Sundeer 64

19
Jan
2022

The Raven Logs Resurrected

 

The volcanic disaster in Tonga strikes to my heart. My husband Mike and I have traveled to that island kingdom three times – in 2005, 2009, and finally in 2013. It is so sad to think of those pristine blue waters, tropical beaches, and palm forests covered with ash. Tonga is not a wealthy country and I am sure the inhabitants are suffering greatly from the damage to their homes and livelihoods.

I wonder too how badly the coral reefs and sea life will be affected. At least the humpback whales, who migrate to Tonga annually in the July-October time frame to raise their babies, are far away in their migratory feeding grounds this time of year.

Pictured is our boat Raven, a 64 foot long ocean capable sailboat. We bought her on Christmas Eve 2004 in New Zealand and our first cruising adventure the following season was to Tonga. Here we are anchored in the Ha’apai Group, stern-tied to a palm tree.

Our two boats, the sailing yacht Raven succeeded by the powerboat AVATAR, traveled to a total of 40 different countries from 2004 to 2016 before we ended our cruising lifestyle. During those years I kept a photo-journal blog initially named The Raven Logs and later re-christened The AVATAR Logs in keeping with the change in vessels. The blogs began as emails home to family and and friends, written while struggling with what was then prehistoric internet technology in a third-world country.

Those were life-changing years that I will never forget. My early photography efforts were snapshots, but each year both my camera and my writing skills improved, so those journals document that growth as well. The blog still exists but links have broken and photos have turned into ? marks. I’m starting to go back in time to polish up those posts, year by year, to bring them back to life. There might even be a book hidden away in there! Did you ever notice that my online portfolio was heavily weighted towards seascapes and underwater scenes? Now you know why!

I polled my audience and the consensus was unanimous that I should resurrect my sea-going stories and share them again. Stay tuned!

PS – If you don’t want to miss an episode, be sure to subscribe to my email list to receive the latest posts in your Inbox. You can also follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram with the tag @cbparkerphoto.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Carol in South Pacific, Tonga
24
Jul
2016
Waterlily With Feather

Waterlily With Feather

We’re cruising at the moment, and a recent stop was in New York City where we visited the Whitney Museum of Art. On a rooftop balcony we came across a collection of water gardens in galvanized tubs. It was an overcast day, throwing even lighting over the flowers, and I was captivated into spending a half hour or so photographing the lilies from assorted angles. The maroon and green striped lily pads were the size of dinner plates, and I thought the small white feather and clover-like water plant added a touch of eccentricity.

Prints of Waterlily With Feather are available for purchase HERE.

Sony a7Rii, 1/320 sec at f/4.5, ISO 400, 56 mm (FE 24.0-70.0 f/2.8 GM lens). Handheld.

Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.

 

 

Posted by Carol in New York, USA
03
Jul
2016
Sail Into Sunset

Sail Into Sunset

 

We purchased our sailboat RAVEN in 2004 in New Zealand, embarking on what has become more than a decade of exploring the oceans of the world. After cruising the South Pacific for several years, we brought the boat to North America and in 2008 we spent the year cruising Mexico, primarily the Sea of Cortez. This image, Sail Into Sunset, was captured as we crossed over from Mexico’s mainland to Cabo San Lucas on the tip of the Baja California peninsula. Fortunately we had a motor, as there was very little wind – either on that day or, for that matter, the majority of days that we spent cruising in Mexico. Rather than linger in one spot for days becalmed, we just cranked up the John Deere and continued on our way. This ultimately contributed to our decision to make the transition from a sailboat to a powerboat in 2010 – because we were probably motoring 90% of the time anyway! Perhaps the title should be modified to ‘Motorsail Into Sunset’, but that sort of takes away from the romance!

That said, my favorite conditions at sea are intrinsic to this image – the peaceful ambience of a smooth calm glassy sea reflecting the sky. Unobstructed views of the distant horizon, sunrise and sunset, blue skies and cloud formations, moon and stars, all viewed in fullscreen iMax glory. I would lie stretched out on the folded sails along the length of the boom and enjoy the soothing motion of the boat, while scouting out denizens of the sea lazing on the surface – turtles floating with a seabird perched atop their shells, flying fish skittering out of the way of our oncoming hull, a breaching whale, dolphins racing to play in our bow wave.

Prints of Sail Into Sunset are available for purchase HERE.

Nikon D3, 1/250 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, 14 mm (14.0-24.0 mm f/2.8 lens). Handheld.

Photo is copyrighted and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Please respect.

 

 

Posted by Carol in Mexico