Category Archives: Transportation

A Lighthouse in Iceland

Construction, Foreign, Helicopters, Lighthouses, Videos, ,

1488255_759521697393799_359641845_nThe photo above appeared on Facebook recently. It is a photo of the Þrídrangar lighthouse (pronounciation unknown) in Iceland. According to Timothy Harrison, lighthouse historian and Editor in Chief of Lighthouse Digest magazine, the photo was first posted on I heart Reykjavík on Facebook. There they say:

How would you like to be a lighthouse guard in this lighthouse? Þrídrangar are located 10km west of the Westman Islands and the lighthouse was built in 1939 (probably the most challenging lighthouse ever built in Iceland). I’m not sure I would visit even if I was offered it. Image via www.sigling.is

 The Google Map below shows the location. Zoom in on it.  Continue reading A Lighthouse in Iceland →

Book – The Nauticapedia List of British Columbia’s Floating Heritage (Volume 1)

Adult Memories, Advertisement, Art, Boats, Books, Books, British Columbia, Canada, Construction, Fishboats, History, Information, Lifeboats, Rowboat, Ships & Shipping, , , , , ,

The Nauticapedia List of British Columbia’s Floating Heritage (Volume 1)

– A new book by John M. MacFarlane 2014

This is a must have for all BC boat lovers.

Click the photo for the webpage.

Nautipedia

Once Upon a Foggy Night . . .

Adult Memories, Audio, Boats, British Columbia, Canada, Equipment, Fishboats, Fishing, Foghorns, History, Information, Lighthouses, North America, On The Job, Videos, , , ,
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There is a boat out there . . . click the button below . . .

Imagine you are a lighthouse keeper on the graveyard shift on a foggy night. All you hear are the diesel engines running, the foghorn blowing at intervals. As you stare out into the gloomy mist you hear this sound. It is a boat, but what kind of boat? What kind of motor?

Many old-timers will recognize it as the sound of a classic make and break Easthope 2-stroke marine gasoline engine on idle. It probably belonged to a fisherman waiting out the fog so he could see where he was going. It was a sound that carried through the fog just like the foghorn.

To hear it again brings back many memories. If you wish to see the fishboat that housed this engine take a look at this Youtube page.

EasthopeMarineSign

 

 

 

Mise Tales Thirty-Six

Adult Memories, Books, Books, Books, British Columbia, Childhood Memories, Children, Coast Guard, Construction, Hobbies, Humour, Icebreakers, Incidents, Information, Lighthouses, Models, Photos, Photos, Ships, Toys, Videos, Videos, , , , , , , , , ,

 

For an update on what a Mise Tale is then please see Mise Tales One.

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[youtube url=”http://youtu.be/b3e7CDg8a3g”]

Here is a great video taken on board the Coast Guard ship CCGS Sir Wilfred Laurier as it services the mountain-top radio sites using the onboard helicopter. Great shots of the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwai) and the old lighthouse and radio station at Cape St. James.

It is titled on Youtube as the “Big Red Restaurant“!

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Animated Map of Global Wind Conditions

Aircraft, Boats, Environment, Equipment, Information, Lighthouses, Weather, Worldwide, , , ,

One of the duties of a lighthouse keeper is the reporting of the weather for the boats, aircraft and also for forecasting. One of the things reported is the wind speed. From all around the world the wind speed is recorded and reported from countless weather stations.

Below are two screenshots of a new webpage showing a:

Visualization of global weather conditions as forecast by supercomputers. Weather data, generated from numerical models at Earth.NullSchool.net,…

earth wind map_01
Earth wind map showing winds over the Atlantic Ocean

 

earth wind map_02
Earth wind map showing winds around the Philippines, with special consideration for the Tropical Depression in the lower right (the tight swirl)

The photos above are static screen shots – the website is live! Navigate around just like in Google Earth using your mouse and the scroll wheel. Zoom in, zoom out. Enjoy!

 

LEGO Does It Again!

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As most of you know I love lighthouses and I have a special attraction for LEGO lighthouses (link1) (link2).

10241_prodWell, as you can see by the photo at the left, this is not a lighthouse, but it is a marine vessel which could very well sail past a lighthouse, and it is the largest ship in the world (right now!) – the record-breaking Maersk ‘Triple-E.’

Built from over 1,500 bricks, the model recreates the real vessel in amazing detail.

Features include rotating gold-colored propeller blades, brick-built twin 8-cylinder engines, viewing window into the engine compartment, adjustable rudders, detachable lifeboats, removable containers, rotating crane arms and a special ‘good luck’ coin.

It includes rare medium azur, dark red, sand blue and sand green colored elements.

Play with the model on carpeted surfaces or mount the model on the display stand

Building instructions also include interesting facts about the real ship.

The model includes 1,516 bricks

The ship (mounted on stand) measures over 8” (21cm) high, 25” (65cm) long and 3” (9cm) wide – more Continue reading LEGO Does It Again! →

Oh No! Not Another Accident!

Adult Memories, Coast Guard, Equipment, Helicopters, Information, Lighthouses, Videos, , , , , , ,

 This story could be titled Oh no, not another accident or to be more truthful How to give a helicopter a bath!

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If you keep up with aviation news you may have heard about a Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) helicopter that crashed in the Arctic. Continue reading Oh No! Not Another Accident! →

What a Nice Christmas Present

Adult Memories, British Columbia, Coast Guard, Environment, Equipment, Helicopters, Keepers, Light, Lighthouses, On The Job, Storms, Travel, Videos, Videos, Weather, , , ,

What a nice surprise! Today on Facebook the lighthouse keeper, Colin Toner, who is residing at my old workplace at McInnes Island posted a fantastic video of the lighthouse. Please watch in full screen to get the full effect.

Watch as the MBB105 helicopter approaches the island in the rain. You can see the rain striking the windscreen on the front of the helicopter.

Later get a tour of the light and a walk around the island in the stormy weather. Take note of the heavy seas. That is life in winter on the west coast of Canada.

Thanks Colin for the memories, and special thanks goes to Tineke Veenhoven for creating the film!

For a larger and higher quality version please go to Youtube. I had trouble getting it to embed here.

Lighthouses Visible in the Costa Concordia Disaster

Automation, Cruise Ship, Equipment, Foreign, Incidents, Italy, Lifeboats, Light, Lighthouses, Medical Emergency, Ships & Shipping, Shipwrecks, Transportation, Travel, , , ,

The Costa Concordia rests on its side on the morning of January 14, 2012. The Costa Concordia rests on its side on the morning of January 14, 2012 (click for larger photo)

Yes, it is a photo of the Costa Concordia aground on the rocks but did anyone notice the lighthouse in the photo under which the lifeboats are all clustered?

It is one of two lights guarding the entrance to the harbour for the town of Giglio Porto (Port of of the island of Giglio) in Italy. One light is red (port-hand light) and the other is green (starboard-hand light) as can be seen in the photo below. Continue reading Lighthouses Visible in the Costa Concordia Disaster →