Frustration!

[yeti monster]

Last night I set up in a new observation spot, atop of the port forward anchor winches, giving me more deck space to pile my oddsansods, to look west at Venus as she set and to take a good look at the moon. Also I had planned on scouting for some DSOs.

Buy the time I'd carted everything round the rig and up the ladder, I soon realised that I was too lat to make out any DSOs, so just took in Venus and the moon.

Even with my (pat. pend.) AV pads, I was still getting some vibes through the tripod. Coupled to this, at each corner of the rig there are nautical hazard lamps, which flash "U" in morse (2 short, one long) for "you are standing unto danger" and this new (never to be used again) observation spot is at the same hieght, and adjacent to, one of these lamps.

I'd positioned my self where I was sheilded from the lamp by one of the anchor chain sheaves, but any movement away from the narrow band of shadow left me subject to a sudden blinding!

So, it looks like I'll be returning to my previous western observation spot in future, which is grated, so I have to be very careful about putting things down, as a wee splash is likely to be a result.

[brantuk]

Where on earth are you?? Sounds like an oil rig or a ship or something lol

[russ]

Sounds a very interesting location indeed.

[yeti monster]

I am on board "Nan Hai Tiao Zhan", a semi-submersible rig, in the South China Sea. about 130 miles south of Hong Kong.

A bit like this one:

Where we get sunsets like this:

And this:

[DarkerSky]

Sounds a tricky task YM. Maybe you need a sort of portable tent cover to isolate you and the scope from the light?? Not quite sure what your colleagues would make of it all though !

[acey]

Maybe you could quietly pull out the main lighting fuse...

[brantuk]

Wow - spectacliar sunsets - I imagine the skies are pretty awesome but light from the rig must be a pain. Would a black blanket over head and e/p help?

[Tantalus]

I've been wondering about the lighting on your rig. Some years ago I was asked to help out on a North Sea fishing boat for a couple of trips. I only agreed to go because I thought that in the middle of the North Sea I'd get fantastic dark skies, but I hadn't allowed for the ruddy great floodlights they used to light the deck. Couldn't see a thing! I did ask the skipper if he could turn 'em of for a while, but he just mumbled something about regulations - gotta be visible to other shipping, apparently.

Looking at the photo's of your rig though, are there any gantries below the level of the main deck that you could use?

[yeti monster]

I sometimes use a t-shirt over my head as a hood, but generally just try to find wee dark places away from any direct light influence. As I get deeper into my hunt for DSOs, though, I am becoming more frustrated by all the lighting. Can't really do much else. Below decks is no entry, due to the falling off and nobody noticing aspect.