Naval calamity Photo

Photographer’s Note

It was not Christo who wrapped the mainmast of the German Navy’s famous three-mast-barque “Gorch Fock", this unfamiliar sight of the sail training ship was caused by the need of urgent repair. Where otherwise the yellow slender mainmast would rise up, there is now a tower. Angular and white covered, the object turns out to be a scaffolding construction only when more closely looked at: the mainmast was ‘surrounded’, as is the official term, over its entire length of 40 metres. As was communicated from aboard, the reason is a defunct cable. The cable running upwards the mainmast has become brittle after nearly 50 years of service and needs to be completely replaced.
Apart from power supply for the steaming, the cable running along and inside the mast, includes power lines for radio systems and other equipment. Scaffolding the mast over its entire length appeared to be necessary to meet all valid environmental and accident prevention regulations in the repair process. So now neither working tools nor material will fall onto the deck or into the harbour water.

besnard, pablominto, JCG, dip, xuaxo, phwall, Royaldevon, mikolaj_kawa, ciakgiak, mauro61, macondo, paololg, Vasa, UlfE, shevchenko, papagolf21, asajernigan, ktanska, feather, bakes888, fanni, Charo, jlbrthnn, claudeD, buscape, Longroute, gunbud, alvaraalto, maloutim, carper has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

besnard (30670) 2009-07-23 1:48

Bonjour Harriet
Il est très élégant ce bâteau. Plutôt curieuse cette cheminée, c'est la première fois que je vois une construction de ce genre.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

patdeph (17854) 2009-07-23 1:54

hello Harriet
this wrapped mast is really impressive,at first sight,I thought that it was a building behind the ship,and I didn't understand the photo!The ship is really superb,and the colors are absolutly wonderful,with a beautiful blue-white contrast and an incredible softness due to the perfect harmony between the sky and the water!Very wel done!

pablominto (40712) 2009-07-23 1:56

Hello Harriet,

It is a good thing they do whatever it takes to keep those fine vessels up and running in good shape!
Frankly I had to look twice and another time...
Interesting documentary, well seen and well recorded!

Greetings,
Pablo -
***

JCG (25331) 2009-07-23 2:42

Hello Harriet,

I think that Christo would have covered totality with the ship !!! Superb three masts where this impromptu cover gives a certain originality without to remove the beauty with the boat. Interesting glance and thank you for the note Harriet.

With all my friendships and a very good day,

Jean-Charles

Buin (37656) 2009-07-23 3:05

Hallo Harriet!
Das ist ja ein Klasse-Reportage-Foto - und ein sehr ungewöhnlicher Anblick! Schon in der kleinen Version wird man neugierig wegen dieses "Turms" in der Schiffsmitte. Zusammen mit dem Kommentar ein rundum guter TE-Beitrag!
Grüße aus dem unerträglich schwülen und gewittrigen Westfalen!
Frank

dip (12584) 2009-07-23 3:26

Hallo Harriet,
ich glaube das war abgebildet auf den alten 10 DM Scheine,
sehr interessantes Bild,auch Deine Notiz,
Grüße,
Dimitris.

bema (8755) 2009-07-23 3:57

Hallo Harriet,

interessante Ansicht unseres Vorzeigeseglers, und eine sehr interessante Note dazu..

viele Grüße aus der Pfalz, Bernd

xuaxo (5727) 2009-07-23 4:50

Hallo Harriet,
This is an unusual and interesting naval picture. In the first moment I hesitate: Gorch Fock or Sagres? You know, bot ships were German, built in 1937 at the Blohm & Voss shipyards, in Hamburg. The now Portuguese Sagres was originally German and called Albert Leo Schlageter.
Greetings,
Francisco

Greg1949 (8507) 2009-07-23 4:59

Harriet, this is awesome, a modern approach to an age old issue. Great that this fine lady is getting the attention she needs. Great detail and color in the shot and it looks as if you didn't have to contend with half a million people to get to see here either, great work.

Greg

Silvio1953 (41761) 2009-07-23 6:24

Ciao Harriet, great view of wonderful ship, lovely composition with beautiful reflections, very well done, ciao Silvio

gilou530 (35226) 2009-07-23 8:58

salut harriet
c'est la premiere fois que je vois comment au répare un grand voilier trois mats de cette grandeur, un superbe bateau que tu nous présentes la, bien vu
amitiés
gilbert

saxo042 (15680) 2009-07-23 11:37

Hi Harriet,
A very beautiful ship and good to see that the maintenace is taken care of in a responsible way. Quite a different picture of such a ship, but interesting nontheless. I like the very soft and fine colours here!
Kind regards
Gunnar

phwall (5564) 2009-07-23 15:37

Hello Harriet,
An unusual sight, gone are the days when the Captain would send the men aloft with nothing more than a safety line attached to make repairs.
That is such a beautiful ship, I hope you got the chance to look more closely as it was tied up to the wharf.

AKITA (5343) 2009-07-23 19:47

dear Harriet,
a very interesting and beautiful picture of unusual view.
this repairing way looks quite similar with buildings on the ground,
but it is very tall and horizontal woods are sticking out of white cloth, this figure is funny.
anyway the white body before blue back on the wavy sea is really elegant,
a wonderful scene you took.
thank you,
Akihisa

emka (21466) 2009-07-23 23:45

Hi Harriet,
haha, before reading your not I could not understand what happpened with the mast. Impressive view of this vessel. Nice photo with splendid sharpness.

Regards

Malgorzata

P.S. Is Kielia from Kiel? Only now I observed this coincidence.

Royaldevon (5932) 2009-07-24 0:51

Hello Harriet,

This is such an unusual sight!
The ship appears to have been to casualty for plaster cast on its broken limb!!
The shot is clear, crisp and the colours are exactly right.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)

mikolaj_kawa (30161) 2009-07-24 1:01

Hello Harriet! Wonderful sail. Amazing tower. Nice natural light and colours. Good POV and capture. Very good contrast and sharpness. Nice shot. Beautiful effect. Good luck!

ciakgiak (10698) 2009-07-24 8:39

Hello Harriet,
splendid view of this fantastic ship and amazing reflections on the water.
I like a lot the soft tones of colours and the perfect POV and sharpness.
Superb quality as in all your works.
Warm regards
Giorgio

mauro61 (15540) 2009-07-24 22:23

ciao Harriet,
un'altra delle tue belle riprese navali, con l'imbarcazione in fase di manutenzione.
Ottima la luce e la definizione.
Non avevo mai visto una fase come questa, molto istruttiva,
saluti
maurizio

danyy (68778) 2009-07-25 0:13

Bonjour Harriet,
un document interessant, je n'avais encore jamais vu une tel chantier.
Une photo nette et précise dans l'expositon et des blancs bien rendus.
Amitié.
Daniel.

macondo (13111) 2009-07-25 0:41

Hi Harriet.
As usual your note is vital and full of interest. I'm amazed at the complexity of what sounds like it should have been a straightforward operation. The 'tower' looks strange with all those spars sticking out of it. I like the gentle and subdued colour and light, the blues and the white.
Regards,
Andrew

paololg (13761) 2009-07-25 14:19

Ciao dear Harriet,
Strange and rare image of a tree of ship in reparation. It's the first time that I see this type of scaffolding. Christo would not have done better...
:-)
Ciao, have a nice Sunday!
Paolo

bracasha75 (22117) 2009-07-25 15:22

Halo Harriet
Was fur ein schones schiff ,mein lieber Got!!!!Ich bin nicht ganz siher aber es ist ein rare example, schtimt????
Wie auch immer ich bin zufrieden was ich hier sehe
Schonen rechtherztlichen grus,Bratislav

jmdias (19267) 2009-07-25 15:55

harriet

interesting photo showing how is restored a boat like this. nive pov, framing and soft light

hugs

jorge

Vasa (5500) 2009-07-25 16:43

With your Panasonic I see more. Since I leave Belgrade so rarely. Many thanks dear Harriet for your sharing. Here the worth thematic picture.

Many thanks for your post of article about Guca. But it was refused by Big Brother on the way. I don't understand the criter of the circulations. But you are so kind to think about.

Friendly your

Branko

UlfE (8978) 2009-07-25 21:40

Hi Harriet,

A really great capture of this impressive ship that have its main mast wrapped. You also taken the photo in excellent light and you could see every detail of the ship. I would love to see the ship sailing on the sea. TFS and have a nice Sunday!

Kind regards,

Ulf

jurek1951 (25996) 2009-07-25 23:31

Hi Harriet,
Ein klasse Foto! Gefällt mir sehr gut von der Bildgestaltung und den Farben. Ein schöner Blick auf das sehenswerte Motiv.
Gruß Georg

shevchenko (9922) 2009-07-26 19:44

Hi Harriet,
Interesting composition to show a big ship during the period of repair, I think not easy and taking times to repair and replace the selected parts, good pov to show it, thanks for sharing.
Ally

papagolf21 (56367) 2009-07-27 1:55

Bonjour, chère Harriet,
Imposant ce trois mâts en pleine restauration ! j'avais l'impression qu'il s'agissait d'un nouveau système de navigation.
La beauté de l'ensemble est bien réelle.
Amitiés.
Philippe

Giorgio (8708) 2009-07-27 2:39

- Strange and funny aspect for this nice sailing boat Harriet, it's true like Christo ;o) of course the scaffolding destroys the aspect a bit but gives you also the opportunity to make a beautiful picture, then bravo!
Greetings.
giorgio

asajernigan (14132) 2009-07-27 12:15

Harriet,
This is a nice shot of this beautiful ship. The dark sky provides a good backdrop for the shot. The covering for the repair work distracts from the beauty of the ship but is necessary for the repairs.
TFS,
Asa

Bluejeans (32293) 2009-07-27 17:25

Ola Harriet,
Que altura de mastro , para quem sofre de alturas deve ser terrível , bonitos detalhes , gostei muito do reflexo , bons tons de azul , parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

ktanska (16581) 2009-07-27 23:34

Hi Harriet,
Definitely an unusual sight. She's a beautiful ship and it's good that they actively take care of her condition. Tower of scaffolding itself is impressive. Obviously safety regulations are taken seriously, although it feels a bit of exaggerated considering all the sailormen routinely hanging around those tall masts.
Kari

Waylim (10789) 2009-07-27 23:54

Hi Harriet,
Very impressive sail boat, great shot, really nice details and clarity. Though subdue but beautiful and rich colors and tone. Good contrast and between the white of the boat and the blue of the water and sky. The golden yellow are good combination and complement well with the blue. Good POV, goo composition, well done. Thanks Harriet.
Way

holmertz (9645) 2009-07-28 1:59

Hello Harriet,
A quite unusual picture with an interesting explanation. The special light of that day has given the photo very soft and pleasant colours.
Kind regards,
Gert

feather (49860) 2009-07-28 7:32

Seeing a wonderful tall ship such as this one in dock is not a sight I see every day, but with its mast wrapped like this it is very unusual. I suppose in times gone by health and safety issues were not considered. Today human life has more value. Excellent shot and informative note.
Kath

bakes888 (18207) 2009-08-01 1:30

Hi Harriet. The scaffolding and wrap seems a little extreme, but I suppose rules is rules. Great photo. Nice handling of light, you have captured the nuances in the sky really well. Thanks for sharing.
Have a good weekend, Paul.

fanni (8737) 2009-08-01 14:09

Hello Harriet,
ooops! I've never seen such views of a tall ship before - with a mast in scaffolding! looks a bit strange and funny... but very true to live - and interesting because I would never imagine how reparation works on such shops are done.
Interesting Note, as always!
Warm greetings from Moscow,
Elena
PS rain and heat here...

Charo (31671) 2009-08-01 17:03

Hallo Harriet,
Sehr merkwürdig, dass gerüst für die reparatur des mastes, hatte ich noch nie gesehen. Das schiff scheint schön, mit einem eleganten und stilvollen linie.
Ausgezeichnete licht und details.
Grüße,
buscar
Charo

jlbrthnn (37959) 2009-08-05 6:25

Hello Harriet,
I find astonishing this scaffolding around a mast, one usually sees them around towers of castle, of bell-towers of cathedral, or of skyscraper. It is an original image, carried out carefully. The natural light and colors are tempting. Congratulations.
Have a nice day.
Cordially
Joël

claudeD (11324) 2009-08-05 9:20

Hello Harriet,

very interesting shot and informations about this famous ship Gorch Fock.Excellent colors and perfect sharpness for this excellent picture.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

Jean-Claude

jemaflor (39381) 2009-08-05 11:17

Hi Harriet,
original view, well framed and taken with a good light, sharpness is good and beautiful effect with these silver reflections on the water.

buscape (3721) 2009-08-09 17:07

Hallo Harriet,
gute Aufnahme von diesem wahrlich schönen Schiff und wie immer ein informativer Text dazu. Wirklich interessant zu sehen, wie man so einen Masten repariert. Danke für diesen informativen Beitrag.
Viele Grüsse aus dem Donautal,
Helmut

Longroute (9355) 2009-08-12 10:44

Quite an outstandinf photo! At least for me who am a tall ships lover. The beautiful lines of the ship contrasts with the scafoldings and create a very peculiar image. Also the light is fine to make the whole vessel shining and bright.
Well done,
Donato

jimkil (530) 2009-08-15 1:54

Hello Harriet
What a fascinating boat and although its not in its full glory it does look superb. Colours and natural light are seen well here and the note is a interesting read.
Well done
Jim
PS - Gracious, have not seen or heard from him in a while, although he has turned his attention more to flickr by the looks of things.

gunbud (27879) 2009-08-15 18:17

Hi Harriet,
Splendid capture of this beautifully outfitted triple masted scooner.
Love the special contrast between the the white ship and the silver blue sky and sea.
The yellow mast complimen the lovely sky and make a pleasing reflection in the harbor.
Regards, Tom

alvaraalto (5231) 2009-08-17 13:09

Hi Harriet,

Original picture and a good idea to make a link with Christo. I think he had suggested to wrap not only the main mast but the whole ship.
It is probably not often possible to make such a unique picture of a tall ship. I’m sure “emjleclercq” will be jealous :-)

Groet Rob

Angshu (33645) 2009-08-21 0:44

Hello Harriet
Very interesting post...I haven't seen a picture of an old ship being repaired earlier. Interesting that the scaffolding is also in white the same colour as the ship...comparable to being injured & being bandaged :-). But a regal sight the ship poses. Very nice & as always a great note!
Best Regards
Angshu

maloutim (3949) 2009-11-08 0:19

Hi Harriet!
An unusual, interesting sight of a tall ship! But repair on ships have to follow the same rules of security as buildings on land, I suppose!
Anyway, the white wrapping around the scaffolding matches the white colour of the ship and is quite effective!
TFS.
Marie Louise.

carper (64878) 2009-11-17 10:04

marvelous shot here Harriet.
a fantastic ship. I have seen it once on movie, fine composition, good contrast, fine photo job here, I like it. have a very good evening.
regard jaap