Homeward Bound

We docked in Papeete, Tahiti last night and are getting ready for our transfer to the airport for tonight's flight. Alson has accumulated quite a fan club on board ship with seemingly dozens of people coming up and congratulating him on his fine picture. Several want to download it and print it. I told Alson he needs to get some business cards printed since he had to give out the website so often.

I am typing this on an Internet connection operating at glacial speeds which makes the ship based satellite system seem screaming by comparison. This will be my last post. See you on the other side of the Pacific.

A Day at Moorea

This was our last full day in French Polynesia. We spent the day at Moorea. Alson and I wanted to sign up for Photo Tour, but it was sold out. We opted for the considerably less expensive island tour which went to many of the same places. We were always one step ahead of the photo guys, using up all the good photos and just leaving the mosquitoes behind.

We had heard that the flights from Easter Island were returning and that many of the Eclipse Gurus were gathering at the Intercontinental Hotel on Moorea. We had the tour guide drop us off and hung around swapping war stories. Kelly Beatty and Dennis di Cicco from S&T were there. Kelly said he got Alson's photo and used it as the lead to S&T's online story. I commented that if a meteor struck, most of the eclipse hierarchy would be wiped out.

A Gathering of Gurus

Success!

In the days before the eclipse, both Alex Filippenko and Jay Anderson mentioned they wanted clouds - preferably cumulus to add some drama to the eclipse. In retrospective, both commented they did not want as much drama as they got.

We awoke to broken clouds. Jay was not worried as he thought they would burn off. They did not. With precious minutes slipping away, we were sailing directly into a cloud. At the last minute, the Captain maneuvered the ship saving the day. However, it put the Sun for Alson and I behind a bulkhead.

Even so, the first minute or so of the eclipse occurred behind some thin clouds. The Diamond ring was visable, but not some of the coronal detail. Fortunately, the Captain got the ship into clear waters. Alson got back to his camera and got some detailed images he is combining now. I stayed with the video camera and got some wide-angle shots including a panorama. Here are some early processed versions. I need to get these home to tweak them.

The crew looks at the Total Solar Eclipse seconds before 3rd Contact

Panorama of the eclipse showing part of the 360 degree sunset

Preparations made

We spent the day at sea, sailing towards the eclipse site. We heard a couple talks about the eclipse from Jay Anderson and Alex Filippenko.

Jay Anderson reported that the weather prospects for tomorrow seem very promising. We are sailing towards our original site. One issue is the amount of wind and waves. The ship is bouncing pretty good as it drives into the wind. Our tests earlier in the day indicate that the sun can have a hard time staying in a 300mm telephoto lens. Exposures less than 1/8 of a second are unlikely to be successful.

We plan on getting up early to stake out our position. We need a site sheltered from the wind that is in the center of the ship that is more stable.

Alson Wong - armed to the teeth

Bora Bora Bloody Marys

We spent the day in Bora Bora, traveling around the island to see the playground of the rich 'n famous. After passing Marlon Brando's house and Jack Nicholson's house, we went past the 14 resort hotels now operating, and ended up at the Bloody Mary for drinks.






That night veterans of eclipses past gathered for dinner before heading on deck for more star gazing. The captain had to cancel the beach star gazing event with the 'wet landing' due to rough seas, so we gathered on the 9th deck. The strong wind blew the ship around on its anchor making it difficult to get 30 second exposures of the Milky Way at the Zenith. Most showed the rotation of the ship. However, this one was decent.

It is hard to see in this small picture, but Sagittarius is below center and Scorpio just in the center. Alpha and Beta Centauri are to the right and the Southern Cross is to the far right, which is south.

The captain just put the ship underway for the eclipse path. Tomorrow will be spent at sea sailing for the eclipse. Right now the ship is rolling pretty good in the choppy seas and wind. However, the captain is optimistic he will find us clear skies for the eclipse.

Drift Snorkeling

We arrived at Taha'a. Alson and I signed up for the drift snorkeling excursion. In between two atolls is a canyon of coral that the tide pushes through. Just setting up on one end, the current will push you through to the other. I purchased an underwater housing for my Canon G10 and got several good pictures.

Alex Filippenko gave a good talk on solar eclipses - targeted at the newbies. He has also seen 10 eclipses. Later we went up on deck for more stargazing, dodging the clouds while watching the heart of the Milky Way at the zenith.

A Day at Raiatea

We spent yesterday at the island of Raiatea. It is a medium sized island at the heart of French Polynesia. We opted for an island tour, where Alson (Mosquito Bait) Wong was harassed and attacked all day. He survived the experience and provided the service of keeping them away from others. Below is the Paul Gauguin at he dock in Raiatea.

The previous evening we saw the Green Flash. Last night we saw Omega Centauri from deck. There were clouds around so we adjourned to the French restaurant with the Travel Quest staff to drown our sorrows in French wine. Tomorrow, we are going snorkeling at Taha'a.

On Board Ship

After touring Tahiti today, we boarded the ship and will get underway tonight. Our tour around the island took us to serveral interesting places - including Venus Point, where Captain Cook landed and set up the observatory to view the Transit of Venus. Later, the Bounty anchored there. In the movie, the producers brought in white sand to cover the black sand of the beach. Below is the lighthouse at Venus Point - built by the father of Robert Louis Stevenson.

We have booked several shore excursions over the next few days. This evening we sat on the stern of the ship and looked up at Alpha and Beta Centauri and the Southern Cross. We learned of a star gazing excursion in a couple of days. It is currently completely booked, but they expect to schedule an extra boat. I am told it is a 'wet landing'. (e.g. wading ashore). Carry your camera, tripod and binoculars on your back.

Arrived

We arrived last night. Every thing went smoothly - the plane took off early and arrived early. While waiting in LAX, we ran into several long-time eclipse-chasing friends and stopped for drinks in the bar. Someone I didn't know came up and said "aren't you with the RTMC?"

When we got to the the airport in Papeete, an English gentlemen came up and said "Aren't you one of the Wuhan4?" We have fans everywhere... He didn't request an autograph.

We are now looking out at a gorgous view. I would show you a picture, but... everything runs on Tahiti time, including their Internet. That runs at the approximate speed of a 8 baud modum. It took me a half hour to get this page loaded. There may not be another report until we board the ship tomorrow night.

On Our Way

Alson and I fly out this morning for our eight hour, non-stop flight to Tahiti. We added a couple days on the front end of the trip to avoid any unpleasant surprises. The trip as designed had us stepping off the plane onto the Paul Gauguin which immediately sailed. That did not leave time for anything to go wrong. If we missed the departure, we would have been faced with trying to fly to one of the islands on the itinerary and wait for the ship to catch up.

When looking at Tahiti on a globe or using Google Earth, I have always been struck by how far it is from everything. That side of the globe has no land masses to speak of. Somewhere close by has to be the point further away from any continental coastline on Earth.

For some odd reason, I have been allowed to upload any images - without explanation. I hope that problem cures itself soon. For now, I will link to an album in Picasa.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MXTF5WywTQIycCLyYvBlTQ?feat=directlink

Weather Prospects

Like last year, the weather prospects are a little better than 50/50. A disadvantage is that we cannot hop on a plane and fly to clearer weather. An advantage is that the ship can sail to better weather, which adds about 10% to our chances.

Although it is of little use to start checking weather forecasts this far ahead, looking at some of the sites gives us an idea of what the weather patterns are this time of year. The eclipse happens at 1800 UT. In the next four days, three are partially cloudy and one mostly clear.

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tCUUjbhdscSiova89M7STw?feat=directlink

http://www.skippysky.com.au/Tahiti/

Tahiti is the larger island slightly to the left.

Preparing for the Eclipse

We ran a blog last year for the China Total Solar Eclipse. I was surprised to see how many RAS members followed our trip through China. This year is a different kind of trip. Instead of the stress of bus adventures and getting up at 4 AM, Alson and I will be on a cruise out of Tahiti.

The biggest drama we could face is is deciding what umbrellaed drink to sip on while lounging by the pool. Just kidding, there is a real danger that we could fly deep into the southern hemisphere only to look at the bottom of clouds. Our chances are about 50/50. The mobility of the ship can get us another 10%. More on that later.

Right now I am busy packing. This is a week long process consisting of waking up in the middle of the night going - oh yeah, I need such and such. The bags get put on the bed in the guest room and stuff gets thrown into them until the day we leave. Here I am packing the carry-on.