29 Years Later

It was snowing on my way to work, but didn't come to much.  Mostly sunny all day, and winds calmer.  A flat calm and frosty night. 

Another early shift in the airport.  Some busy flights, some quiet ones, and a lot of heli check-ins.  Popped by sis Laura's on my way home.  A lovely evening for a walk, great not to be blasted by wind and rain.  Popped by Julie's for a cuppa too.  Feet up, and ready for an early night. 

It's been 29 years since the Liberian oil tanker, the Braer, ran aground on our shores, 5th January 1993.  I was 12 at the time, and we were on our last days of the Christmas holidays.  Me and my cousins watch it on the telly in horror, as it lost power, and drifted ashore.  As she struck the rocks, almost 85,000 tonnes of crude oil and 2,000 tonnes of bunker oil spilled out.  Thankfully for our horrendous weather, the gales battered the isles for days, and quickly broke up the worst of the disaster.  I can still remember the the smell, as the day wore on, the oil in the air got stronger, we even got issued masks at school, which no one wore.  Thousands of birds and marine life were killed, but a clean up operation soon started.  She was visible for years later, but finally disappeared under the sea.  This was the closest I could manage to get today.  Looking across to Garthsness, where she hides under the sea, from Scatness, Sumburgh.