Very Very top !!!

We hung around up top taking in the view and listening to Davie telling us all about his experiences with the bridge. All too soon it was time to go down but there was a surprise awaiting us, a visit to underneath the bridge !

Air under the feet under the bridge

me and my Dad tam 😀

Up in the birds nest

tap of the world !!! 😀

Facts and figures courtesy of Forth Road Bridge

The Forth Road Bridge is a long span suspension bridge which when opened in 1964 was the largest in the world outside the United States and, together with the approach viaducts is a little over 2.5 km in length.

The bridge has a main span of 1006 metres between the two main towers. The side spans which carry the deck to the side towers are each 408 metres long. The approach viaducts are 252 metres and 438 metres long on the north and south sides respectively.

The two main aerially spun cables from which the suspended deck is hung are 590 mm in diameter, and each is made up of 11,618 high tensile wires with a 4.98 mm diameter. The suspended deck is made up of a steel stiffening truss, with three longitudinal air gaps at roadway level to improve aerodynamic stability.

The main cables are anchored at each end to take the 13,800 tonnes of total load in each cable. These anchorages are concrete, cast in tunnels of tapering section, cut into rock at an inclination of 30º to the horizontal. The tunnel lengths vary between 56 and 79 metres.

The suspended span decks are hung from the main cables by 192 sets of four hanger ropes with diameters of 44.5 and 52.4 mm. These hanger sets take loads of 176 and 224 tonnes. Between 1998 and 2000 all these hanger sets were replaced without interruption to traffic.

The deck on the main and side spans carries traffic loadings to the main cables via the hangers and does not contribute significantly towards the resistance of the truss to global effects. On the main span the deck is an orthotropic stiffened steel plate. However, on the side spans the deck is of composite construction with a 200 mm thick reinforced concrete slab on steel beams. On all the suspended spans the surfacing is limited to a thickness of 38 mm.

The pier from the north tower was sited on the Mackintosh Rock, a whinstone outcrop that made an ideal foundation. The south tower was located about as far from the shore as the depth of bedrock would allow the construction of a foundation with compressed air working. Caissons were used to enable the pier to be founded on sandstone some 32 metres below high water. Pier defences were constructed around both piers in the late 1990’s to withstand collision loads from shipping.

The main towers are of welded cellular high tensile steel construction and rise up over 150 metres above high water level. The maximum thickness of the steel in the towers is about 25 mm. These towers were strengthened in the late 1990’s to take the ever increasing weights of heavy goods vehicles crossing the bridge.

The approach viaducts are significant structures in their own right. Reinforced concrete piers support a continuous deck structure that consists of twin steel box beams with transverse beams and outriggers having a reinforced concrete composite deck slab and 38 mm surfacing.

The traffic loading on the bridge is now significantly higher than expected by the engineers who designed the structure in the 1950’s. This has been due to the increasing weight and number of heavy goods vehicles on UK roads. A large capital programme to strengthen the bridge to take these increased loads is continuing.

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Swimming the St Mary !

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Mark Lyons

St-Marys-Loch

 

St Mary’s Loch is the largest natural loch in the Scottish Borders, and is situated on the south side of the A708 road between Selkirk and Moffat, about 72 kilometres (45 mi) south of Edinburgh.  It is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long and 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide, and was created by glacial action during the last ice age. The loch is fed by the Megget Water, which flows in from the Megget Reservoir, and is the source of the Yarrow Water, which flows east from the loch to merge with the Ettrick Water above Selkirk.It connects by a short section of river to the Loch of the Lowes, immediately to the south. Between the two, connected by an old arched bridge, is Tibbie Shiel‘s Inn, an 18th-century coaching inn, which was frequented by the Border poet James Hogg (1770–1835).[1]

 

Swimming the Mary

It was on !!  We were fit , motivated and the water was calm..ish   😀    Mick , Bongo and I rocked up to St Marys and swam the length in good style , from Tributary to outflow we treated her with respect !!, more than the angry sailors did to us …. hey its not your Loch mate , its everyone’s !  Lyn helped with  car support due to her broken arm and it was nice to have her waiting at the end with warm clothes and a towel. We finished off at the Gordon arms and a lovely burger.  REsultttttt !!!

Bongo , Mick and I smash the Mary

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