Day Three

Holy Fucking Shit!

Please excuse my mixed profanities, but today. Today Today Today. OMMFG!

It started at dawn. Actually it started last night when Todd's computer ate his yesterday's photos for no good reason. So this morning we woke up with the sun, yes the sun was breaking through, and hauled ass back to the peninsula to try and catch some of that magic light. We didn't. it was overcast.

I had already shot Auk-Auk plenty so I went on a walk about while he and Andy shot away. I climbed a crazy cliff overlooking the water and settled down for a bit.

Andy climbed the crazy cliff across the way,

and took this of me.

These two cliffs, his and mine, used to be one but the center fell into the ocean.

Then I wandered over to a lighthouse a half mile away.

And shot a long shot of the Auk and Eldey.

At this point and time please take note of Eldey off in distance as Auk-Auk has. It is now and always has been a Gannet Colony.

We had a 12:30 appointment in town and were way too early. So we got some breakfast and I left the Old, uhh, Older Gentleman to nap in the car while I explored the once thriving now rusting fishing industry.

Maybe that's not fair, any boat capable of battling the North Atlantic was probably out working.

Our twelve thirty was with this.

A Government Issue Rescue Boat with a volunteer team taking us out to Eldey. We showed up, jumped on board and were out of the harbor. Due to the currents we had to go way out and drop back down to Eldey.

I, of course, do not have SeaLegs. Todd and Andy have lots of sailing experience. Lots. We got out there and I became nauseous but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Then the swells got big, really big. Crashing over the boat at times.

Now I am only including this picture so you can see the small black life preserver we were given.

It has a canister for easy inflation in case I am tossed into the NORTH ATLANTIC.

In contrast look at these SURVIVAL SUITS the crew was wearing.

So we head out, the waves are getting bigger, I start puking, Andy starts puking, Todd tries to grab his camera to photograph us puking and he pukes. The crew is running around, things are flying around the bridge (which means the Crew isn't usually in this shit), Waves are Crashing Over the Boat and Cleaning Away the Puke on the Back Deck!! Todd thinks maybe 20 Foot Swells.

Then we make it to Eldey.

Todd and Andy recovered immediately after their puke fits. They captured Eldey. I continued to spin so I didn't get a lot of shots, but I did watch hundreds of Gannets in sky and thousands on the rock. The smell of guano wasn't helping. We then churned over to the shore so Todd could shoot the Auk from the boat. At first the Captain didn't want to, but then we did. At this point I'm totally soaked and spinning. I looked over and Todd is shooting the mainland. "All right T, let's go." Thankfully he agreed.

And we caught that current for a relatively smooth ride home.

When I got off the boat I had a chill attack, my pants soaked, my shoes and socks soaked, and was still battling nausea. We climbed in the Crusher and returned to the hotel with its large shower head and amazing water pressure, too beat down to go out for dinner.

We celebrated our survival with room service.

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