We have left Auckland last Wednesday, and stopped once more in Bluff on the southern tip of New Zealand, to top up fuel, and now we are heading due south. The weather is getting decidedly colder and the seas rougher, but we knew that already. By New Year's Day, we should be in the Antarctic ice and in search mode for the Japanese whalers. Behind me are nearly two weeks in New Zealand - some time was spent travelling aimlessly through the north island admiring its beauty, and some time was spent agonising and fighting depression at the loss of our helicopter, Tweety. Without it having been repaired in time, our chances of finding the whalers are diminished, as are my possibilities for aerial coverage of the whaling actions and shots of icebergs and Antarctica in general. It is gutting to have lost about 50% of the potential pictures that I could have got before even reaching the scene, but it's a fact of life and I have to move on from that. Finding alternative angles and positions to shoot from is going to be my new hobby between now and the New Year - we have several ideas, but I shall not reveal any before we've tried them so stay tuned on this one...
beauty on my mind. Rather than to drone on about rough weather and heavy seas, I have poetic impressions of New Zealand'sKiwiland being divided into two islands and us having landed in Auckland, exploring the northern island was the obvious choice: Take a car from Jucy Rentals, buy map, buy guidebook, get beers, get cigarettes, turn the key and hit the road. That's pretty much how we left Auckland, blundering our way through some spectacular landscapes on the west coast and then heading south past Hamilton and into the South West around Waitomo. I think we originally decided to visit some caves with glow-worms, but along the way got distracted by spectacular waterfalls and Very Cold swim stops, fish & chip shops, bars with good Gin & Tonic and the odd breathtaking scenery ahead of us. We had far too little time to really get an idea of the vastness and ruggedness of lakes, parks, volcanoes and valleys that are scattered across the country - what we really got is a first impression of how spectacularly beautiful and unspoilt New Zealand still is. And we haven't even been on the south island, rumoured to be much more dramatic. I for one have decided to return here for at least a month, rent a motorbike and tear up the countryside in order to see as much as possible of it at some point in the future. To prove that I am not just blabbering, I have attached a selection of photos which I hope will make you green with envy ;-)
A propos pictures - I have used my time and the availability of broadband internet in Auckland to set up an online archive. Since several of you have been asking, from now on you can view up-to-date pictures from the expedition in the 'Oceans', 'Esperanza Aboard' and 'Esperanza Crew Portraits' folders accessible from the homepage at Digital Railroad. My aim is to be feeding fresh pictures into the archive whenever I have them, as we now have a reasonably fast and stable internet connection on board, a pure luxury most of the time, and essential when needed for the media work. So uploading pictures will not be a problem, the only limits being my own laziness and availability of things to shoot. So hopefully no problems on that front either, as I've learned to make proper coffee and within a week we will be in the ice.
Wish us luck as I feel that only now (well, after two months, actually), this trip is finally beginning to reveal its meaning. Thanks to relentless campaigning, protesting and pushing, diplomatic pressure and extensive news coverage, the Japanese government has agreed to abstain from killing 50 endangered Humpback whales, but they still have close to a thousand Minke and Fin whales on their menu. So good reasons for us to go down to the Southern Ocean and make their hunt as difficult as possible without endangering lives. It's been a long time coming, but now I feel that this voyage is getting serious and the ship's crew means business. Let's hope we all stay safe despite the harpoons and water cannons, and that we can stop the slaughter. Wish us luck.
24 December 2007
10 December 2007
Boys' Toys
Several people have asked me in recent weeks the inevitable kit-questions. Normally, I just say 'Canon' and leave it at that, preferring to see my cameras & lenses as tools of the trade rather than to marvel at the amount of buttons, custom functions, megapixels and variety of colour matrixes available.
BUT (there always is a but...) - this assignment is different, in the sense that it is ship-based and the destination is the Antarctic ice of the Southern Ocean. It means that what you've got is all that you will have, and no place to go if things break and need fixing or replacement.
So 'spares' was the magic word when I prepared for this trip, and spares is what I have a lot of: spare bodies, spare lenses, spare laptop, spare hard disks, spare chargers, spare batteries, spare cables, spare everything except for a spare pair of eyes or spectacles - those I didn't get done before leaving, and I do regret that now. Anyhow, before boring you any longer, here's my photographic kit list for those nerdy-minded correspondents among you - the computer stuff is just too boring to list, so I'll spare you (excuse the pun) the details:
Cameras:
1x EOS 1Ds II
2x EOS 1D II
1x EOS 5D
1x EOS 10D
1x PowerShot S70
1x Nikon D200 + underwater housing + 10 & 16mm fisheye lenses (Thanks Gavin!)
1x Linhof Technorama 617 S with Schneider 90/5.6 Super Angulon lens
Lenses:
1x EF 16-35/2.8 L
1x EF 17-35/2.8 L
1x EF 24-105/4.0 L IS
2x EF 70-200/2.8 L IS
1x EF 24/1.4 L
1x EF 35/1.4 L
1x EF 50/1.2 L
1x EF 50/1.4
1x EF 85/1.2 L
1x EF 85/1.8
1x EF 100/2.0
1x EF 135/2.0 L
1x EF 300/2.8 L IS
1x EF 500/4.0 L IS
1x EF 1.4x II Extender
1x EF 2.0x II Extender
When you have the whole lot in one place, you can't help thinking that it would do Mr Canon proud - what a good customer I've been, I just wish this stuff wasn't so expensive...
Given how much space this took to pack, I find it rather amusing that all of it fits into my toilet-sized cupboard workspace on the Esperanza, which you can see here:
BUT (there always is a but...) - this assignment is different, in the sense that it is ship-based and the destination is the Antarctic ice of the Southern Ocean. It means that what you've got is all that you will have, and no place to go if things break and need fixing or replacement.
So 'spares' was the magic word when I prepared for this trip, and spares is what I have a lot of: spare bodies, spare lenses, spare laptop, spare hard disks, spare chargers, spare batteries, spare cables, spare everything except for a spare pair of eyes or spectacles - those I didn't get done before leaving, and I do regret that now. Anyhow, before boring you any longer, here's my photographic kit list for those nerdy-minded correspondents among you - the computer stuff is just too boring to list, so I'll spare you (excuse the pun) the details:
Cameras:
1x EOS 1Ds II
2x EOS 1D II
1x EOS 5D
1x EOS 10D
1x PowerShot S70
1x Nikon D200 + underwater housing + 10 & 16mm fisheye lenses (Thanks Gavin!)
1x Linhof Technorama 617 S with Schneider 90/5.6 Super Angulon lens
Lenses:
1x EF 16-35/2.8 L
1x EF 17-35/2.8 L
1x EF 24-105/4.0 L IS
2x EF 70-200/2.8 L IS
1x EF 24/1.4 L
1x EF 35/1.4 L
1x EF 50/1.2 L
1x EF 50/1.4
1x EF 85/1.2 L
1x EF 85/1.8
1x EF 100/2.0
1x EF 135/2.0 L
1x EF 300/2.8 L IS
1x EF 500/4.0 L IS
1x EF 1.4x II Extender
1x EF 2.0x II Extender
When you have the whole lot in one place, you can't help thinking that it would do Mr Canon proud - what a good customer I've been, I just wish this stuff wasn't so expensive...
Given how much space this took to pack, I find it rather amusing that all of it fits into my toilet-sized cupboard workspace on the Esperanza, which you can see here:
2 December 2007
Neptune can kiss my ass
Yes comrades, it has happened.
We have crossed the Equator line, without proper visas and permission, so those of us transgressing Pollywogs out on the open seas for the first time were summoned to Neptune's Court. The charges brought against me - apart from lacking the proper documentation - were stealing the souls of my fellow crewmates and being Czech. The punishment handed down by Neptune and his wife was a visit to the imaginary torture chamber, and being hosed down with seawater. After that, I duly received my certificate and am now officially a shellback named 'Happy Snapper' and I also have Neptune's consent to cross the Equator by sea in future. Result!
The whole episode was an afternoon of good-natured, theatrical fun considering that us 13 Pollywogs had given the shellbacks hell during the week before the hearing. We stole Neptune's costume, hosted our own lavish 'last supper' and left only the crumbs for the shellbacks to eat. Some clever mind opened a group on Facebook called 'Neptune kiss my ass', then staged a bogus vote on who from the crew should become Neptune, finally we all wore custom-made attire with the above slogan on our backs, and smeared ourselves with Nutella as warpaint in court. Given our conduct, I am still surprised that Mr & Mrs Neptune and his minions did not hand out more severe punishments as the laws of the seas are generally harsh. We had a good party afterwards, only a rotten hangover and a few dead braincells are the damage I sustained during my encounter with the god of the sea.
Despite the fun, the last few weeks have been quite rough. After announcing our presence off the south coast of Japan, we missed the Japanese whalers leaving port at night in stormy weather. We were all disappointed and gutted, as it meant that we would now spend the whole journey down south not on the tail of the Japanese, but on our own, wondering what course they took. To add insult to injury, a large Japan Coast Guard ship followed us for a week, no doubt relaying our position to make sure that we don't get anywhere near the whalers. So instead of us watching them, they ended up watching us - very smart, you have to give it to them, but worrying to what lengths the Japanese government is prepared to go to protect their controversial 'lethal research'. It is impossible to put into words how frustrating this has been, as for the time being it puts all hopes of a successful campaign on hold.
Next on the agenda was a Tropical storm that got upgraded to Typhoon strength by the weather stations. We were inside the Typhoon zone for the best part of a week, riding on 6 to 8-metre waves, the ship rolling and pitching a lot and making any decent sleep impossible. Add two 4-hour watches to the mix, and you had me metamorphosing into a perfect vegetable. Apart from those 8 hours during which I had to be awake and alert, it was pretty impossible to do anything that required concentration. On top of that, imagine the hot temperatures and high humidity in the tropics and you do not have a ship, but a sauna that's constantly moving. Pretty tiring, I can assure you... Most of the crew did not fare much better, but the upshot is that none of us was seasick, and that is good news, after all.
Now we are south of the Equator, and slowly making our way to Auckland, New Zealand for a refuelling and repair stop. We should be there by next weekend, hopefully. The clocks on board are moving forward every two days as we move through the timezones. With the odd engine stop for maintenance and a swim, I have taken the opportunity to learn using an underwater camera. It is great fun and quite difficult, but as a consequence I have become very popular with my fellow swimmers who all want a picture of themselves under water... I will attach a few to give you the general idea.
We have close to a week ahead of us at sea before we reach Auckland, but I actually can't say whether I look forward to that or not. I am making plans to rent a motorbike and go touring around the north island for a day or two, but I am not sure if I want to leave the ship for any amount of time now. Life on board has become pleasant as I am off watchkeeping duties and can now concentrate on what I came here to do: photography. Last night I relaxed lying on the heli deck with a few crewmates and some cold beers, watching the star-filled sky, lightning and dozens of little meteors shooting past and burning up in the atmosphere. It was a warm, calm night and perfect for falling asleep to the gentle roll of the ship while suspended in the safety-nets.
That's where I'll leave you, feeling guilty writing these lines and knowing that most of you are in the middle of a grey, cold and wet winter Sunday.
We have crossed the Equator line, without proper visas and permission, so those of us transgressing Pollywogs out on the open seas for the first time were summoned to Neptune's Court. The charges brought against me - apart from lacking the proper documentation - were stealing the souls of my fellow crewmates and being Czech. The punishment handed down by Neptune and his wife was a visit to the imaginary torture chamber, and being hosed down with seawater. After that, I duly received my certificate and am now officially a shellback named 'Happy Snapper' and I also have Neptune's consent to cross the Equator by sea in future. Result!
The whole episode was an afternoon of good-natured, theatrical fun considering that us 13 Pollywogs had given the shellbacks hell during the week before the hearing. We stole Neptune's costume, hosted our own lavish 'last supper' and left only the crumbs for the shellbacks to eat. Some clever mind opened a group on Facebook called 'Neptune kiss my ass', then staged a bogus vote on who from the crew should become Neptune, finally we all wore custom-made attire with the above slogan on our backs, and smeared ourselves with Nutella as warpaint in court. Given our conduct, I am still surprised that Mr & Mrs Neptune and his minions did not hand out more severe punishments as the laws of the seas are generally harsh. We had a good party afterwards, only a rotten hangover and a few dead braincells are the damage I sustained during my encounter with the god of the sea.
Despite the fun, the last few weeks have been quite rough. After announcing our presence off the south coast of Japan, we missed the Japanese whalers leaving port at night in stormy weather. We were all disappointed and gutted, as it meant that we would now spend the whole journey down south not on the tail of the Japanese, but on our own, wondering what course they took. To add insult to injury, a large Japan Coast Guard ship followed us for a week, no doubt relaying our position to make sure that we don't get anywhere near the whalers. So instead of us watching them, they ended up watching us - very smart, you have to give it to them, but worrying to what lengths the Japanese government is prepared to go to protect their controversial 'lethal research'. It is impossible to put into words how frustrating this has been, as for the time being it puts all hopes of a successful campaign on hold.
Next on the agenda was a Tropical storm that got upgraded to Typhoon strength by the weather stations. We were inside the Typhoon zone for the best part of a week, riding on 6 to 8-metre waves, the ship rolling and pitching a lot and making any decent sleep impossible. Add two 4-hour watches to the mix, and you had me metamorphosing into a perfect vegetable. Apart from those 8 hours during which I had to be awake and alert, it was pretty impossible to do anything that required concentration. On top of that, imagine the hot temperatures and high humidity in the tropics and you do not have a ship, but a sauna that's constantly moving. Pretty tiring, I can assure you... Most of the crew did not fare much better, but the upshot is that none of us was seasick, and that is good news, after all.
Now we are south of the Equator, and slowly making our way to Auckland, New Zealand for a refuelling and repair stop. We should be there by next weekend, hopefully. The clocks on board are moving forward every two days as we move through the timezones. With the odd engine stop for maintenance and a swim, I have taken the opportunity to learn using an underwater camera. It is great fun and quite difficult, but as a consequence I have become very popular with my fellow swimmers who all want a picture of themselves under water... I will attach a few to give you the general idea.
We have close to a week ahead of us at sea before we reach Auckland, but I actually can't say whether I look forward to that or not. I am making plans to rent a motorbike and go touring around the north island for a day or two, but I am not sure if I want to leave the ship for any amount of time now. Life on board has become pleasant as I am off watchkeeping duties and can now concentrate on what I came here to do: photography. Last night I relaxed lying on the heli deck with a few crewmates and some cold beers, watching the star-filled sky, lightning and dozens of little meteors shooting past and burning up in the atmosphere. It was a warm, calm night and perfect for falling asleep to the gentle roll of the ship while suspended in the safety-nets.
That's where I'll leave you, feeling guilty writing these lines and knowing that most of you are in the middle of a grey, cold and wet winter Sunday.
26 November 2007
Plungepool fun
It's unbelievable what a little sunshine can do!
Ok, it was Sunday, and we were all pretty tired after riding a storm for the best part of a week. But the ingenuity of it all - it left me speechless and giggling with joy for the whole afternoon. Some clever mind found an old inflatable pool which got set up on the heli-deck. Connect an airhose for pressure, and a firehose for water, add some cool beers and jump in.
Fantastic!
Magnificent!!
Just what the doctor ordered!
More soon please!!
Pretty please!!!
Later we stopped the engines for some maintenance and a swim-stop. As we have been heading south for the whole week, the weather has been getting warmer and more tropical. I'd hazard a guess and say that the ocean was about 30 degrees Celsius, and that's pretty warm considering that most of Europe is firmly in winter mood. So we drifted in the northern Pacific, life-vests strapped to our bottoms for buoyancy, cool beers for drinks and the warm salty water to wash off the sweat. I can't remember the last time I felt better on a Sunday...
Ok, it was Sunday, and we were all pretty tired after riding a storm for the best part of a week. But the ingenuity of it all - it left me speechless and giggling with joy for the whole afternoon. Some clever mind found an old inflatable pool which got set up on the heli-deck. Connect an airhose for pressure, and a firehose for water, add some cool beers and jump in.
Fantastic!
Magnificent!!
Just what the doctor ordered!
More soon please!!
Pretty please!!!
Later we stopped the engines for some maintenance and a swim-stop. As we have been heading south for the whole week, the weather has been getting warmer and more tropical. I'd hazard a guess and say that the ocean was about 30 degrees Celsius, and that's pretty warm considering that most of Europe is firmly in winter mood. So we drifted in the northern Pacific, life-vests strapped to our bottoms for buoyancy, cool beers for drinks and the warm salty water to wash off the sweat. I can't remember the last time I felt better on a Sunday...
24 November 2007
Role reversal
We have been heading South since Monday, and things have not been going according to plan. First, we lost the Japanese whalers from right under our noses - the catcher boats went past at high speed, and we ended up tracking a navy ship throughout the night. Although similar in size, at first light we realised that it has not been the Nisshin Maru, the factory ship which we were hoping to follow to the Southern Ocean.
Instead, the Japanese Coast Guard dispatched one of their ships to follow us. They have been on our tail for the best part of this week and it is, admittedly, a Very Smart Move. Instead of us watching the Japanese, they are watching us and relaying our position, thus making sure that the whalers stay well out of our way. It is impossible to put into words how frustrating this has been, as for the time being it puts all hopes of a successful campaign on hold. Only time and a few cunning tricks will tell how long the Coast Guard will stay with us, and whether and when we find the Japanese whalers.
To add insult to injury, we had to ride on the fringes of a Tropical Cyclone that got upgraded to Typhoon strength by the weather stations. For about 4 days, the ship has been pitching and rolling a lot, thus making any decent sleep impossible on the Esperanza. Add two 4-hour watches to the mix, and you had me metamorphosing into a perfect vegetable. Apart from those 8 hours during which I had to be awake and alert, it was pretty impossible to do anything that required concentration. Most of the crew did not fare much better, but the upshot is that none of us was seasick, and that is good news, after all. Even a sea-bird, a male Brown Boobie was so tired that he plonked himself down on the deck and just slept for two days. A few pictures from the heavy whether you can see below.
Instead, the Japanese Coast Guard dispatched one of their ships to follow us. They have been on our tail for the best part of this week and it is, admittedly, a Very Smart Move. Instead of us watching the Japanese, they are watching us and relaying our position, thus making sure that the whalers stay well out of our way. It is impossible to put into words how frustrating this has been, as for the time being it puts all hopes of a successful campaign on hold. Only time and a few cunning tricks will tell how long the Coast Guard will stay with us, and whether and when we find the Japanese whalers.
To add insult to injury, we had to ride on the fringes of a Tropical Cyclone that got upgraded to Typhoon strength by the weather stations. For about 4 days, the ship has been pitching and rolling a lot, thus making any decent sleep impossible on the Esperanza. Add two 4-hour watches to the mix, and you had me metamorphosing into a perfect vegetable. Apart from those 8 hours during which I had to be awake and alert, it was pretty impossible to do anything that required concentration. Most of the crew did not fare much better, but the upshot is that none of us was seasick, and that is good news, after all. Even a sea-bird, a male Brown Boobie was so tired that he plonked himself down on the deck and just slept for two days. A few pictures from the heavy whether you can see below.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)