Comments (Newest First):

 

Post 5075

  Sea News, Dover

Nature at work above there. The red sun rising through the eternal gloom a couple of days ago. There's a ship in there somewhere - can you spot it? I hadn't spotted it myself til I was uploading just now. Calais is directly below the sun there in the middle of all that gloom. Bog standard natural shot.

The rough oul weather continues...that's the approaching Dover Seaways below. Hold on to yer hat!


Wow a nice sharp clear collection below there featuring Puma and Pathfinder from Mike our 'inshore correspondent'. Great clear shots Mike. Nice work. Must have been chilly down there...hope you wore at least three anoraks. Its definitely three anorak weather down there.


PaulB.

Thursday, 18 January 2018 - 05:08

 

Post 5074

  Mike J., Dover

Wednesday midday & the PUMA & NAS PATHFINDER on the Ad.Pier.




All the DWDR barges & other craft are sheltering with another westerly force 9 expected.
Eastern Docks looked full of freight late afternoon.

Wednesday, 17 January 2018 - 17:43

 

Post 5073

  Sea News, Dover

Its just amazing how that new land mass is being created...there is an island where there was nothing before, thanks to the industrious efforts of our now familiar friend.. sand dredger Barent Zanen. Its not the best picture above but gives the general gist...Afon Lligwy to the right and in the near distance old tug Puma.

Great collection below Ed..smashin pix from the channel and delighted you got Green Italia in the earlier post. Was hoping we would get that one because as far as I am aware its a very first visit. Nice shots of that. She left in darkness last night...tried a picture or two but it was just too dark out there.

PaulB

Wednesday, 17 January 2018 - 08:12

 

Post 5072

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Two warships proceeding down the Southwest lane past Dover this afternoon. German frigate FGS Hessen and Dutch landing platform dock HNLMS Johan de Witt.





Tuesday, 16 January 2018 - 23:30

 

Post 5071

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Green Italia at the DCT today.



Tuesday, 16 January 2018 - 19:03

 

Post 5070

  Sea News, Dover

If you live anywhere along the channel you wont need me to tell you that we had a rough oul day yesterday, the timbers were a-shakin around here in the high winds...not to mentioned some lofty swaying in the high-tower thrown in for good measure.

The weather didn't stop that large crow in the top pic there enjoying himself... hanging on in there with superb airborne skills in the 'severe gale 9' .. while in the background we have a near replay of the situation shown a week or so ago...yes its the tug Dauntless helping the Dover Seaways into Dover 8. Life repeating itself.

If it was tough on dry land...well it was even tougher for the crews on the ships and as ever they did an excellent job keeping everything running.

Some pictures below of the waves thundering against the promenade.




A few days earlier and we have some pictures below of that new safety/efficiency device used in the piling procedure..as featured previously in post 4509.... this time we see it airborne!

"
The ‘walking piling gate’, which improves the safety, environmental standards and efficiency of the construction process, has been recognised as an innovation by the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), and is featured on the Scheme’s Best Practice Hub – the key online resource showcasing best practice in the construction industry.

The Port’s principal contractor, VSBW (VolkerStevin and Boskalis Westminster), has been using the custom-built equipment to install large diameter tubular piles for the Port’s new berths, pier and marina curve, and is already reporting the kit has increased the number of piles being driven daily from three to a maximum of 10.

"



Thanks Del - lots more to come for sure

That's an excellent picture of Emerald below Ed. Love that one...you can feel the weather and atmospherics through the picture. She left soon after that...heading for Hamburg if I'm remembering rightly. But the weather was abysmal..driving rain etc...couldn't get a worthwhile shot.

PB

Tuesday, 16 January 2018 - 07:06

 

Post 5069

  Del Styan, Norwich

Lovely shots of cormorants / geese. Keep up the good work.

Monday, 15 January 2018 - 23:05

 

Post 5068

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Emerald at the DCT this morning.


Monday, 15 January 2018 - 08:05

 

Post 5067

  Sea News, Dover

While photographing the reversing Spirit of Britain on Saturday early, see post 4565, I noticed a shadow pulling this way and that in the distant yellow sky. As the shadow grew closer it became clear that it was a flock of travelling birds. Quite a large flock too...yours truly had a stab at photographing them. Alas...yours truly is nobody's idea of a wildlife photographer but there we are anyway. Thought they were worth including. The birds look like cormorants on the move again...however .. could be wild geese and so on.

The same morning and the cranes and the work teams are still hard at it..


This picture below was taken and sent in by Valerie Blankhart.
Valerie lives further along the seafront and managed to get this early shot below on her phone.
Many thanks Valerie - its a nice shot.


Well done with that excellent post below Mike. Great stuff! Great info...
And...Great to see those pictures from Nigel. Nice work Nigel

PaulB



Monday, 15 January 2018 - 06:02

 

Post 5066

  Mike J., Dover

Further to Paul's post of the PUMA -

During the wee small hours of Sunday morning both DHB tugs went to the aid of the tug NAS PATHFINDER who had engine trouble off Dover whilst towing the larger tug PUMA en route Messina, Sicily from Holland.
The two tugs were towed in & berthed on the Ad.Pier.

Both Paul & I tried for photos during the morning, mine were rubbish, but Paul’s came out very well considering the conditions.

The weather must have improved later as Nigel Scutt got some excellent photos later when he passed them aboard the diveboat MAVERICK & later posted them on his Marina Facebook page with further details.
Many thanks to Nigel for letting me post them here.

The PUMA, now looking like a bit of a rustbucket, has had quite a history having started life for United Towing in 1978 as the YORKSHIREMAN under the British flag.
The much smaller NAS PATHFINDER is Panamanian-flagged & is four years older than the PUMA.

There’s no specific information [yet] why the tow is taking place, perhaps the scrapyards of the Eastern Mediterranean are beckoning for the PUMA & the two tugs were following the same route as the final voyages of the PRIDE OF DOVER & THE PRIDE OF CALAIS to Turkey, perhaps calling Messina for bunkers.
Pure speculation !


Monday, 15 January 2018 - 00:43

 

Post 5065

  Sea News, Dover

Mike gave me the nod this morning about some harbour visitors...an interesting old tug was being towed by another tug. I promised to try and photograph them.They were in the harbour alright but lost in low level grey/blue murk as they rested near the cruise terminal. I couldn't get the first tug Pathfinder but got the one being towed called Puma..and that's Puma above there. I needed much help from the computer to get an image at all...and there it is.

PaulB

Sunday, 14 January 2018 - 18:08

 

Post 5064

  Sea News, Dover

Ah yes Harald.. pity you didn't get a chance to see the Spirit of Britain over there at Damen in Rotterdam , but yes indeed we had some great pictures of her from Ed and Jeremy..excellent shots they were ( 4560 and 4561 ).

That's the Spirit of Britain back in service yesterday morning early in the picture above...cold day as she reverses into berth 9.
...all seems back to normal.

Thanks Mike as ever for the info.



Sunday, 14 January 2018 - 05:04

 

Post 5063

  Mike J., Dover

1335 - Ramsgate webcam is working !

Just seen a blue survey craft craft come in & park up amongst the yachts.
AIS reckons that it's the THAMES GUARDIAN.

Saturday, 13 January 2018 - 13:42

 

Post 5062

  Harald Boot, Tholen, The Netherlands

Thanks for the great photos! It is lovely to see the Spirit of Britain back home in Dover again after her short trip to Damen in Rotterdam. Unfortunately I did not have a chance to go and see her there.

Saturday, 13 January 2018 - 11:33

 

Post 5061

  Sea News, Dover

New Year, New JacK. yes this appears to be a new guy on the scene, its called Haven Seajack 3. Yours truly hasn't seen it before so presumably its a new addition to the working DWDR fleet. Its all very busy at the moment with the various workings piledrivings and drillings all powering the project forward with a new year gusto.

Despite all this you cannot suppress the enthusiasm of youth for a bit of wintry sailing...all in the shadow of the bulldozers and the piling. Its a tad chilly out there on the briny at the moment but that doesn't hold the enthusiasts back...
Both pictures from Thursday.


Great topical collection of pictures below from Ed, Jeremy, and Mike.
Great to see all those of the Spirit of Britain, nice shots for sure, very good to have them in the collection. I couldn't get a shot of the laid-up Spirit myself... and really nice shots of the Smit Young too Mike.

PaulB.

Saturday, 13 January 2018 - 06:19

 

Post 5059

  Ed Connell, Dover Strait

Spirit of Britain on the Eastern Arm today.




Friday, 12 January 2018 - 22:47

 

Post 5058

  Jeremy Ward, Whitfield, Dover

Whilst at the White Cliffs this afternoon noticed that the Spirit of Britain was moored at the Eastern Arm with her front bow doors open

Friday, 12 January 2018 - 22:46

 

Post 5057

  Mike J., Dover

Friday afternoon & the SMIT YOUNG returns to the Tidal Basin after 'attending' the BARENT ZANEN.


As soon as I recommended the Ramsgate webcam it packed-up !
It WAS working on Thursday, Honest.

Friday, 12 January 2018 - 22:19

 

Post 5056

  Sea News, Dover

Nice work Ed getting a picture of Eastern Bay up on display yesterday...I wasn't sure if we would have a pic so I prepared the one above from the archives. It hasn't been used before so worth a look even if not up to the minute. Eastern Bay left last night at 7Pm approx. and went south. Unusually the ship was heading for ...lets see I wrote it down somewhere...yes here it is..Radicatel. I had to look that one up. Its located at the mouth of the Seine just behind Le Havre and semi across from Honfleur. So there we are...why there??
We showed a picture of the Olde Custom House a few days back ( 4549 )...there she is above yesterday morning and the whole view has completely changed. Now almost hidden behind a mountain of sand/gravel/spoil you name it. Amazing amount of work in a few days....much work now going on again right across the DWDR with some more delightful piledriving to enjoy...

Above we have the scene across the channel yesterday morning. Staggering colours. This is a bog-standard point n shoot shot, no colour or anything added. Just spectacular nature at work.


Good to get the Eastern Bay looking good there Ed...nice shot and good to see the transporter too.
Will enjoy a look at that Ramsgate webcam later Mike... might even see our ace roving reporter at work over there.

PaulB.

Friday, 12 January 2018 - 06:01

 

Post 5055

  Mike J., Dover

I found another webcam, this time for Ramsgate.
Presumably installed so that Sarah can keep an eye on the Lifeboat.

Google ‘CAMSECURE’ & on their home page go to ‘Live Cameras’ & click on the ‘southeast’ area on the map.
If Ramsgate doesn’t come up straight away click on it on the list of cameras.

A number of other ports have ‘public’ webcams, good PR for the ports involved, a pity that DHB don’t have the same attitude as there is great interest in the port from the public, look at the numbers of folk up on Langdon Cliffs watching activity in Eastern Docks.
A 'public' camera looking at the DWDR works from on high would be interesting as well.



Friday, 12 January 2018 - 01:01