Maritime Gallery http://windyships.fotopic.net/ 12 rows en-gb 60 Various Ships seen on the Mersey in October 2009 http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1774583.html The pictures in this gallery were taken during visits to Liverpool, Wallasey, Birkenhead and the River Mersey during October 2009. These exclude the visits of the Queen Mary 2 and HMS Illustrious, which can be found in their own separate galleries. There was a near miss involving the Mersey Ferry 'Royal Daffodil' and an oil tanker called 'Ramira' on the 23rd, I didn't see the incident as I'd been inside the ferry terminal at the time trying to buy a ticket, I did come out just as the Ramira passed by though and took a number of photographs of this and the Daffodil, totally unaware of what had just taken place. Other vessels photographed incuded various tugs, ferries, survey vessles, RNLI, a police boat and various cargo ships and tankers. Tuesday 20 October 2009: The pictures in this gallery were taken during visits to Liverpool, Wallasey, Birkenhead and the River Mersey during October 2009. These exclude the visits of the Queen Mary 2 and HMS Illustrious, which can be found in their own separate galleries. There was a near miss involving the Mersey Ferry 'Royal Daffodil' and an oil tanker called 'Ramira' on the 23rd, I didn't see the incident as I'd been inside the ferry terminal at the time trying to buy a ticket, I did come out just as the Ramira passed by though and took a number of photographs of this and the Daffodil, totally unaware of what had just taken place. Other vessels photographed incuded various tugs, ferries, survey vessles, RNLI, a police boat and various cargo ships and tankers.

20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 20th October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 20th October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009

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]]> Tue Oct 20 2009 HMS Illustrious Visits Liverpool October 2009 http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1773997.html Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier and Flagship HMS Illustrious made a five day visit to the city of Liverpool in October 2009, and was moored up at the passenger liner terminal at Pier Head near the front of the Liver Building, and in this collection you will find a number of shots that were taken during my visit there on Friday the 23rd of October. This was the second day of the ship's visit, and was chosen because of the flying display which was scheduled for that day, and this involved around 40 aircraft and helicopters flying the length of the Mersey between the city of Liverpool and Birkenhead. The ship was not open to the public that day, but a number of shots were taken from Birkenhead, at close by at Pier Head, and also from the deck of the Mersey Ferry 'Royal Daffodil', which had just been involved in a near miss with a large tanker just a little while earlier. Well it was an exciting and interesting day in more ways than one that is for sure!:-) Images from the main flying display, and another display over the Albert Dock by the Royal Navy 'Black Cats' helicopter display team, will appear in my Aviation Gallery, where they will fit in better, that is with the exception of a short 'rescue' display which involved acrewman being winched from a Sea King onto the deck of a Lifeboat, I thought that would be better left in this gallery. A great display from the Royal Navy, which I could have gone on all five days and also got the arrival and departure, hopefully it won't be long before another large Navy ship visits the port. As per usual, I travelled there with 'ConwyCastle', and you can find links to his videos of the day at the collection links below. Friday 23 October 2009: Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier and Flagship HMS Illustrious made a five day visit to the city of Liverpool in October 2009, and was moored up at the passenger liner terminal at Pier Head near the front of the Liver Building, and in this collection you will find a number of shots that were taken during my visit there on Friday the 23rd of October. This was the second day of the ship's visit, and was chosen because of the flying display which was scheduled for that day, and this involved around 40 aircraft and helicopters flying the length of the Mersey between the city of Liverpool and Birkenhead. The ship was not open to the public that day, but a number of shots were taken from Birkenhead, at close by at Pier Head, and also from the deck of the Mersey Ferry 'Royal Daffodil', which had just been involved in a near miss with a large tanker just a little while earlier. Well it was an exciting and interesting day in more ways than one that is for sure!:-) Images from the main flying display, and another display over the Albert Dock by the Royal Navy 'Black Cats' helicopter display team, will appear in my Aviation Gallery, where they will fit in better, that is with the exception of a short 'rescue' display which involved acrewman being winched from a Sea King onto the deck of a Lifeboat, I thought that would be better left in this gallery. A great display from the Royal Navy, which I could have gone on all five days and also got the arrival and departure, hopefully it won't be long before another large Navy ship visits the port. As per usual, I travelled there with 'ConwyCastle', and you can find links to his videos of the day at the collection links below.

23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009 23rd October 2009

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]]> Fri Oct 23 2009 Queen Mary 2 Visits Liverpool http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1773962.html On Tuesday 20th of October 2009 the Cunard ocean liner the Queeen Mary 2, made one of its occasional visits to the port of Liverpool as part of a round the British Isles tour to celebrate her 5th birthday. Unfortunately for us, by the time we got to Liverpool in mid-afternoon, the weather was appalling, and it was blowing a Gale and lashing it down. We were over on the Birkenhead side of the River Mersey, and struggling to take pictures in the deluge, not easy when you are struggling to hold your cameras steady in such high winds. In this collection are a number of shots taken that day, and looking at how dark it looks on some of the earlier shots you would think they were taken in the evening and not before 3pm! Because of the weather we decided not to make the ferry crossing over to Pier Head, as it would have been even more difficult to take pictures on a moving ship in that poor light, hopefully when she returns in July 2010 conditions will be a little bit better. A truly impressive looking Tuesday 20 October 2009: On Tuesday 20th of October 2009 the Cunard ocean liner the Queeen Mary 2, made one of its occasional visits to the port of Liverpool as part of a round the British Isles tour to celebrate her 5th birthday. Unfortunately for us, by the time we got to Liverpool in mid-afternoon, the weather was appalling, and it was blowing a Gale and lashing it down. We were over on the Birkenhead side of the River Mersey, and struggling to take pictures in the deluge, not easy when you are struggling to hold your cameras steady in such high winds. In this collection are a number of shots taken that day, and looking at how dark it looks on some of the earlier shots you would think they were taken in the evening and not before 3pm! Because of the weather we decided not to make the ferry crossing over to Pier Head, as it would have been even more difficult to take pictures on a moving ship in that poor light, hopefully when she returns in July 2010 conditions will be a little bit better. A truly impressive looking

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]]> Tue Oct 20 2009 A Day Trip down the Manchester Ship Canal http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1762856.html This gallery contains a (large) number of pictures taken during a cruise along the Manchester Ship Canal in September 2009, and features many of the sites and ships encountered on the way to Liverpool. This was something that I'd wanted to do for a long time, and thanks to Mersey Ferries now running such trips several times every month, this was at last possible for me to do. I've long been fascinated with "The Big Ditch", the 36 mile long man made waterway that runs from the River Mersey right into the heart of Manchester (or Salford to be more specific and not upset any Salfordians). I can well recall seeing all the big ships there in the 1960s and 70s, and it's hard to believe just how quickly this fell into disuse at the Manchester end, though the disused Quays at Salford now play host to many different kinds of businesses and leisure pursuits (Lowry Centre, Imperial War Museum North etc.). Built over a six year period from 1887 to 1894, the ship canal was a major waterway, which carried many of the goods from Lancashire's factories out to the world, and brought many other goods in as well. A major engineering feat along the lines of the Suez and Panama Canals, this was, until the building of the Channel Tunnel, probably the biggest engineering project ever built in this country. The cruises now run by Mersey Ferries, run several times a month during the months of April to October, with a departure from the Liverpool end at Pier Head outside the famous Liver Building, bringing passengers up to Salford Quays, and with a return trip the following day back to Liverpool again. The journey takes around six hours, though this can vary according to the amount of shipping using the canal at that time, or delays at the various locks along the route. I decided to do a photo documentary of my trip from Salford to Liverpool in September 2009, and this shows pictures, not only of 'Snowdrop', the ferry used for the trip, but also all of the locks, swing and lifting bridges, working ships and ports passed along the way. I have also included the section of the trip from the exit to the canal at Eastham, to the arrival point at Pier Head as well. The day I travelled was fine, but a bit gloomy and not too warm, but if anyone has been thinking of doing this trip I would certainly recommend it, not only is it fascinating and allows you to see many sights which would otherwise be impossible from the landward side, but also gives you even greater admiration for the Victorian Engineers and workers (navigators), some 16,000 in all who built such a major project in just six years. In some of the shots you will notice a TV crew, these were from Manchester's local TV company 'Channel M', who were making a documentary about the trip, anyone who can receive this channel should keep a look out for this appearing, or check their website as they sometime put programmes on there too! Whilst in Liverpool I couldn't resist visiting the Maritime Museum once again as it must be a good 10 years since I was last there (seems a lot smaller than I remembered it, some floors have now been used for the Slavery Museum I believe). The old Mersey Pilot boat is still berthed there, but harder to see now due to the building of a new musuem just behind it, and it was nice to see the old Bar Lightship and various other vessels now moored there as well. Liverpool has certainly changed since my last visit there in 2005, with all sorts of new buildings going up all over the place, I just hope they don't go any ruin the city's unique character with all this Manchester style 'yuppification'!:-) I can hardly wait to do the trip again, hopefully on a slightly sunnier day the next time!:-) You will find 'gallery links' to the Mersey Ferries and Ship Canal sites at the foot of the page. Thursday 24 September 2009: This gallery contains a (large) number of pictures taken during a cruise along the Manchester Ship Canal in September 2009, and features many of the sites and ships encountered on the way to Liverpool. This was something that I'd wanted to do for a long time, and thanks to Mersey Ferries now running such trips several times every month, this was at last possible for me to do. I've long been fascinated with "The Big Ditch", the 36 mile long man made waterway that runs from the River Mersey right into the heart of Manchester (or Salford to be more specific and not upset any Salfordians). I can well recall seeing all the big ships there in the 1960s and 70s, and it's hard to believe just how quickly this fell into disuse at the Manchester end, though the disused Quays at Salford now play host to many different kinds of businesses and leisure pursuits (Lowry Centre, Imperial War Museum North etc.). Built over a six year period from 1887 to 1894, the ship canal was a major waterway, which carried many of the goods from Lancashire's factories out to the world, and brought many other goods in as well. A major engineering feat along the lines of the Suez and Panama Canals, this was, until the building of the Channel Tunnel, probably the biggest engineering project ever built in this country. The cruises now run by Mersey Ferries, run several times a month during the months of April to October, with a departure from the Liverpool end at Pier Head outside the famous Liver Building, bringing passengers up to Salford Quays, and with a return trip the following day back to Liverpool again. The journey takes around six hours, though this can vary according to the amount of shipping using the canal at that time, or delays at the various locks along the route. I decided to do a photo documentary of my trip from Salford to Liverpool in September 2009, and this shows pictures, not only of 'Snowdrop', the ferry used for the trip, but also all of the locks, swing and lifting bridges, working ships and ports passed along the way. I have also included the section of the trip from the exit to the canal at Eastham, to the arrival point at Pier Head as well. The day I travelled was fine, but a bit gloomy and not too warm, but if anyone has been thinking of doing this trip I would certainly recommend it, not only is it fascinating and allows you to see many sights which would otherwise be impossible from the landward side, but also gives you even greater admiration for the Victorian Engineers and workers (navigators), some 16,000 in all who built such a major project in just six years. In some of the shots you will notice a TV crew, these were from Manchester's local TV company 'Channel M', who were making a documentary about the trip, anyone who can receive this channel should keep a look out for this appearing, or check their website as they sometime put programmes on there too! Whilst in Liverpool I couldn't resist visiting the Maritime Museum once again as it must be a good 10 years since I was last there (seems a lot smaller than I remembered it, some floors have now been used for the Slavery Museum I believe). The old Mersey Pilot boat is still berthed there, but harder to see now due to the building of a new musuem just behind it, and it was nice to see the old Bar Lightship and various other vessels now moored there as well. Liverpool has certainly changed since my last visit there in 2005, with all sorts of new buildings going up all over the place, I just hope they don't go any ruin the city's unique character with all this Manchester style 'yuppification'!:-) I can hardly wait to do the trip again, hopefully on a slightly sunnier day the next time!:-) You will find 'gallery links' to the Mersey Ferries and Ship Canal sites at the foot of the page.

Published in Maritime Gallery

]]> Thu Sep 24 2009 Preston Docks & Marina - May 2009 http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1694148.html Another trip back to the Preston Docklands area, and again in bright sunny conditions just as it was during my last visit in 2007. It was nice to see a group of enthusiasts racing a number of model yachts on one part of the dock, and again look at all those expensive boats on the opposite side. The algae problem is still there though, and the water still has a slightly greenish tinge to it. Thursday 7 May 2009: Another trip back to the Preston Docklands area, and again in bright sunny conditions just as it was during my last visit in 2007. It was nice to see a group of enthusiasts racing a number of model yachts on one part of the dock, and again look at all those expensive boats on the opposite side. The algae problem is still there though, and the water still has a slightly greenish tinge to it.

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]]> Thu May 7 2009 MV Riverdance Cargo Ferry Images http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1482605.html This shot shows the stricken cargo vessel the MV Riverdance, which was washed up onto the beach near Bispham, Lancashire in January 2008. Despite numerous attempts to refloat it, as of the end of March the ship was still lying on its side on the beach, and the poor weather was still thwarting efforts to recover it. A friend commented that this picture looked like a L.S. Lowry painting, and I can see what he meant. In his later years, Lowry used to like to paint seascapes, and I'm sure he would have enjoyed seeing this scene, and painted something like this if he'd still been around today!:-) As you can see, the ship has become a major tourist attraction, and many people come along to visit the scene whenever the weather and tides permit. Sunday 16 March 2008: This shot shows the stricken cargo vessel the MV Riverdance, which was washed up onto the beach near Bispham, Lancashire in January 2008. Despite numerous attempts to refloat it, as of the end of March the ship was still lying on its side on the beach, and the poor weather was still thwarting efforts to recover it. A friend commented that this picture looked like a L.S. Lowry painting, and I can see what he meant. In his later years, Lowry used to like to paint seascapes, and I'm sure he would have enjoyed seeing this scene, and painted something like this if he'd still been around today!:-) As you can see, the ship has become a major tourist attraction, and many people come along to visit the scene whenever the weather and tides permit.

MV Riverdance, 16th March 2008

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]]> Sun Mar 16 2008 More Fleetwood Ships http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1394986.html These pictures were taken at Fleetwood, Lancashire on Sunday 21st of October 2007, which was yet another fine and Sunny day. Sunday 21 October 2007: These pictures were taken at Fleetwood, Lancashire on Sunday 21st of October 2007, which was yet another fine and Sunny day.

This dredger was seen coming up the estuary Some of the small fishing boats waiting for the tide to come in The Fleetwood Lifeboat at its mooring in the estuary This boat was taking a party of tourists out for a trip around the bay The dredger heads back out to sea again The tourists disembark after their trip around the bay

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]]> Sun Oct 21 2007 Fleetwood Ferries http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1390399.html These pictures were taken during a visit to Fleetwood and Blackpool on Sunday 14th of October. Since I like to photograph ships, Trams and Buses I had no shortage of targets this time, and you can see the Tram and Bus shots that I took in my other Fotopic Galleries. Sunday 14 October 2007: These pictures were taken during a visit to Fleetwood and Blackpool on Sunday 14th of October. Since I like to photograph ships, Trams and Buses I had no shortage of targets this time, and you can see the Tram and Bus shots that I took in my other Fotopic Galleries.

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]]> Sun Oct 14 2007 Preston Marina October 2007 http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1384910.html After a really miserable summer October seemed to be something of an 'Indian Summer', and this beautiful day saw me off to Preston to visit the Ribble Steam Museum. The Marina was close by, and never being able to resist anything nautical I just had to wander around and take a few shots (well okay, everything in sight then!). The railway shots will be available in my Railway Gallery, and the few passing bus shots I took will soon be available in the Bus & Coach Gallery. The marina was quite impressive, and some of the boats very interesting to look at. Like many former dock areas this one has also been regenerated and seems to be quite popular now. I did note the notice about the Algae problem, which was quite bad that day, I've included a shot of a Coot, which can be seen leaving a trail through it - maybe I should start a wildlife gallery as well now!:-) Saturday 6 October 2007: After a really miserable summer October seemed to be something of an 'Indian Summer', and this beautiful day saw me off to Preston to visit the Ribble Steam Museum. The Marina was close by, and never being able to resist anything nautical I just had to wander around and take a few shots (well okay, everything in sight then!). The railway shots will be available in my Railway Gallery, and the few passing bus shots I took will soon be available in the Bus & Coach Gallery. The marina was quite impressive, and some of the boats very interesting to look at. Like many former dock areas this one has also been regenerated and seems to be quite popular now. I did note the notice about the Algae problem, which was quite bad that day, I've included a shot of a Coot, which can be seen leaving a trail through it - maybe I should start a wildlife gallery as well now!:-)

More relics. These berths were very popular with the wildlife. This Coot left a trail through the Algae! This sign explains about the Algae problem. This is the Marina Control building. This was a waterfront cafe. The view from the rotating bridge at the entrance to the Marina. Another shot of the lock gates, these lead to the River Ribble. A relic from the old dats. Another relic These are the lock gates. A shot of the boatyard.

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]]> Sat Oct 6 2007 Navy Day Portsmouth 1990 http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1339153.html These shots were taken during "Navy Day", the Open Day at the Royal Navy dockyard in Portsmouth in 1990. All of these shots were taken in 35mm and have been scanned for inclusion here. Thursday 2 August 2007: These shots were taken during "Navy Day", the Open Day at the Royal Navy dockyard in Portsmouth in 1990. All of these shots were taken in 35mm and have been scanned for inclusion here.

RFA Argus, as seen from the deck of the Ark Royal The Royal Yacht Brittania - now a floating museum in Edinburgh! Nelson's flagship HMS Victory can be seen in the background This Dutch warship was the HMS Ark Royal

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]]> Thu Aug 2 2007 The Tall Ships Race Comes to Liverpool circa 1990 http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1338775.html These images were taken at the Tall Ships Event at Liverpool. I'm almost sure the year was 1990, but it could easily have been 1992, I can't recall for sure. It was a lovely Sunny day, and the vessels looked really impressive as they showed off their colours on the river. The shot showing the boat with the large red and gold ensign was the King of Spain's yacht, and he may well have been on board, I believe he was at the event at that time. Some of the other shots show the Mersey Ferries and Pilot Boats as they passed by the ships, and you can also see a shot of the old Liverpool Pilot vessel, which is now a permanent fixture outside the Merseyside Maritime Museum. Thursday 2 August 2007: These images were taken at the Tall Ships Event at Liverpool. I'm almost sure the year was 1990, but it could easily have been 1992, I can't recall for sure. It was a lovely Sunny day, and the vessels looked really impressive as they showed off their colours on the river. The shot showing the boat with the large red and gold ensign was the King of Spain's yacht, and he may well have been on board, I believe he was at the event at that time. Some of the other shots show the Mersey Ferries and Pilot Boats as they passed by the ships, and you can also see a shot of the old Liverpool Pilot vessel, which is now a permanent fixture outside the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

The old Liverpool Pilot vessel, which is a permanent fixture at the Maritime Museum The Tall Ships - a magnificent sight! I think this one was from Argentina! The King of Spain's Yacht and ensign! More Tall Ships, this time moored over at Birkenhead. Mersey Pilot boat passes by. A Mersey Ferry goes by Another Mersey Ferry, this time going the other way.

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]]> Thu Aug 2 2007 QE2 visits Liverpool July 1990 http://windyships.fotopic.net/c1338771.html These shots are scans of some photographs I took in July 1990 at Liverpool. Cunard were celebrating their 150th Anniversary, and the QE2 visited Liverpool, which was a legendary port for Cunard Liners in the old days. It was a beautiful Sunny day, and the old Queen travelled up the River Mersey escorted by Fire Boats, and looked very impressive. It was a very memorable event, and attended by very large crowds, who lined the banks of the Mersey to get a sight of her. Thursday 2 August 2007: These shots are scans of some photographs I took in July 1990 at Liverpool. Cunard were celebrating their 150th Anniversary, and the QE2 visited Liverpool, which was a legendary port for Cunard Liners in the old days. It was a beautiful Sunny day, and the old Queen travelled up the River Mersey escorted by Fire Boats, and looked very impressive. It was a very memorable event, and attended by very large crowds, who lined the banks of the Mersey to get a sight of her.

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]]> Thu Aug 2 2007