The Essar Wildcat (ex Transocean Wildcat) is towed out between the Sutors as it starts a 90 day journey to Kakinada India. Due to the height of the derrick, the Suez Canal cannot be used, so it will go the long round, via the Cape. She is being towed by the (very colourful) Fairmount Sherpa, who steamed to the Cromarty Firth from Dubai, and the combination will travel at an average speed of 8 knots, all the way back again.
Essar paid $220M for this 30 year old rig, which has been cold stacked in the Firth since the late 90's.
So apart from the Galaxy Jackup alongside the service base at Invergordon, which is due to go out in the next few weeks, the Firth is empty.
See also - news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/642772...
A very distinctive mountain, snapped on a January flight from Inverness to Stornoway. Snapped is the right word, as you can see the engine exhaust top left, and the window bottom left.
I was struck, however, buy the distinctive shape of the peak, and the remarkable corrie - textbook glaciation.
It's a few years since I attempted to climb anything higher than the Watch Hill at Coldbackie, but I must admit that this shot made me hanker back to my teenage years when every weekend was spend in the hills, skiing or climbing......