Something Different

 With the same container ships arriving again and again - sometimes for years on end - it is difficult to find something new to say or to show in the way of photos. 

The typical ship photo enthusiast tries to minimize background or foreground interference, to get perfect exposure, and to have the sun from the proper angle to minimize shadows, and most importantly the "forward 3/4" ( or 10 o'clock / two o'clock) view of the ship approaching (much preferrable to the ship viewed from the stern, departing.) Eventually it is possible to capture these repeat callers in the more or less perfect conditions - but then what? 

Today's bright sunshine provided good lighting conditions, but the two ship photo candidates have made countless calls on Halifax, so what was the point of trying for another photo, with so many already on file? The old adage that you can always get a better picture was a bit of a stretch, but the true enthusiast never quits.

By my reckoning Atlantic Container Lines' five G4 ships, after five to six years service, have made close to fifty round trips each (that is nearly one hundred transatlantic crossings), usually calling in Halifax east and west bound. Therefore I have seen the Atlantic Sun numerous times and and I have probably taken more than enough photos. So there was nothing unique about today (August 21) except that it was a warm day, and there were many pleasure craft in the harbour, and conditions were ideal.

Another familiar caller arrived yesterday and sailed today on THE Alliance's AL5 service. NYK Rumina is a modest sized vessel by today's measure. At 55,487 gt, 66,171 dwt, it has a capacity of 4922 TEU including 330 reefers. It was built in 2010 by Hyundai Samho.

There was also lots of pleasure craft traffic in the area when it sailed, but everyone remained clear (after a warning hoot).

The pilot boat Capt. E.T.Rogers was picking up speed off Pier 20 to get ahead of the ship as a small sail boat needed  to cross the boat's wake at right angles to avoid a severe roll. (There was ideal wind for sailboats today too.)

The boater executed the move perfectly and met the wake bow on, with a predictable splash. Not that this spoiled my "going away" photo - it just made it more interesting than it might have been.

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