ONCE AGAIN A WARM WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE!
A HAPPY 2010 TO YOU ALL - AND THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR TREMENDOUS  SUPPORT THROUGHOUT!

Site last updated on February 4th 2010 @ 2315 UTC

Enhancements to the  Current Weather page {Page 1} include a 10 Minute Average Wind Speed indication, graphical information on the wind direction over the last 24 hours, along with the High Wind Speed indication for the previous 24 hours.
The wind speed background colour alternates between white and grey. When background is grey, the historical information is for the previous month.

Page 15.. Site Statistics for the month of January 2010 posted. {These figures are a constant source of amazement to me!} 

This site is primarily focused on providing 'near' real time Weather Information for the village of PORTPATRICK, in Southwest Scotland, and suggesting useful links to DECENT local service providers, along with local tidal & traffic services.

Don't forget to scroll down to the P&O info on page 10!

I particularly wish to thank Joe & Margo Farrell,  Graeme Young [Electrical Services], Portpatrick [Dunskey] Golf Club & Gavin and Angie Morrison for their very generous donations to help with the running costs of this site, which is currently around £200 a year [as long as everything keeps working!]

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]

Other interests, and past 'life-forms' are...

THE RNLI

AMATEUR RADIO

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 40+ years!] I moved from Aberdeen to London [and Bournemouth], to train in Air T rafic Control.

After several courses in 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.

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!

Since then, after some months working voluntarily in our local Citizen's Advice Bureau in Stranraer, I have been employed by P&O Irish Sea Ferries in Cairnryan in the busy Freight Department