The Dreaded Ping
We have spent the day moored in Lochgoilhead at the head of Loch Goil as the name suggests. It's a rather beautiful place and very quiet in the light winds today.
The loch is used by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for experimental research and there is a floating Noise Range Laboratory a little way up the loch from us. I noticed the MoD boat driving off to this while I was eating my porridge in the cockpit this morning. Soon afterwards we heard a low frequency "ping" noise through the hull that is repeated about every 15 seconds and gets to be rather annoying. It can be heard most clearly from inside the boat but is also discernible from on deck. I don't know how the locals put up with this!
I read on Wikipedia that there is a local phenomenon known as the "Lochgoilhead hum" which is described like this: A low frequency noise (LFN) was first reported by residents of the village late in 2015. The source of the noise has not been confirmed despite months of effort and investigation, earning the village a place on the World Hum Database.
I could tell them, it's the man from QinetiQ working at the MoD Noise Range Laboratory turning on his "ping" machine.
Anyway, we left the ping in the loch and headed into the hills for a walk along the Glen Donich Trail that wove through mature pine woods up to a waterfall.
Later, back on Rapport we found that the ping had gone, thankfully!
Tomorrow, we have been promised northerly winds to blow us back south towards the famous Kyles of Bute (famous to us sailors anyway as some rather lovely stretches of water between the Island of Bute and mainland Scotland). Our fingers are crossed as its a long way south and we really do want northerly winds :)
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| Rapport on her Lochgoilhead visitor's mooring with misty mountain clouds behind |
The loch is used by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for experimental research and there is a floating Noise Range Laboratory a little way up the loch from us. I noticed the MoD boat driving off to this while I was eating my porridge in the cockpit this morning. Soon afterwards we heard a low frequency "ping" noise through the hull that is repeated about every 15 seconds and gets to be rather annoying. It can be heard most clearly from inside the boat but is also discernible from on deck. I don't know how the locals put up with this!
I read on Wikipedia that there is a local phenomenon known as the "Lochgoilhead hum" which is described like this: A low frequency noise (LFN) was first reported by residents of the village late in 2015. The source of the noise has not been confirmed despite months of effort and investigation, earning the village a place on the World Hum Database.
I could tell them, it's the man from QinetiQ working at the MoD Noise Range Laboratory turning on his "ping" machine.
Anyway, we left the ping in the loch and headed into the hills for a walk along the Glen Donich Trail that wove through mature pine woods up to a waterfall.
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Doug on the Glen Donich Trail - spot the difference?
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Later, back on Rapport we found that the ping had gone, thankfully!
Tomorrow, we have been promised northerly winds to blow us back south towards the famous Kyles of Bute (famous to us sailors anyway as some rather lovely stretches of water between the Island of Bute and mainland Scotland). Our fingers are crossed as its a long way south and we really do want northerly winds :)
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