My View of Life on the Dock
You can tell it’s spring when the gig rowers and volunteers have flocked to Maritime Gloucester to get their boats back in the water.
From our friend Mary Barker. She was down at Maritime Gloucester yesterday morning as the Gannet was being lowered into the water.
Dear Friends,
What an adventure the Blue Plant Live shoot has been – it’s been an absolutely amazing experience for the SnotBot team and it’s Snot over yet (😉)! EarBot is live this Sunday (show #4) at 20:00 GMT on BBC 1 BBC Blue Planet Live. If you missed the SnotBot show (# 2) I will let you know how and when you can see a non-live version, it is coming to BBC America and other media outlets.
BBC did have some transmission issues during our live shoot, but I take my hat off to the whole team. I have been told that this was the biggest live production that the BBC have ever done. To give you an on location perspective of this undertaking, there are 33 people in the BBC Baja team, 3 people in the helicopter team, 3 local small boats and drivers and of course the 3 person SnotBot team (missing Miller). Grand total 42 people!!! Clearly shooting a live show is far more complicated than a regular documentary. I think that the BBC “The Equator from the Air” (still to be released) production team who joined us in Gabon West Africa had a total of 6 people.
The 42 people were broken down into 7 different crews;
Typically I lead with expedition logistics, so it is hard for me to express how much of a pleasure it was to watch others doing this job and doing it so well. However you cut it, managing 42 people in the field is a logistical nightmare and the fact that they kept pulling off the impossible was amazing.
My wife can tell you I am not a morning person, well I guess my future is not in live TV. For two days in a row we had to be at breakfast at 5:00 am and on the live day 4:30 am. We did get to see some more spectacular sunrises at sea though and the shore scenery was always spectacular.
There was rehearsal day before the live segment, not just for our location but for all of the different connections between the two other live teams and the studio in London. I take my hat off to Chris Packham, his ability to remember boat loads of facts and then eloquently reiterate them on demand-live was quite phenomenal. For those of you who missed the live SnotBot show, the satellite uplinks were not kind to me. Chris Packham introduced me as one of his favorite scientist’s and then we lost the uplink. Andy had a great segment on the science and data later in the show so we are all good. If you get a chance please watch the show, in the meantime, (spoiler alert) we did find a couple of blue whales on the live day but they were out of the satellite uplink range so no Snot collection live, but they ended the show with a cut to a Snot collection we made during the live rehearsal. I like to think that we did collect blue whale Snot live but it was only watched by the producers in London & the Baja team. In one of those bizarre situations it turns out that the sample we collected during the live rehearsal is the most productive blue whale snot sample we have collected to date. Andy said that the liquid was so gummy that he had a hard time sucking it up with the micro pipette. I have attached the actual snot collection video short that appeared during the show to this e mail.
The Sea of Cortez is one of my favorite places to work, every day on the water held new and different wildlife encounters. Chris Packham quoted Jacques Cousteau who called the Sea of Cortez “The Aquarium of the Pacific.” I have run sperm, humpback, blue and grey whale expeditions here. When you are out on the water there is always enormous biodiversity, from concentrated bait balls of fish that attracts all sorts of wildlife including diving birds, to Mantas, turtles, dolphins, whales and whale sharks and so on.
I have attached a few photos of the team working and some amazing Sea of Cortez wildlife, apologies that I don’t have the capacity at this time to label them all. Of course we missed our good friend Christian Miller, but Andy and the rest of the team stepped up to the plate with the attached photos. I have included a couple of lunch break photos that I thought were fun.
I am still staggering a bit from a lack of sleep so I hope that you will bear with my usual erroneous writing and grammar. We have just flown south to our next location and we will be out on the water tomorrow and Sunday following and listening to Humpback whales and flying EarBot (LIVE).
I want to end by applauding the BBC Blue Planet Live team again, what an incredible effort. At dinner one night the director said that the goal of this show was to be ambitious and push boundaries, they did than and the some!
The Ocean Alliance Drones for Whale Research Program continues….. One more show to go but well done team Blue Planet live!!
Best Fishes
Iain
Iain Kerr
This weekend! Saturday, March 30th, from 4-8pm and Sunday, March 31st, from 1-4pm, the Artist Studios at 196 Main Street are hosting a Pop-Up Show, showcasing handcrafted fine jewelry, photography and paintings. Artists Chloe Leigh Designs, Vanessa Michalak, & Katherine Richmond
Please join them on their opening night, Saturday March 30th,for light refreshments.
Ever wonder what happens to all of the cigarettes our Sidewalk Buttlers collect? TerraCycle composts the paper and cotton, and the plastics are melted down and repurposed into new items like park benches! Read more about how it works here:
Volunteers empty approximately 4,000 butts per month from these receptacles. Combined with the butts they collect from beach cleanup events, they have collected more than 270,000 butts in a little over two years, according to Juli Marciel, Surfrider’s coordinator for the program.
Volunteers put these collected butts into boxes with postage-paid labels supplied by Terracycle, a company recycling a wide variety of products.
This bench in Ventura is made from recycled cigarette butts and has a memorial plaque for Paul Herzog, Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Gardens coordinator. (Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/LARS DAVENPORT)
On a beautiful Wednesday afternoon, Gloucester’s Man at the Wheel waiting for the Great Adventure Man to come through.
Adventure Man coming near Hammond Castle in Gloucester and also a photo of Gloucester, England, native Jamie McDonald taking his finish swim in Gloucester Harbor. What a great cause and a wonderful crowd greeted this great person. For more information please go to
I was honored when Susan Kelly invited me to see the new plans for a beautiful gardens at the Betty Smith Park. This pretty spot is behind the tennis courts on Stacy Boulevard. You may recognize this sculpture in the attached photo of Triton.
Generous Gardeners also has merged with the Gloucester Civic and Garden Council.
Below please find the plans hand colored drawing from Ann Johnson ASLA.
Generous Gardeners will be adding 4 light post and 2 benches. The poison ivy will be cleared out so the beautiful flowers and trees can thrive. Susan would like to thank the DPW for their help. Generous Gardeners will be doing the work on their own. Also this year the gardeners have planted another 27,000 tulips on the Boulevard. These volunteers are amazing with their dedication and hard work. Ann Johnson one of the Landscape Architects volunteers was one of the landscape Architects in Boston at the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Very impressive group.
,
Designated as Lieutenant to Susan, she brings enthusiasm, dedication and vision for the gardens to the board.
At Hammond Castle
Donna Ardizzoni / Circle Consulting Group 978-526-9222
Donna Ardizzoni / Circle Consulting Group 978-526-9222
Good morning kids:
Hope everyone is well and looking forward to the spring and summer.
Time to get out there again as a group.
Date: Saturday, March 30, 2019
Time: 8:00 – 09:00
Where: St. Peters Square
We can do Main and Rogers.
Look forward to seeing all you smiling faces.
The temperature was 48 degrees but the beach was full of happy pre summer beach goers.
MAR29
Friday at 4:30 PM – 7 PM
Public
Dear Friends,
Chris, Andy and I have just arrived in Loreto. As advised previously we are pretty damn excited to be taking part in the BBC Blue Planet Live Series. You can find more information on the show here: BBC Blue Planet Live. As I understand it the first show went live today, with Chris Packham and the crew in San Ignacio Lagoon. I have it on good faith that Chris was downwind of a grey whale and he got Snotted!
I made a mistake in my last e mail, I thought that there were three shows but it turns out there are four.
I am also excited but terrified to report that they have asked me to take part in the 4th live show on Sunday. So you can catch us on live TV on Wednesday the 27th (SnotBot with blue whales….🤞🤞) and Sunday 31st of March, EarBot and Humpback whales (🤞🤞). Right now my biggest concern is finding whales and good weather, preferably both at the same time, then of course not making a fool of myself on live TV.
For those of you not in England, there is a way to watch the show live on your computer, Chris says you have to get a VPN, which before last week I had never heard of. In short if the BBC website thinks that your computer is in England it will let you watch the show.
Clearly if you can’t watch the show live I am sure BBC will put it up on their website so I will send that information out next week.
So here we go – Get a VPN
Create BBC account
Watch BBC ONE
I will try to send out a few blogs from our time here, until then….
Best Fishes from Loreto.
Iain
Iain Kerr
Cell: 978 760 1784
Gruppe Painting Raffle will Benefit the Restoration of the Phyllis A
The Phyllis A Marine A Association is excited to announce that, through a partnership with the State of the Art Gallery, a very significant Emile Gruppe painting has become available and will be raffled as a benefit fundraiser.
The restoration of this 1925 fishing vessel, built for Albert Arnold, is the oldest former fishing vessel in Gloucester harbor. Arnold’s family migrated from Michigan in 1910 along with other families including the Tysvers, Dahlmers, Shoares and others whom were referred to as the “Michigan Bears” and they used a special method of fishing called gillnetting working out of East Gloucester.
“Shoares Wharf” was located on East Main Street and is now part of a private residence. This painting was completed in the early 1930’s and shows another gillnetter tied to the dock along with a smaller fishing vessel. Measuring 20″x24″, this painting has been recently restored and framed.
Never seen by the public, this painting has had ownership by Emile Gruppe, Walker Fielding and Joseph W Moore with an appraisal value of $14,000.
Only two hundred tickets will be sold, at $200 each, to raise $40,000. Monies raised beyond the appraisal value will go directly to the Phyllis A to support the restoration of this historical vessel.
Purchase tickets at the State-of-the-Art Gallery – 4 Wonson Street on Rocky Neck. Contact Roger @ 978/395-1783 or Phyllis A Marine Association @978/283-9292. Or click the button below.
The painting will be available for viewing at the Phyllis A Marine Association’s annual party on April 6th, at the Gloucester Fraternity Club, Webster Street. (Link to tickets also below.)
A Preview Party and Raffle Drawing will be held on June 6th at the Gloucester House Restaurant.
Otherwise to view the painting, please contact Roger Armstrong for special viewing.Everyone at the Phyllis A would like to thank Roger Armstrong and his Gallery, and Lenny Linquata and the Gloucester House for this exciting and wonderful opportunity.
Purchase tickets online
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On Friday even though it was a little dreary, the ocean was certainly showing off her power on the Back Shore.
Good Morning Gloucester 