Abandoned Boats, or, Calina's summer project.

Calina

I actually got out of the house armed with a camera today. It was nice. I couldn't stay in.

I initially went to Bettystown but didn't find what I was looking for (oops). I took some nice beachy type photographs and then came home via Balbriggan which was an altogether more useful stopping point. There are at least 4 boats there that I could have a go at.

This is my favourite although I'm still not really sure about the crop (thinking that getting rid of the top would be a good idea...the sky adds nothing to the photograph - any comments?)



I know the nose is chopped off but I didn't have a tripod with me and my options for the angle were limited because it's down from me...can't shoot up. And Balbriggan harbour, even at low tide is full of the most disgusting gunk. I think this one was flash lit from the LHS.

Interesting thing about this one is you wouldn't really notice it unless you saw it from one side of the harbour - at least I didn't notice it while I was examining the yacht below and they are like 10m from each other. It almost fades into the port wall, so overgrown with muck is it.

Also liked this one although again, might have benefited from bringing a tripod with me (I expected to be home before dark.



There are a few more boats there that interest me. I think, however, Balbriggan would benefit from an early morning trip so might do that on a Sat before going to the gallery.

xia

Nice project! And nice results so far. For the first one I probably would have gone for portrait and tried to avoid the "pink" house. But as you were saying it was a difficult angle the latter might not have been an option.
But I really like the atmosphere in the pictures.
Edit: I like the reflection of the lights so at least that part of the sky should stay - in my opinion

rahtkennades

I think the concept of the project is excellent, you should have some good fun with it.
Re the shots presented above; for the first one I think the framing would be fine if you could get rid of the pink-lit building. I think it needs the light of the sky to balance the dark of the boat.
For the second, might it work better as a portrait with the same centre line? Keep the other boats but take in the top of the mast on the yacht and the reflection of the hull. Also the archesbof the bridge? in the background at the top might help frame it?

sineadw

Oo I'mon a boat thing too! Stayed in Skerries last week and there were some lovely old things there. I haven't had five minutes to process yet though.

Are you doing the project with any particular end in mind? Sorry if you've already covered that...

sickpuppy32

dont know if you'd be interested but there is an old abandoned green wooden canoe in the long grass down by the canoe club in kilcock kidlare, has a wooden duck craved into its bow, might make a nice pic

Burnt

If you get to Donegal at all; the is a really nice wreck on the beach at Bunbeg, also the derelict pier at Fahan on Lough Swilly

PaulieC

Calina, just saw your Bettystown pics on Flickr. I think you were looking for Baltray, there's no wreck on Bettystown. To get to Baltray you have to go into Drogheda (take the M1 exit at Julianstown, follow signs.) Once in Drogheda, cross the first bridge and take immediate right down along the docks. From there just keep going straight along the river and you'll come to Baltray eventually. The last time I was there, the beach entrance is right around past the golf club (or it was the last time I was there about 15 years ago), you can almost drive down to the river.

Calina

@cambo gueno: That's the thing. I was given one for Bettystown and one for Baltray. I wanted to go to Baltray at low tide which was not last night. I'll try again.


@Burnt, know about the one in Bunbeg and it's on the list of places I want to go. Fahan I didn't know about. Added to the map

@sickpuppy32 - yes I am interested. If I have time on Sunday and the weather cooperates I'll go have a look at it. I should start checking out more of the lakes though.

@sineadw - my plan is to put an e-book together for this. It's also an exercise in using online tools to do stuff as well. There's a website, a special pix.ie account, a googlemap and a twitter account. I thought about registering a domain and stuff but thought it might be interesting to see what someone could with available tools to do some project like this. The other thing is it gets me off the beach and allows me to create photographs in more than 150milliseconds.

@rahtkennades: take your point about the pink building, personally I was hoping for more attractive reflections but didn't win on that front. Will go back again, possibly later at night but want company for that. Not sure wandering around harbour areas in the dark on my own qualifies as good sense...

@xia, 13 second exposure, no tripd...couldn't shoot portrait. But I will try again.

Burnt

Now that i think about it there is a impressive one, "The Lareasa" near Downings. There is at least two at Buncrana,
a bit of a graveyard at meelaragh near Gortahork, a few near ramelton; one very old one pretty much just the ribs,
one in Culdaff, one in Milford, one on Cruit Island,another very one again just ribs on Dooey strand near Glenties/Litermacaward,

Anybody see a pattern here basically the whole orth coast is littered with them if you know where to look.

The is also one near lettirfrack; it used to be for carring whiskey from the island of Scotland

TJM

Here are a couple of shots from Dun Laoghaire some time ago along the same vein:

sNarah

Jep, wreck is in Baltray.

Carlingford has some abandoned boats as well... I think Balbriggan is the place to be though :-)

And if there is a storm, usually some boats end up over at the other site of the Skerries harbour. Loughshinny Bay might be worth a visit as well.

If you're thinking if heading up to Baltray, I've been planning to go there for a while now but never did, so if you want we could go together!

Calina

You around this evening sNarah? I'm based in Swords and it took around 30 minutes to get to Bettystown yesterday evening. I'm also playing with ND filters and am glad to get out of home for the evenings (trying to cut computer time)

Calina

Burnt wrote: »

Now that i think about it there is a impressive one, "The Mareasa" near Downings. There is at least two at Buncrana,
a bit of a graveyard at meelaragh near Gortahork, a few near ramelton; one very old one pretty much just the ribs,
one in Culdaff, one in Milford, one on Cruit Island,another very one again just ribs on Dooey strand near Glenties/Litermacaward,

Anybody see a pattern here basically the whole orth coast is littered with them if you know where to look.

The is also one near lettirfrack; it used to be for carring whiskey from the island of Scotland

This is terrific. I've been asking people I know in the sailing and surfing world to keep an eye out for me, and there is a google map in existance (which I'll be doing some work on into the future. I also got some suggestions from people who maintain dive directories of shipwrecks around the Irish coast.

Thanks a million for all your help

Burnt

No problem. If you need better locations send me a pm and I'll give you the co-ordinates

PaulieC

Calina wrote: »

You around this evening sNarah? I'm based in Swords and it took around 30 minutes to get to Bettystown yesterday evening. I'm also playing with ND filters and am glad to get out of home for the evenings (trying to cut computer time)

I'd allow yourself an hour or so to get to Baltray from Swords on a Friday evening. Then figure another 15 mins or so from your car to the wreck itself.

<reminisce>
The wreck itself is only really the front (hull?) of the boat. When I was younger we used to cycle out to Baltray in the summer and the wreck was still almost a full vessel, to the extent that the hold would remain full of water (albeit leaking out showly) when the tide went out. On a brave day you could dive from the hull into the hold. Many a tetanus jab I got because of that boat :pac:
</reminisce>

Calina

Maybe not this evening then.

sun's gone away here too...mweh.

sNarah

Calina wrote: »

You around this evening sNarah? I'm based in Swords and it took around 30 minutes to get to Bettystown yesterday evening. I'm also playing with ND filters and am glad to get out of home for the evenings (trying to cut computer time)

Calina, no friday nights are sacred "chillax with the boyfriend in the sofa" nights :rolleyes:

But can do any day/evening next week, just not on thursdays. I'll send you a PM with my N°. Oh, and for the record, I have no idea how to actually get to the wreck, I can "Human GPS" us to Baltray but that's it :-)

Brndn

I think this is the one near Letterfrack that burnt mentioned earlier...
theres also a couple in Arklow harbour

.Longshanks.

Burnt wrote: »

If you get to Donegal at all; the is a really nice wreck on the beach at Bunbeg, also the derelict pier at Fahan on Lough Swilly

If you make it that far then you have to check out the Mill River in Buncrana where it meets the lough swilly. I found this after a quick look on flickr. You can just about see an abandoned rusted/ derelict boat in the foreground.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/68255123@N00/3170852163/sizes/o/

Valentia

The one thing that jumps out from your shots Calina is the colours. There is something about them not quite right. Saturation is high but also the effect is that the main subjects, the boats, are overwhelmed by the surroundings and don't stand out enough for me. Maybe a bit of messing about with de saturating sections might do it. Great project and the best of luck with it.

I know Calina has seen this but as it has been mentioned this is the ghost ship in Baltray:

LeoB

Like the pics. I am in Balbriggan regularly but have not been there in the evening. If you went down to where the nightclub is I think you could get a photo of the wreck with the bridge in the background. But...................
REMEMBERDONT TAKE ANY CHANCES AROUND WATER
Loughshinny is very nice with Drummanagh and Lambay Island in background. But there are no wrecks. Nice path up hill on your rhs towards the martello tower. Rush harbour and Rogerstown estuary are both nice.Rush harbour at bottom of town is nice in the evening as the sun sets. There may be something on my flickr from there. Baltray is very accessable altough its a few years since I was there. Clougherhead is just down the road and another 20min will have you at Oriel river in Dundalk and sure while your at it anothe 20 will have you out by Carlingford and a trip up along the lough into Newry where ther are boats tied up along the quays.

Calina I think Balbriggan would be safe enough around the Harbour there are always lads working on the boats. I am fairly tied up at moment but if you are planning a trip will you let me know, I am based in Rush

TelePaul

I think, in terms of composition, you'll have to look for some wrecks that lie independent of harbours. There's so much going on in a typical 'harbour scene' that they can take the focus away from the wrecks themselves. My two cents.

sNarah

Calina, you still intersted in heading out? There quite a few of us Boardies in that direction so just give a shout!

simonp1