|
NEWSRecent Travels28th Nov 2009 Scotland and Norway trip: At the end of May 2009 I joined an 80 ft pilot- house ketch at Oban, Scotland. We spent the next 4 days motoring through the Caledonian Canal to Inverness on the east coast of Scotland-we saw no sign of "Nessie" in Loch Ness, on the way. After a side trip by car and ferry to the Orkneys we set sail for Bergen on the west coast of Norway. Then north to Bodo in the 'land of the midnight sun'. For the next 2 months the sun never went below the horizon as we sailed north to Tromso and then up to Svalbard and the island of Spitsbergen, where my wife Fiona joined us. With temperatures between zero and 5 degrees centigrade, we were always well wrapped up in themal gear. The ketch had a very good heating system and steering from within the heated pilot house made sailing ' a breeze', compared to other craft that steered only from on deck. Any visit ashore on Spitsbergen necessitated us carrying a rifle, flare gun and noise maker, in case of a confrontation with a polar bear. One day I spent 'sketch painting' on the roof of, what was once a trappers hut, to ensure I was out of reach of any passing bear! The glaciers ( Spitsbergen is 60 % glaciers), mountains and fjords of Spitsbergen are truly awe inspiring and whenever possible I spent time trying to capture scenery on canvas, although this was difficult at times with the low temperatures and occasional snow showers. One day a polar bear swam across the fjord we were anchored in and then proceeded to walk along the beach 100 metres from the yacht- an amazing experience. We spent 3 weeks sailing in Spitsbergen waters, including a trip to 80 degrees north and then headed south back to Tromso. Fiona and I left the yacht at Tromso and flew to Bergen and then by train back to Oslo, to delve further into the maritime history of Norway by visiting the museums and galleries of both cities. Norway has a fascinating maritime history and the many oil sketches I painted will be used as a basis for larger finished oil paintings. Classic Yachting 2009/2010. We recently hauled the 59ft, 1897 gaff rigged cutter "Thelma" out of the water for a much needed bottom paint. Our main regattas this coming summer with the Classic Yacht Association of New Zealand, are a 4 day regatta at the end of January 2010 and a 3 day regatta mid February. We have races generally every 2 weeks throughout the summer and if anyone is keen on joining us( we race with a crew of 12 to 16 ) please do not hesitate to contact me through the website. All the best, Anthony Blake
|
|
COPYRIGHT 2006. All rights reserved. All works of art shown herein are copyrighted by the artist. |