A WARM WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE!
Site last updated May 3rd @ 2000 UTC.
APOLOGIES TO ALL,
for the intermittent 'wind speed & direction' data.
I have ordered a new ANEMOMETER from Davis Instruments,
and when it arrives, I will get it installed 'aloft' as soon as the weather conditions permit. Please bear with me,
as this is a VERY windy location, and the 'Window of Opportunity' for the replacement at this time of the year will
be VERY small!
Page 4... [Raw Weather Data]
I have spruced up this page and added some extra
data links to make it easier for you to access my historical data. I hope this is helpful!
Page 9 [Track Local Shipping]
Updated again 20/4/2012
Page 11..[Local Links Page]
I have added a link to COASTWORKS, after receiving an extremely generous
donation from that Company. Thanks Brian!
I have also added a link to the PORTPATRICK Community Council Website.
Page 13... [Site
Statistics] I have now a separate HTML page to display the statistics.
The site has been up and running since June 2005, and the prime purpose is to provide comprehensive
'Near Real Time' weather data for the village of Portpatrick in SW Scotland, with easy access to my 'historical
data' for the entire period since it was set up.
I have added some useful links to sites of local interest,
and links that provide Tidal information for Portpatrick, the 'live' monitoring of shipping in the North Channel and
beyond!
There is a MOUNTAIN of archived local weather information available to those who may be interested
on pages 1 to 5.
Travel information is available on pages 10.
Local Information links are provided on
page 11.
Some snaps of our Grandchildren and pets can be viewed
on page 12.
Site statistics
[updated each month] can be viewed on page 13.
The annual running
costs for the site [assuming no equipment failures] is approximately £250, which is made up from Internet costs of £144
p.a & £72 p.a for Domain Name & Webspace on the Internet, and of course electricity costs.
A recent transmitter failure cost me just under £200, and sensor failures have cost another £200
since the site was established in June 2005.
On February 21st. 2011, I had to replace the troublesome
Anemometer transmitter on the roof. The replacement transmitter cost me just over £202 & local firm charged £35
to swap units over on my roof, and in March, the dedicated Dell Laptop computer went 'belly-up' and had to be replaced
immediately to enable continuity of weather records etc. {another £350 down the plug hole!}
There are two
LARGE Ferry Companies operating locally, and BOTH access this site many times daily for up
to the minute information on weather conditions in the North Channel, or the latest position of their vessels
enroute to Larne/Cairnryan or Belfast/Cairnryan, and vice versa!
To date, NEITHER Company
has responded to my request for some sponsorship of this site, even though I work for one of them! {Shame on you
P&O!}
So, if any of you feel that you have benefited from using the
site, and would like to contribute to its upkeep, then PLEASE CONTACT ME! [Just
like TESCO ... Every little helps!]
I particularly
wish to thank Lesley Collins & Robert McQueen,Tommy McCutcheon {GM0HPL}, Ian & Carol Maxwell, Joe & Margo Farrell, Graeme Young [Electrical Services], Portpatrick [Dunskey] Golf Club & The late Gavin Morrison {GM3MOU} and Angie Morrison{2M0TZA}, George Hardill {MØHAJ} and Coastworks for their
very generous donations to help with the running costs of this site.
The system is a Davis Instruments Wireless
'Vantage Pro2' weather station, with all sensors wirelessly connected to the main console. This in turn transfers
data to a dedicated Dell laptop 'Inspiron' PC, which archives all data at 1 minute intervals, then uploads the data
to several sites via the Internet.
These include:-NOAA
[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] in the USA, Weather
Underground, also based in the USA, but is where the data from this station {and countless others!} can be accessed &
downloaded.
Detailed Historical data for this station is available
on this site from June 2005, when this station started uploading via a 'dial up' connection!
Things improved
somewhat in October 2005, when a reliable 'broadband' connection was established here!
MADIS [Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System] ... also based in the USA!
CWOP [The Citizen's Weather Observers Programme] and....
APRS [Automatic Packet Reporting System], used by
the World's Radio Amateurs are also updated with data from this site.
interests are:-
THE
RNLI, and in particular the Portpatrick Branch, where for the last 12 years I served as Honorary Secretary and Lifeboat
Operations Manager.
I retired from the RNLI 'LOM' post here in Portpatrick in February 2011.
I'm proud to have been associated with such a wonderful group of people, Crew, Committee, their families and
friends who contribute so much, to make our Branch one of the most successful fundraising branches in the UK!
I think that I am correct in saying that Portpatrick is in the 'Top 4' in Scotland as far as our Fund Raising
efforts are concerned, just behind Edinburgh and Glasgow and one other... which is not bad, considering Portpatrick's
static population is just a little over 1000 souls!
I estimate that our annual contribution to the RNLI's coffers
in the last 5 years has averaged around £35-40,000. That equates to a 'per capita' average of £35-40
for this wee village!
Apply this ratio to the likes of Greater Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen & Dundee ... and
just 4 Scottish cities could fund the RNLI around £80m each year! [Food for thought!]
According
to the RNLI website, their Annual running costs are currently £123.5m, so what are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool,
Bristol and all the rest doing? Not to mention Belfast & Dublin, as the RNLI have the coast of Ireland covered too! ...
so you can see that Portpatrick is doing 'its bit for the cause!'
My other main interest outside our family is AMATEUR RADIO, with a preference for CW [Morse Code operation.
]
Unfortunately, I have not had time to persue this interest recently, and although I have a fully equipped radio station,
I have not been 'on the air' since May 2003, when I VERY nearly expired, following an attack of Necrotising
Fasciitis!
My
personal history is somewhat varied!
When
I left school, I got involved in hotel work during the summer holidays before I started at Radio College.
After qualifying as a Ships' Radio Officer, I continued with my work in
Hotel Management, becoming Assistant Manager initially of the Beach Hotel in Trearddur Bay, Anglesey.
Then after
a break involving yacht deliveries in Europe & the Caribbean, I became Assistant Manager of the Northern
Hotel in Aberdeen, and later, 'Relief Manager' for Usher/Vaux hotels in the NE of Scotland, including the
Palace Hotel in Peterhead, the Station Hotel in Fraserburgh, The Staging Post in Bucksburn, and others in the City centre
of Aberdeen that I'd rather forget!
In 1967, shortly after meeting
Patricia, [now my wife for the last 43+ years!] I moved from Aberdeen to London [and Bournemouth], to train in Air Traffic
Control.
After several courses in the ATC College at Hurn Airport, I worked at both London's Heathrow
Airport and the London Air Traffic Control Centre [which in those days was located at West Drayton in Middlesex]
I married PAT in October 1968 up in Aberdeen, and later in 1969 moved from ATC to a career in the
British Coast Radio Station Service.,
when after induction training at Portishead Radio/GKA, I was posted to Portpatrick/GPK, where I served initially
as a Radio Officer.
I am privileged to have
visited [and worked] at several of the other UK Coast Radio Stations during my time with BT’s ‘Aeronautical &
Maritime Services', including GNF/North Foreland in Kent, GNI/Niton on the Isle of Wight, GLV/ Anglesey, N. Wales, GND / Stonehaven and GCC/ Cullercoats, near Newcastle on Tyne, Humber
Radio/GKZ, and the Long Range Station GKA/Portishead
Radio in Highbridge, Somerset.
In 1972 I attended College
in Southampton, for a 'Crash Course' to upgrade my Maritime Radio
Qualifications.
Then from 1980 I was the Acting Station Manager, at Portpatrick/GPK, until
the closure of this station on 31st March 1999, and for the last 18 months until closure, I was the only person left.
After a brief spell between April 1999 and September '99 when I worked voluntarily at the
Citizen's Advice Bureau in Stranraer, I managed to secure paid employment in P&O's busy Freight Department
in Cairnryan. Initially, this was just part time, but in early 2002 I secured a full time position... and despite all
odds [Senility, deafness, near-death etc.] .... I'm still there!
In 1970, my wife Pat gave birth to our first born ~ 'DEBBIE' in a Snow Storm! Debbie, who is now 41, subsequently married a GREAT guy [DUNCAN] and have since produced
two WONDERFUL grand children for Pat and myself ERIN & EUAN! [See the link to the left!]
In October 1972, 'BEVERLEY' arrived! Beverley doesn't have any children, but she has a POSSÉ of Irish Setters instead! Maddie produced a litter of puppies in 2005, 2 remained with Beverley {Morgan &
Bailey} another {Harvey} moved to Debbie & Duncan's house, and yet another {Fergie} moved to live with my Niece in
Aberdeen! Beverley added yet another to her brood of setters in
October 2006, when she collected {Redley} from the North of Scotland. These
have recently been joined by River, Ellie & Lexie! [Irish Setters] and Amber, a Golden Retriever... Add to this, two super-cool felines who [sometimes] answer to ‘Murphy &
MacKenzie', and who quite naturally think that they are dogs! [I have even been known to bark whilst
visiting this establishment!]
CHECK OUT THE OTHER
PAGES OF THE SITE, WHICH I HOPE YOU WILL FIND INFORMATIVE!
CLICK on the links on the left hand side of the page.If you live locally, or have an interest in our weather, then there's a MOUNTAINof
'downloadable' information on our Portpatrick Weather at frequent intervals [often less than 5 minutes] stretching
back to June 2005.
The 'Current Weather' page is updated
each minute 24/7/365 [BT & Electricity supply permitting!] although I have a UPSwhich
will keep the laptop and BT Internet system going for around 90 minutes in the event of a power failure.
SO THERE IT IS! ......AND AS THEY SAY HERE IN PORTPATRICK......
(Well, they used to!)
HASTE YE BACK!
