The Drydock goes through many a change again…..
More to come as well from what I understand as well.
A few years ago
This past Summer
This Past Fall/early Winter
This Winter
Now the dredging begins, got a couple of shots off before they closed the gates again
So the work finally begins nearly 10 years later after getting the dock ready the first time, then 3 years ago the move of the boat ioto the dock and now it’s finally drained.
A complete history of the drydock can be read here. Enjoy some history
Published again
So the publisher of “Amazing Stories: Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes” contacted me for more photos for the book in particular this time the George A Marsh.
So these are some of the ones I sent this time, Thanks to Chris, Kevin, Harold, Sean for the modeling these past summers hopefully many more coming soon.
More Pool Sharks on the way
New Year and a new training cycle for area divers, David gets the first one out of the way this weekend with a 6 OW and 3 Rescue students for me to train in everyone’s pools sessions. I keep forgetting how much I hate chorine and time and time again I put my self into it. Almost daily actually.
Lately I have been run down and the dr. thinks my thyroid needs adjustment but wants to do more tests, low thyroid problems is a product of side effects from Depression drugs, so yet another present to remind me that being normal is a job and a half on behalf.
In the pool I tried out the 28mm lens I got to get it dailed in for underwater mosaics, which is going to take some work but I think it’s going to be doable in good vis conditions. After the pool we hit the Oarsman like normal and hosted a pint.
Photo shoot at the waterfront
So Adam called today and wanted to take a photo tour so haven’t been hanging and banging with him off we went. We started at the Fort from RMC and then off to the Marine Museum for some construction shots. After waiting sometime for the diver to come out of the water we headed to NTD for a bit. We then got sidetracked due to the Fire Department doing some rescue training.
All in all a good day with the exception of the Dr calling and ordering more blood work so I hope that I can get out and do more photo shoots in the coming weeks.
More shots here.
Happy Birthday Sir John Eh
Well it’s the 1st PMs birthday today and the city celebrated with a ceremony at the statue, then revealed some new signs to go on the highway. It’s about time as Canadians we start celebrating our forefathers, the americans have been doing it for ever and ever. While we don’t do squat. Hooray
Next thing the city is going to do is restore and house the train that bears his name in front of city hall and the reconstruction of the dry dock. A good day for heritage and history in Kingston and with out the normal bitching first from the the vocal minorities that seem to run this town.
I will get some pics once the drydock finishes draining this week. Again happy 195th John
Published in Kingston Life
I went to the racetrack and was met by the guy that is in charge of the removal of everything and got the grand tour. He explained to me that they tried to put a box on the roof level and it broke the back of the structure. With that and the amount of upgrades needed they decided it was not worth it and turned it into a training ground for the Ottawa Raceway horses.
Kingston Life had this to say at the shot and location
Recently retired after 27 years with the military, Tom Rutledge, photographer for Left Behind, now enjoys photography — above and below the surface of the water — as a full-time passion with his wife, Polly. He specializes in underwater photography in the Kingston area, as well as urban and rural decay.
Kingston Park Raceway
(formerly Frontenac Downs)
On McAdoo’s Lane in the north end of the city, Kingston’s horse racing track lies dormant, but the grandstand, scoreboard and scattered harnesses that remain call to mind the once-popular site opened in 1971. Currently owned by the Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa and used as a training facility, the track hasn’t seen live horse racing since the Kingston Park Raceway was forced to close. In January of 1995, then-owner of the facility, former television newsman Dick Trotter, announced he was temporarily cancelling the live racing program due to an ongoing shortage of horses, but would continue to broadcast races onsite via satellite. With listed debts of around $300,000 and a mandate from the Ontario Racing Commission to develop a solid financial plan before live racing could resume, Trotter lost the track a few months later and the mortgage holder, McAdoo Auto Parts, sold the property. In April of 2000, the general manager of racing at Rideau Carleton announced intentions to revive the facility and schedule races on the track by the summer. The idea received the support of city council, but the application to the racing commission was never carried out.
Using the above photo
Churches in Town
Found most of them closed today, I guess there’s a high rate of crime :p
more here. I will add more in the coming weeks
A day on the Rideau
Before my latest tattoo appointment I took a ride out to the Rideau for a looksie and found this old cottage at the end of a side road that was marked Cottage for Rent. I think the cottage is further down the unplowed road or someone has a sense of humour.
At one of our wintering diving holes I spotted this red squirrel having a snack at the Lockmasters home on top of the hill then down to the lock for this picture.
Taking pictures in white snow at mid day presents a challenge, and I figured out that using the flash actually brings the white out a little more but I had to adjust the ISO and EV offset as well as they were getting blown out. Perhaps tomorrow I will venture out to some of the downtown churches. Tonight after group maybe some night shots.
A New Year and the dive counter starts again
After 293 dives last year it’s going to be hard to top that but I am sure that Chris will be up for the task. 
. So today we did the deed and first dive, at first I thought it wasn’t going to happen as everyone was either working or skiing today. At 9 am I got the call and 4 more shortly afterwards so I was diving today.
Off to Richardson’s beach and to the wreck that lays about 10 mins from shore. The strange thing was with the visibility and grace of those that made it all away out the wreck looked totally different then previous visits.
Large fish were out in force and I kept thinking that John came diving today instead of fishing his loss maybe, but the vis made up for everything.
drydock underconstruction dec 09
They have started working on the Dry Dock at the Marine Museum and with all the ideas it will be a pretty neat site once they get it all done. The last couple of days have been brutal but with todays work out it has seem to subside a little so I went out with Sean and got some snaps.
The shot I took this season is a different angle then all my others but I wanted to get the amount of construction digging that is going on. They are going to rebuild the drydock and then drain it all to make some holes in the ship for all to see the engines. The bonus is that then they don’t have to get it check for holes in the hull anymore and other seafaring rules as it will be a drydocked ship.
This coupled with all the construction on ontario street lately is supposed to improve the access to the water front for all to enjoy but it seems that hasn’t really become apparent yet so lets hope for the best in the spring.
Helping out those in need of a Photograph
So a few of us from the Kingston Flickr group headed over to Rideaucrest today to participate in with www.help-portrait.com. It was a interesting day and I even survived most of it I took about 100 pictures so It’s going to be a while to sort them out, Some of the others have commented on how much they enjoyed the day and we should do another in the spring.
Polly even came out and spent the day as well so I was in good standing all day because of it, till I got home then crashed for a few hours. Thanks to Jamie Callahan for bring this to attention and teaching more about my flash and how to use them remotely so now I got some more playing to do in the UER field.
The holidays start already
Christmas at Motorsport Plus Click on the link to see the video btw.
I got the annual invite to go to Motorsport Plus and had a good time till about 8 then the meds like normally wore off and I shot out of there like a bat out of hell. The people are good people and most of them are very calm and collective. It’s just the drugs wear off and it’s just like being back at day one. My Dr. yesterday added yet another one to lower some blood pressure problems caused by the drugs and hopefully boost the anti-drepressent as well. Here’s hoping for the best.
The best thing about the get together was the addition from Steam Whistle ale as they donated a keg for the festivities, I am not a pilsner type guy but it wasn’t as bad as blue but a little lighter. So off tomorrow to help out with the rideaucrest photo shoot.
Grenada – A wreck divers dream
So after 4 years of saying so and finding a bunch of like minded divers willing to explore a new diving hot spot I embarked on a trip to Grenada. Andre, Serge, Nancy and I headed to Grenada for a weeks of diving and Nancy liked it so much she stayed an additional week.
Not many of us can say we dove a 600 foot cruise ship standing upright in 170 feet of saltwater waiting for explorers, and I got to do that finally last week, the only thing other then wow was I could not imagine how hot it must of been 48 years ago when the Bianica C caught fire and sunk 3 times in St George. The From 2/3s of the ship have collapsed into it self but plenty can be seen still. The Swimming pool on the top dec still survives and is the blunt of all the dm’s and guides jokes. “It still has water in the pool” and other one liners”.
Just like the Florida Keys you can dive a wreck everyday and like bonaire you could dive a reef instead every day. There is no shore diving and all dives are done with DMs and Guides all of which are not accustomed to the serious wreck diving crowd, and try to lead and force your dives to their plans. Only a few days of this before it came apparent that it was not the way most of us dive and things changed for the better. The have at least 7 freighters the size of the Keystorm, belly dumpers, barges and sailboats all the size of lake Ontario schooners so we all were at home with the type of diving.
I enjoyed myself and decided that future trips maybe the same idea with going somewhere new or where something new has been found or added to a location.
Grenada now has a non stop flight from Toronto in the 600$ price range and food on the island is not to pricey but more then what one gets here. Shell fish for those that can eat it or like it is at a premium as well. Like most Caribbean destinations beer is cheap as well, one thing that was odd was Diet Coke or Drinks were not readily available and when so only in cans unlike the rest in larger bottles.
A cross section of my photos are here.
And thanks to Andre, Nancy and Serge for putting up with me for the trip. I am looking at details for my next adventure now.
Kingston’s Christmas Seasons Starts off
So off with a parade actually….
So Sean and I put aside the depression symptoms that keep us away from events most of the time yet again and watched and photographed Kingston’s night time Santa parade. We started at 3 pm by visiting Rosie and the Hog chapter at the old Nortel plant parking lot and met up with a few old friends from both the military and high school of all places for Sean.
Then off to downtown where we met up with another photographer Paul Walsh from Photosave/Kingston Recycling yard. Paul wasn’t there at the time we arrived so we had a beer and returned to the street. The parade didn’t arrive till near 540 and took a long time. Due to the amount of walking participants. Children from the age of 5 beared the 6 KM route and the bikers had to watch the overheating of their bikes as the parade slowly winded down Princess Street to City Hall for the lighting of the Town tree in Springer Market Square. Too many people there for us to handle.
Enjoy the pictures here.
A week of great weather
and most of the boats are laid up for the winter. Life is just like that in a water bound community in Canada.
So I spent most of the day after the work out checking out the boats in their wintering berths and got some nice shots. Polly and Sam went to the Zoo and I was by myself for the day, 12c actually and no boats to take you out on the lake. Visiting POH there was a guy taking college girls and boys out for rides in his new to him boat. Then a sailor working on his boat started telling me he has never seen a Nov like this in the 30 years he has spent in Kingston.
So Sean and I went to the Panda Garden for dinner and checked out the boats at night.
Enjoy
Lots of boats shots here.
Sometimes you just loose control.
So on Monday morning a ship heading towards Montreal and lost power. 100 meters from the wreck of the Conestoga in Cardinal, Ontario. Divers were all hoping she would sink but she had already moved north and sank in 20 feet of water. Unfortunately theres still 50 feet sticking out of the water.
Sean and I headed out this morning to see and when we got there a couple of more ships made appearances. Talking to a local the funny thing about the ship is when it sailed in the 70’s it had the same problem in the same area. This old guy was out taking shots and telling me stories about the connie and wee hawk wrecks. He also thinks that there are at least 2 more in the deep channel on the us side as he always loses his fishing stuff there.
On the 11th day at the 11th hour
I made this collage to honour my friends and their friends serving past, present and future. A 15 minute parade for most communities is all one asks for thanking those that defended our rights to various freedoms. Unfortunately many places don’t observe this day and more people take to various medias to discredit or show dismay over military operations.
The same people will scream and cry when Ice storms ravage their homes, children get lost in the woods, snow eclipses cities, satellites crash to earth and ships sink. Not to mention security for G8, g20 and olympic games. But thats different don’t you know.
Take a minute other then the 11th of November to thank a vet, for your right to speech, freedom of religious beliefs and such. Because of what they did you can do what you want. Shouldn’t every day be a veterans day?
The Rathburn Marina
Today I finally made it to the gym then Sean and I headed out to go exploring. Driving down the road leaving Deseronto we found this place. Apparently the Rathburn Marina complete with a few boats left on site. At one time the owner owned float planes and was a big player in the region. The gentlemen that was working on his boat and 24 beside the building stated that one day they packed up and left. Perhaps due to a death in the family, he wasn’t sure.
Complete photo shoot here.
Hopefully my new lens and my health improve so I can get back into the water, the new lens if it works will give me the ability to make mosaics of wrecks so I am looking forward to it.
More history of the desoronto area in pictures
Enjoy
Another wetsuit season draws to a close
Here in Kingston, Ontario we normally know the end of the wetsuit season is closing when we host the annual underwater Pumpkin Carving contest. This years event like most was held in the quarry. Surprising the water was a full 5 degrees warmer then last week when I ran the OW checkout dives.
Upon arriving to the quarry the base club was exiting so we missed them, we would have been there at the same time but a few customers came in.
Also most of the moorings are now down with the exception of the Munson and Wolfe which we will drop his week after a photo shoot take place.
So thanks to all those this season that enjoyed yet another great season, and for those coming with me to Grenada at the end of Nov the countdown has started. Don’t forget about the night dive on the Munson this week.
the day after
So yesterday was my birthday and my regular dive buddy, John and Pat Coyne from Pat’s Charters in Kingston took me out to the Comet and Marsh for some birthday diving. That was after my Dr’s appointment where he announced that it was time for a drug shakeup. I got my ticket paid for to head to Grenada and some apple pie to boot. Life yesterday was simple and today when I finally crawled out of bed I went for a drive instead of the Gym.
I also started uploading pics to the site mostly Scuba ones and soon more then that but little bit at a time.
Post Training after the Drills are done
So what do you do with 10 divers after all the training is done. Go diving of course and yesterday we did just that. Off to the Marsh which was supposed to be the Comet but due to some waves which made the jug hard to see we stubbled across the Marsh first. After lots of discussion and time and depth lectures off we went.
We got treated to some good visibility and with the good control of the gang the wreck saw no silt. Marsh pics like always here.
Then off to the Comet and man oh man at least 60 feet of vis and fish in the millions or so. I took Ross as buddy on this one have being on it a few days before knew what to expect. So everyone got in the water and I took ross down 5 mins before the rest and showed him what diving is all about. For those that havent seen a wreck in Lake Ontario covered in fish have a look at this video clip.
Thanks for all that helped, assisted or took part in the last couple months of dive training it was a long road but like always the diving make up for in the end. Ross your a good sport and I wish you the best in the future, you can come diving with me at any time.
Pictures for the Comet like normal located here.
Back to the Quarry again
For the first time in a while I played with my video editor and made a short video of the students in the quarry this past month. I still have about 20 more students to finish off this month so hopefully it will be still doable.
Enjoy
Another Weekend, another OW course
Soon I will finally get a break but sometimes being busy helps the mind for the time being. I haven’t much time to myself the last couple of months and now am feeling the run down feeling I suffer from. At least I have been able to get the students trained and ready to go for the upcoming school year classes being held in Florida and Bahamas.
So this weekend is the start of the end of the student season and off to get some personal diving in as well. The best part of this year has been the absence of the local clowns raising, stirring and spreading rumours.
I have also open a few more sites for the diving public and plan on revealing a few more before the boats come out as well for shore diving access providing we get the line in for safety reasons.
This class was just like the good ole days and the students learned and made the course for me. Ross who took the blunt of the punishment was a solid stand up guy for the weekend and almost became the diver of the weekend, but I have to give that to the 2 girls who on the last dive just nailed it. For the AOW students I shedded a tear of pride when Serge was flat and knees up watching the students go through what is now known as the circle of death.
The circle of death is the name of the new line laid in the quarry, what I have been doing is bringing them to the small hole at 8 feet. The start off doing a fin pivot and when ready to swim follow the line, stopping at the car hood, toilet, boat, car, boat, boat, boat, table all doing a drill at each stop. By the third time around all where hovering and flat.
Thanks for making my weekend good as the winter sets in I will reflect on it.
and then the Winds came
When you have a hobby that occupies your time and keeps you busy alot of your problems are temporarily forgotten, and just when you think you are addicted to yours you meet someone more in tuned with theirs.
We had a wind storm in Kingston Monday afternoon and night too much waves to get a boat out the Windsurfers took to the lake. It wasn’t long before the newbies got out of the water, but the godfather of windsurfing in Kingston was all over the harbour while his students and team mates watched as waves crashed over the breakwater.
One thing about a good wind many people head to the lake to see the waves.
Photos from the waterfront here.
