Under the Stars

A low pressure system off the coast of Darwin, this time well out to sea, has triggered yet another cyclone demobilization. The low pressure trough is weak at this point, still under 1000 isobars, and will likely pass by with only a moderate influence over the wind and waves; but the powers that be of course are required to play it safe. So the vessels are again lifting anchor, securing cargo, and preparing to depart Barrow Island. The Finnmarken is always the last to leave site, and chances are we won’t make it out of port limits before the system passes and the demobilization is called off. But I’ve been wrong many times before on this project, so who knows, maybe we’ll sail out into the deep blue tomorrow. I sure hope so, with the barge and its attractive lights now gone, there really is not much to look at these days. Luckily I found a stock pile of used books in the corner of a bookcase (imagine that) on deck eight. “100 Decisions that Changed the World”, or something along those lines; should be interesting.

I’ve been playing around with photographing the cosmos, which is proving difficult without a proper tripod…plus the ship drifts around, as they tend to do. With the help of some photo editing software, however, I’ve managed to salvage a few shots from last night. Can you find the Southern Cross?

I’ve also posted the dolphin vs. fish showdown on YouTube. If you have a slow connection (mom), don’t bother trying to view it; it’s HD and 123 MB. So it may take a while to load. Link is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3up02SPM9I