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Messages - Simon Brown

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16
And now under the Comoros flag..it's next stop I wonder?

18
Still layed up in Timaru.

19
I saw her the day she arrived at Timaru for the first time on board the semi-sub HAPPY MAMMOUTH (IMO 7435711) and saw her yesterday departing for the last time..

A PELICAN to be replaced by an ALBATROS IMO 9671618..

 

21
Rangatira is still along side No.3 North at Timaru from what I saw today. She's not gone anywhere since it's last arrival back in 2015..just taken off the ports shipping list now. Maybe a gas torch planning to visit her..?

23
Dave,

Super job all around. Fine effort. At that time (1972) I was only 2 and I doubt I didn't even know what a tug boat was! Appreciate you jumping onboard and uploading these great pics. They really add to our small collection of reference material we have for this tug.

I guess you were arriving to load frozen meat for the UK? I can remember many Blue Star reefers at Timaru during the very very late 70's (when we use to visit the port with my grandfather) and into the 80's. Was quite a busy period back then.

Any more shots at Timaru in the early days appreciated as well. Many thanks once again.

Simon B


24
Super photos and in good colour too! Any idea who took them? It's quite a high aspect view so I wonder what the photographer was on..maybe a inbound ship? Going around the end of the break water their is nothing to climb on to get this angle so it must have been taken off another vessel.

Simon B

25
Great to think our old Timaru tug Arataki (ex Aorangi) is right now back in Auckland for the moment almost right where she was built some 44 years ago..with a lick of paint and still looking good I presume. Let's hope she's not on a one-way passage to the scrap yard where the barge might be headed!

Any pictures of her in Auckland much appreciated..

SB

26
Their is a land based AIS receiver in the Gisborne area but it's been offline for some days now what I can see and in turn not feeding the Marinetraffic servers in Greece. Their will be vessels in the Gisborne area or passing coastwise some 20-30 miles offshore but the land based station needs to be online to pick them up. It's pretty uncommon for international trading vessels these days to turn off their AIS transmitters so that's not the reason behind you seeing nothing in this area of late. Of course VHF transmissions are mainly line-of sight so at sea level not a great distance can be covered..unless the receiver station is as high as possible. Our old receiver position was at sea level and the range was 10-15 miles on average..now it's around 3,000 feet and it can go out to 350 nautical miles or usually averages 125-150 miles most days. Even a local radio tech guy was impressed by such a distance. In the right atmospheric conditions we have seen VHF AIS signals bounce across the Southern Alps (that's up over 12,000 foot mountains) from fishing vessels on the west coast to our receiver on the East Coast. I know signals in the mid-Tasman can also be received when the conditions are right. I'm sure the operators of the Gisborne receiver will be back at some stage. Our is on 24/7 and over the past 18 months has been online 99.9% of the time. Our Timaru receiver has picked up some vessels on the Wairarapa coast.

Simon
AIS Timaru

27
Help and Advice / Re: Marinetraffic.com screen map display
« on: September 22, 2011, 07:26:24 PM »
Okay chaps..panics over now. I can resume normal life once again! Looks like it might have been just site maintainence in Greece. It's back to normal here but a bit slow at the moment.

Thanks everyone.

Simon


28
Help and Advice / Marinetraffic.com screen map display
« on: September 22, 2011, 06:32:13 PM »
Hi.

Is anyone having trouble with the screen map display on Marinetraffic.com of late? Over night the map display has moved up and virtually disappeared and I can only see bottom 5mm or so of the original AIS map, so you can say really no map display. The 'view fill map' function button seems not to do anything.

My screen is now centered on the ads/site credits which were always at the bottom of the screen and it's pushed everything up out of view as far at the maps concerned.

Maybe some programming issue by the site host in Greece? Or could it be my end pc issue?? Any ideas anyone..  ??? I just wanna see where my ships are.. It's been so good up till now.

Simon

29
Help and Advice / Re: Freighter Cruises
« on: May 12, 2011, 09:35:43 AM »
Hi Andre.

Some years ago I uploaded lots of photos of the trip to pbase.com but I only managed to get up until Panama, or just a few days into the Pacific leg..so I never got it finished which is a bit sad. This is the link below;

http://www.pbase.com/kiwinz/home_by_sea

Lets say I will try and finish it some day. Some good photos I think. Hope you enjoy them.

I always felt it's a special thing to see with world of from ocean. What 99% of people never get to experience, the smell, sound and views. It's a special feeling and you get to understand the vastness of the worlds oceans and how 'small' one can feel when you in the middle of say the Pacific, 7 days from land in every direction!

Regards,
Simon

30
Help and Advice / Re: Freighter Cruises
« on: May 12, 2011, 07:31:36 AM »

Nick, it sounds like us Timaruvian's have the freighter travel bug !!

Back in 2005 I made the 'voyage home' on the CMA CGM LA TOUR from Rotterdam to Auckland via the Pananam Canal, Pacific Islands and Australia and it really was a high light. Maybe I was lucky as the only passenger onboard during the whole 50 day trip but it was everything I expected. A big adventure.A great round the world round route. I had the total run of the ship, no restrictions, day or night. Master and crew we just great, so enjoyble to have a morning coffee most days with Captain Bosnic on the bridge, talking about the Balkan wars and everything else wrong in the world as we slide down the New Foundland coast towards New York.. Really the fun bit was always the adventure of exploring the local environs when we got alongside, finding a way off the ship through the terminal and to freedom for a few hours. St Paddy's Day in Savannah with the English cadets from onboard..they drink! In New York at the Red Hook Container Terminal (closest commercial vessel berth to Manhattan I have to say!) I managed to 'walk to Manhattan', finding my way to the Brooklyn Bridge, no yellow cab for me.. Even in Papeete a day out to Moorea for a look and an explore. Nothing planned..follow your nose sort of thing, even Melbourne was great with a big dinner out with the master, chief engineer and the nice lady provedore in Port Melbourne. It had a lucky trip!

I started planning through the company in Napier but but eventually talked with the CMA CGM travel 'lady' in Marseille which work out perfectly.

I saw some English looking 'freighter travellers' arrive in Manzanillo on a German flagged vessel and I was thinking that they were on the wrong type of ship. All boxie and no decks, no good viewing spots. The LA TOUR had lots of decks and roaming spaces but some more recent designs just lack outside spaces and no views so you have to get the right ship. The LA TOUR was perfect.

Anyway I was totally happy with my voyage home..and it beats airline travel if you have a spare bit of cash !

Simon






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