I volunteered last minute for the Richmond Tall Ships, and did four hour shifts Thursday through to Sunday. I see a lot of Pentax cameras(LX, MX, Super-Programs, ME, MES, 645's and 67's). I carried about my SF-1 and MZ-7 cameras, and got a few oportunities. But best was yet to come!
About 8:30 on Sunday night, I was at the volunteers banquet and I happened to overhear that a ship called the "Toulumne", a 57' Gaff-rigged Schooner out of Bellingham, needed a crew to get home. I was out of there fast, to speak to the Captain. Anyway, he said yes, and we sail at 9:30AM Monday. By 8am next morning, I was there on the dockside with my SF-1 and MZ-7 cameras and as much colour film as I could muster. We eventually sailed out around 10:30, to cheering crowds and the adventure began. We had to dodge fishing nets being towed across our path and so I was out on the bow(with MZ-7 of course). After we cleared the breakwater and turned with the wind and put up sail. We spent a lot of time with another Gaff-rigged schooner, the 85' NZ "R. Tucker Thompson", so I managed to get some great shots. I don't know when I will get the chance to process my films, but I will when I can afford to. We even had a crew member taken ill, and the coastguard cutter happened by, taking photographs of us and the other Tall Ships, just like the folks on a hundred other craft of all sizes had been doing. It was kind of hilarious as we would wave to them as they circled us and just kept waving back, between photographs. They were unaware we had a problem, but eventually they came up close on our starboard side and we told them our problem. They dropped back slightly and out popped a small inflatable from behind. How, we thought could they possibly get another person onboard, as the two guys were enormous compared to the dingy? Anyway, he had to jump onto it US Navy Seals fashion, as they tried to keep the thing alongside. RCAF S&R plane came flying over us at a 100' , and called on us to help assist in a rescue of an a plane that had crashed into the water somewhere south of us. As we were barely doing 2 Kt., so we took ages to reach the area. Eventually, we made it to Bellingham after almost 10 hours instead of 7. We were becalmed as we approached the Islands. We saw a plane(Cessna 150?) onboard a recovery platform coming into Bellingham just as we berthed. Anyway, enough ramblings. I will leave this for another time, maybe off-list. James - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
