International Workers Day

International Workers Day

Saturday May 1, 2021

I don’t know much about the holiday that is international workers day other than it’s celebrated on May 1st.  This day has long been an informal holiday known as May Day.  The celebration of May Day was seen in many nations as the start of spring and associated rituals involved such things as maypole dancing. (That is another topic altogether! Let’s not go there.)

As a boater when I hear May Day I make a totally different connection—mayday!  The origin of the radio call is from the French m’aidez (help me). Of interest to me was that all the standard VHF radio calls do come from French—securité and pan pan (from panne—broken down or break down).

The Eldridge boaters guide has some helpful information about VHF radio protocol.  It informs me that making a false mayday call may incur heavy penalties.  It also gives the correct format to be used when making a mayday call. It also suggests that one should practice the format so as to be ready in an emergency!  There’s another thing for me to add to the anxious boater’s worry list. 

We are anchored south of Wrightsville Beach.  Our aim is to get up early and exit the Masonboro inlet at dawn on the end of the ebb tide.  Then we hope to sail to Beaufort off shore (with the emphasis on sail!). Depending when we get there and how tired we are there may be no blog tomorrow night.

Gloria

34 11.627 N, 77 48.676 W 

The following images are all of the same subject - the buildings on the shore to the east of us lit up by the setting sun. The first is the most literal and they get more abstract with increasingly long exposures and motion. The final image was created in Photoshop by overlaying the houses from image 1 on top of the abstract image 4

Image 1 - Houses at Wrightsville Beach lit up by setting sun (1/125 s F4 ISO 400 camera on tripod)

Image 2 - (2.5 s at F22, ISO 31, camera on tripod with our boat relatively still)

Image 3 - my favorite! (2s at F22, ISO 31, camera on tripod with Cotinga swinging in the current)

Image 4 - (2.5 s at F22, ISO 31, camera hand held)

Image 5 - created in Photoshop by overlaying a portion of image 1 onto image 4