O hear us when we cry to Thee For those in peril on the sea! Support the Life Boats.

Given the splash the  Hoegh Osaka is making in the national press l decided to see if she was photogenic enough for a blog, this is my 1st planned blog. Our spot at Meonshore would only give a distant view so I decided to take a wight link ferry as a foot passenger from Southampton to Cowes on The Isle of Wight.

While waiting to depart I was treated to a pair of Kingfishers flying just below deck level across the water from the remains of Southampton pier towards dock head.

As The Red Falcon made its way down Southampton Water we were passed by the fast jet a quick passenger link to the Island but without an open deck to take pictures. Even with a 200 metre exclusion ring around the stricken car transporter we sailed close enough to photograph  the beached vessel which resembled a seal on a mud bank. I had been worried by a small frenzy of  “Press” photographer’s with their expensive kit and ridiculously long lenses on the ferry. Happy with my own photos I was reassured size is not everything (& if I was rich enough to own such a long telephoto lens with a front lens to let in so much light I would be chasing that pair of Kingfishers). Stayed on the Red Falcon for its return trip without stepping ashore, just watched the paparazzi dash back to Southampton on fast jet.

Whilst this accident at sea resulted in no loss of life thanks to The Coast Guard and The RNLI, I can’t help thinking of the freighter which overturned & lost off Scotland on the same night which appears to have been with all hands. So if you have enjoyed by blog why not add a couple of pounds into the next RNLI collection tin you see.

 

Footnote/update 07/01/2015 following high tide this evening the vessel refloated herself off the Brambles Bank & has been towed (still at 50 degrees) a short distance East where further salvage is being undertaken to pump the water from her hull