Ships

 My 'Shipspotting' Interest

Some years ago, I built a small model oil rig.  I can only have been about 7 or 8 I suppose.  It was something to do with breakfast cereal.. you either collected the different model bits, or maybe we sent away for the whole model at once.. I don't remember.  What I do remember is this white model oil rig on top of the piano. It fascinated me.  However, once I began grasping the immensity of a real one.. I was petrified. And so began this strange interest.  I say strange because although the fascination has remained and spread to all things marine, so has the breath-stopping terror of overwhelming structures. 

A couple of years ago, for example,  I spotted a military vessel as we drove by some docks.  Hubby dutifully stopped the car as soon as he could and I began running back, clutching the camera so eager to get that pic.  True to form, I found that the closer I got, the slower I ran.  I was so cross with myself.  The vessel was right there, just a short distance from the railings - an ideal photo opportunity.  The problem was that in my mind, I was now within 'the zone'.  That place where the air that I am breathing is the very same air that has been wafting around this huge mechanical thing.  The fact that it has probably sailed through so many far away seas and encountered so many different weather conditions, adding to the intrigue-filled horror.  To look at it directly connected me too much, so I waved the camera in its general direction and took the shot. As if filtering the air somehow to my already shallow breathing, I covered my nose and kept my head down as I ran back to the car.  How stupidly annoying.  I envy peeps who live near shipspotting areas, but when I myself get close enough to take a photo, I can't even look at the ship :D  From what I remember, the photo I took was surprisingly good.  I won't delay this post by sifting through a plithera of disks to show you.  Maybe one day when I have a minute, I'll dig it out.

This perhaps explains to you that my shipspotting interest doesn't quite follow the usual run of things :D  I'm telling you things all out of order, but nevermind..

So since childhood there was an interest of sorts.  Then about 5 years ago my Father was unwell and evenings were taken up with hospital visits.  These visits consisted of  journeys along the coast to whichever hospital my Father happened to be resident at.  And, bless him, there were many.  During one of these journeys, I spotted some sparkly lights way out on the horizon.  It was a cold, wet, dark evening, with the prospect of  yet another wait at the nurses' station for Dad's daily progress report (Hubby doing the asking of course, as my voice wouldn't hold).   Somehow the distant lights comforted me.   The next evening the lights were there again.  I began consciously looking for them.  To me they were a hint of stability in what had become 'rollercoaster' times.

Hubby mentioned that I could find out what  ship it was by using the Marine Traffic website.  So I did, and from then I was hooked.  Unfortunately we don't live close enough to any shipping routes to take my own pics. I have a list of vessels that I track via the website, aswell as regularly checking up on the vessels passing on the horizon.  I call myself a 'beanbag shipspotter'!

The vessel that had brought a weird kind of comfort was the 'Gerd Knutsen'.  She's not very pretty but I seem to prefer the tankers and cargo ships, rather than the speed boats and yachts!  She is an oil products tanker.  Recently her current status (and we're not talking facebook) has been noted as  'laid-up', having possibly come to the end of her time.

During my later research about life onboard ship,  I did manage to contact a  past member of  the Gerd Knutsen crew.   Although infrequent, I am pleased to say we are still in contact.

     

           Regarding 'the Gerd', although I track other ships, she will remain my all-time favourite!

Gerd on YouTube