Polar Circle departs again

I just managed to catch the icebreaking tug Polar Circle departing Halifax for a second time - even though it was through very dirty office windows this time.

Polar Circle following the pilot boat out on 30 January 2023.

Polar Circle.

I wonder if she will make it farther afield this time? Last time she only went to a US port before returning to Halifax.

CCGS G. Peddle S.C.

The Wednesday morning ferry was perfectly timed with the departure of the Canadian Coast Guard inshore patrol vessel CCGS G. Peddle S.C., and I managed to get some good photos in the dawn lighting.

This vessel is tasked with Fisheries Patrol and a secondary mission of Search and Rescue.

Photography in the Snow

 As a Trustee, I went to lunch in HMCS Sackville within the Dockyard on Friday during the first snowstorm of the year, and then decided to walk home after lunch via the bridge before going back to work from home. This provided some interesting photographic opportunities, all of which I decided to convert to high contrast black and white.

Sackville herself looked pretty in the snow.

HMCS Charlottetown alongside MV Asterix for refuelling.

Charlottetown and another frigate alongside in Dockyard during the snow.

The bridge itself similarly caught my eye.

The view from mid-span looking back towards Halifax.

Looking back towards Halifax from the Dartmouth bridge tower.

The views on the Dartmouth side of the bridge were also nice.

Windmill Road.

Shore Drive and the Harbour Pilot base on the Dartmouth shore.

Houses on Windmill Road.

Landscape view of Windmill Road.

It was a long slog across the bridge in the snow, but ultimately worth it for the photos.

Early Morning Ships Passing in the Night

The morning and evening commute is a bit dark at this time of year, especially on overcast days, and I managed to capture some ships coming and going in the pre-dawn on Friday. To start, HMCS Charlottetown arrived in port and later went alongside MV Asterix to refuel. Modern cameras are capable of shooting at higher ISOs, and despite from a bit of grain or noise, the images still look great when shot without a tripod.

HMCS Charlottetown inbound.

As Charlottetown was arriving, ACL's Atlantic Star was departing from the Fairview Container Terminal in Bedford Basin.

Atlantic Star outbound.

As a result, I got a nice photo of the two ships passing in the harbour.

Atlantic Star outbound passing the inbound HMCS Charlottetown.

I don't think I typically see a ship's passing at this particular location in the harbour.

Operation Nanook stories in Warships IFR

 I was happy to finally see the January issue of Warships IFR magazine appear in my local magazine store, Atlantic News, which is located at the corner of Morris and South Streets in Halifax. This particular issue has two of my pieces inside, one on Op Nanook, and the second on the visit of USS Gerald R. Ford to Halifax back in October.

January issue of Warships IFR on the shelf at Atlantic News.

In addition, the February issue (with Part III of my Operation Nanook piece) will soon be released in the UK. Here is a preview of the cover as well as the table of contents page that includes a picture of the bird that landed on my head while I was interviewing Captain Sheldon Gillis while we were at sea off the coast of Labrador.

Cover of the February 2023 issue of Warships IFR.

Table of Contents for the February 2023 issue of Warships IFR.

The January issue is probably still 3 weeks out from appearing on the shelf, and obviously the February issue is quite far out at this time. 

Part 2 of my story and the associated photography from my voyage into Canada's north in HMCS Margaret Brooke for three weeks in August 2022 is featured in the January issue of Warships IFR magazine. 

My Margaret Brooke story is being spread across four issues - December, January, February, and March.

Already on shelves in the UK, the January issue should appear in Canada in the coming weeks, and the cover looks like this:

Atlantic News carries the magazine, although the supply chain currently seems to be running behind with the magazine on the shelf usually a month or two old. Chapters also used to carry the magazine (and I assume they still do).

Departure and Arrival of MV Asterix

MV Asterix made a trip from Halifax to Norfolk and back this week, departing on Tuesday January 3 and returning on Sunday January 8. I managed to capture both departure and arrival, from King's Wharf and the Macdonald Bridge respectively.

MV Asterix departing Halifax.

MV Asterix departing Halifax.

MV Asterix departing Halifax.

MV Asterix returning to Halifax.

MV Asterix returning to Halifax.

MV Asterix returning to Halifax.

Asterix had already released the tug when I captured her departure, but was helped back alongside by a single tug from Atlantic Towing.