ShipSpotting.com Forum

Shipspotters all over the world => Trip reports => Topic started by: ftakma on May 01, 2020, 08:57:47 PM

Title: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: ftakma on May 01, 2020, 08:57:47 PM
I have so many.
The shipyard's security put me in a room for an hour trying to learn why I was taking pictures in NY.
I felt down so many times, once I almost broke my leg.
I was chased by dogs, luckily, did not get bitten.
I got a traffic ticket because I slowed the car on the bridge.
Two drunk men wanted me to take their pictures which I did. They gave me their emails for me to send them which I did again.
What are your memories?
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Tom Walker on May 01, 2020, 10:18:25 PM
Travelled 40+ miles to Calshot in Hampshire (UK) to photograph a Shell VLCC leaving Fawley and just got there in time, only to find I had forgotten my camera!!

Best regards

Keep Safe and Well

Tom
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Robert J Smith on May 02, 2020, 12:06:36 PM
When, after a good days shipspotting, I realised that the film hadn't been gripped by the wind-on spool  >:(
Don't have that problem with digital  :)
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: lappino on May 02, 2020, 02:12:14 PM
Getting detained for trespassing.
Getting chased (and bitten) by dogs.
Tripping and falling, with blood all over the place, several times.
Getting my car stuck on an icy road in the middle of the forest, in the night, with wolves howling nearby.
Making a "leap of faith" after being unable to climb down the cliff fifty meters above ground.
Being called a spy and had the police called on me.
...
...
...
Oh, wait, that's my other hobby.

Ship spotting wise, I had my share of losing equipment and missed opportunities, but the worst memory of every ship spotting trip was time not spent with the "significant other". :)
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Kyle Stubbs on May 02, 2020, 03:29:37 PM
Had a great month of taking some fantastic ship photos both around my local harbor, and on a short road trip to the Columbia River. Then, had my home broken into, with my camera, and the camera card with all of those photos, stolen...
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Simon Olsen on May 03, 2020, 02:14:45 PM
Hmmm
Quite a few over nearly 40 years but, among the worst:
Breaking an ankle while trying to reach the riverfront at Gravesend for a Chinese general cargo;
Watching an ex Bank line inbound to Rotterdam (I was in the B&B packing to go back to UK);
Arriving at Vlissingen with no spare film (luckily Kodachrome was available in the town);
Being arrested as a suspected terrorist in front of an unmarked British consulate house on the Bosphorus;
Stepping on broken glass at Kandilli on the Bosphorus and, three hours later, patched up, being soaked to the waist by the wash of a passing coastguard vessel (which at least cleaned most of the blood off the promenade)
Happy days
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Petros Psarras on May 03, 2020, 03:29:29 PM
Had a small car crash chasing a ship...it was neither my fault nor other driver's fault... just a lorry was parked illegaly and hided both my and other driver's road view and when the crash happened the lorry left , so the driver of it would not be the one to take the blame... Both insurances paid us due to camera but couldnt find the lorry car plate....
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: sisko111 on May 03, 2020, 05:08:50 PM
5-6 years ago,winter time. I slipped and fell into the sea. luckily the camera remained dry.
Also detained for trespassing.
And lately, on April 28th
I chased Eurogracht by my boat and the bloody honda 5 outboard engine had a failure and called for help and the good guys from the port authority towed me back into the port..
Cheers Sinisa :)
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Patrick Hill on May 03, 2020, 05:51:46 PM
My worst was sadly seeing someone jump off the Humber bridge as I was heading on to it to take ship photos  :'(
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Adrian Ford on May 03, 2020, 06:17:33 PM
Travelling 200 miles up to Teeside and the day I got there they went on sy=trike for my whole holiday
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Jens Boldt on May 03, 2020, 07:02:24 PM
Had the same sad experience as Patrick. I was sitting on the banks of Kiel Canal when someone jumped from the Gr
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: shipcam on May 06, 2020, 12:00:41 PM
Lots of things but here are a just a few.
About 20 years ago was rushing to clamber down rocks to get to water level so as to hide background behind a small ship coming in. Rocks were wet and I had sand on the soles of my shoes so slipped and landed on the rocks heavily. Fractured three ribs and smashed the camera lens completely !
One day out on the bumboat at Singapore a small hair somehow got into the back of the camera when changing films (remember those). Several weeks later when I received the slides back found about a dozen films of those takings were ruined by the hair mark across each picture. It was the only sunny day of the whole 10 day trip there.
Being on a cruise and not having my camera up on deck with me. Sighted an approaching old freighter so dashed down into the labyrinth of corridors to my cabin many decks down to get the camera. Dashed back up again just in time to see this oldie disappearing into the distance astern. Combined speed of two passing ships is deceptively fast !!
Similar to others, travelling 150kms, one way, to get a particularly unusual ship arriving and finding it had just berthed, one hour early and no way to even get an alongside shot and nothing else moving that day so back home another 150kms without a shot fired !
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Emmanuel.L on May 06, 2020, 02:15:40 PM
My worst memory comment is not of something from yesterday ,but I am thinking in  the future , the worst memory and I think of lots of others is because of the Corona Crisis ,the ports are closed and nothing worth photographing can be seen, Cruise ships are a thing of yesterday, even container ships and others are at a minimum.Let us hope that it will a bad memory soon.
Hope that our hobby will be resurrected soon, I am resorting to digging up old photos sent in by my friends and from my shoebox.
Keep safe my friends.
regards
Emmanuel.L.(Malta)
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: libertyshiplad on May 06, 2020, 05:04:48 PM
A crowded Gravesend Promenade around 1950,around high tide,typical Thames procession of ships up & down."Hermes" appeared built 1881,iron hull,1317 GT with timber cargo.
Always great to see old ships,but couldn't get much older than that! Probably best memory.
Soon after badly bitten by a dog that jumped out from behind someones deck chair.I suppose on balance really a best memory though !!
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Paul Finnigan on May 09, 2020, 09:30:39 AM
My worst memory was riding down to the port on my bicycle only to find on arrival that my pannier bag had fallen off which contained my camera , phone and wallet somewhere on the 15km trip.I rode back the same way and found it 6km down the road , someone had picked it up and placed it on a fence with camera and phone ,wallet still in it so thanks to that person who ever they are.         
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: pieter melissen on May 09, 2020, 10:04:08 AM
My worst memory was riding down to the port on my bicycle only to find on arrival that my pannier bag had fallen off which contained my camera , phone and wallet somewhere on the 15km trip.I rode back the same way and found it 6km down the road , someone had picked it up and placed it on a fence with camera and phone ,wallet still in it so thanks to that person who ever they are.         
Glad to hear that the bicycle is not only a Dutch way of shipspotting. I lost a bag and a glove once (Separate occasions) and indeed found them back the next day or so, hanging from or laying on a pole. I did find a lens cover once, and kept it....The worst experiences are two or three flat tires on the bike, one caused by a fishing hook that was left behind by a fisherman on the cycle path. Walking home was on average about 7-8 kilometers.
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Paul Finnigan on May 09, 2020, 10:22:03 AM
My worst memory was riding down to the port on my bicycle only to find on arrival that my pannier bag had fallen off which contained my camera , phone and wallet somewhere on the 15km trip.I rode back the same way and found it 6km down the road , someone had picked it up and placed it on a fence with camera and phone ,wallet still in it so thanks to that person who ever they are.        
Glad to hear that the bicycle is not only a Dutch way of shipspotting. I lost a bag and a glove once (Separate occasions) and indeed found them back the next day or so, hanging from or laying on a pole. I did find a lens cover once, and kept it....The worst experiences are two or three flat tires on the bike, one caused by a fishing hook that was left behind by a fisherman on the cycle path. Walking home was on average about 7-8 kilometers.
No fishing hooks but had fishing line caught up in the rear hub and broken spokes 2 in last 2 weeks !
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: pieter melissen on May 09, 2020, 11:44:19 AM
 
[/quote]No fishing hooks but had fishing line caught up in the rear hub and broken spokes 2 in last 2 weeks !
[/quote]

In short, these pleasure fishermen are a global nuisance
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Brent on May 09, 2020, 08:20:01 PM
Morning - I have a couple, Santos Star nicely adorned with a Blue Star funnel sailing in to Napier on a reasonable day ... forgot camera, camera battery dying at Singapore and had to ration photoes, one I particularly regret being a nice green on a thoroughly sunny day. But I think the big moment I shared with a basking sealion on a small breakwater at Napier, I walked straight past (within 12 inches) and he mustn't have noticed me either, while photograhing I could then her heavy breathing which thought was odd. Anyway on way back the mammal then decided to protest and wnet up on its haunches with a very loud growl, I got such a fright went a** over kite skinned everything, dropped the camera fortunately only a few scratches. Had a mexican standoff for a few minutes till it slithered in to the sea.
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Paul Finnigan on May 09, 2020, 10:08:22 PM
No fishing hooks but had fishing line caught up in the rear hub and broken spokes 2 in last 2 weeks !

In short, these pleasure fishermen are a global nuisance

Yes but not only to us Shipspotters but to the poor wildlife , I have seen many Seagulls with fishing line wrapped around there legs.



Just fixed the BBCode quote tags so it formats correctly
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Pak Agen on May 10, 2020, 07:00:57 AM
My pocket camera Panasonic broken due to wave when going to Balikpapan OPL picking up sick crew durung emergency call the cape size bulker EVGENIA (heading to Australia Port Hedland FM China)
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: David Harrison on May 28, 2020, 02:28:58 PM
Reading that the cruise ship 'Seven Seas Navigator'  was at the Port of Tyne and due to sail 1700 hours.
Arrived at the mouth of the Tyne at South Shields just turned 1600 hours armed with camera etc..   Seven Seas Navigator was on the horizon.   She sailed at 1500 hours.
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: Robert J Smith on May 28, 2020, 03:13:31 PM
Reading that the cruise ship 'Seven Seas Navigator'  was at the Port of Tyne and due to sail 1700 hours.
Arrived at the mouth of the Tyne at South Shields just turned 1600 hours armed with camera etc..   Seven Seas Navigator was on the horizon.   She sailed at 1500 hours.

Did the same in 2005, I was working in Kent and rushed down to Dover to catch the new PRIDE OF AMERICA only to see her leaving the harbour as I drove into town. She left an hour or so earlier than advertised.
Title: Re: Your worst memory when you were trying to spot or take pictures of the ships?
Post by: GordonC on June 03, 2020, 05:41:32 PM
Sailing on the Solent in a dinghy as a young boy, photographing seagulls and buoys and finishing the film in my camera. Ten minutes later the old P&O liner Oriana passed-by belching thick black smoke from all the engine room vents with passengers gathering on the decks wearing life jackets. She passed by less than 100 yards away. 20 minutes later tugs came screaming down Southampton water with hoses ready. A very dramatic scene, fortunately no one was injured, they swung the Oriana around near Bramble Bank and towed her back to Southampton, still belching smoke. If only I had a few shots left in my camera...   I remember trying to calculate how many passengers I could save in my little dinghy!