Welcome to Dave Wallis Website on BTinternet
(Latest update 19:April:2010)
This website shows some of the things that I find interesting and gives links to other sites which may be interesting to web browsing enthusiasts.
Trapped in Bangkok by a Volcano in Iceland?.
Well I dutifully turned up at Sydney airport to catch a plane home to UK, on time! My luggage was tagged for Edinburgh and off we went. However 40 minutes out of Bangkok the pilot told us that there was a slight delay due to the Eyjafjallajoekull Volcano creating an ash cloud which prevented us from entering UK airspace. Ho-Hum... We duly decanted ourselves after the regular disembarkees, collected our suitcases and were bussed to a hotel near the old Bangkok airport. (Some distance from the new airport.) We've been here 2½ days now and things have moved from quite jolly (happy hour 5pm to 8pm) to a little restive as the implications of the delay sink in. BA have been fairly good so far with their 'Duty of Care' but eventually plain economics are going to reduce their benevolence as these arrangements cannot continue indefinitely. Five nights now.
'Inadvertent Holiday' photo
We also have mention on Facebook:- ESO Outreach on Facebook.
Not sure exactly what the coral is but it definitely looks interesting.
And the fish below were just passing by. Again, no idea as to identity but Eric (Seabotix' LBV 150) is definitely 'The Biz'.
The next photo shows a bunch of Trevally fish, also in the vicinity. Busy place down here at 55 metres!
We finally got to see the whales a bit closer. We'd seen them on and off at some distance
as they circled round the vessel. When Pat set up the pressure washer this morning to clean the
deck up, making the usual clattering engine noise, this must have been heard by the creatures
so they popped in for a closer look. The experts say they're 'Fin' whales. They then headed off out to
their usual distance, well clear but just within visual range.
The ship is quite cramped but comfortable. The major problem is that it's quite small relative
to the number of guys and gals we want to have onboard.
The photo below shows the method on and off the boat. Manufactured to order by the Billy
Pugh company. It certainly beats the socks off the personnel basket we used to use in the
80's in the North Sea. Doesn't collapse on deck in the swell; you're even clipped to the
basket just in case of sudden nerves.
This shows the Kayd from the good ship Sorrensen Miller as we left the platform to go back to shore. The trip ashore had promised to get us get to the airport with time to spare for the Wednesday pm flight but (as always!) events conspired and as the day wore on the arrival time at Miller's Launch gradually got later and later so that was that idea up the spout.
November 2008: Okay, after a month on the good ship CEFAS Endeavour, I finally got home. What a job! Weather poor to much worse and a requirement for Boomer which needs flat calm. However ship was excellent and food ditto. Company alright too.
After getting back in October 2007 we've been pretty quiet on most fronts. A quick zap across to Belfast, followed by a week on the Corystes, trundling up and down Beaufort's Dyke with a sparker. Then a holiday at Bruges (2008 summer now), followed by Le Mans and then Vic-sur-Aisne - good for languages at least. And why were we kicked out of the hotel at La Suze? The Morgan club (UK) took it over. To be fair they'd already taken it in January when I made the booking
Antarctic Bathymetry and Topography without the ICE.
January 2006: I just thought an image like this would catch the eye. So much for the Southern Continent. More an Archipelago really. This image was one of many doing the rounds on the RRS James Clark Ross during our latest trip down South.
We flew down to Punta Arenas via Heathrow, Madrid and Santiago, Arriving some 33 hours after leaving Edinburgh. Joined the ship and sailed. -- Well not quite. We had a good 'Run-ashore' in Punta before we sailed the next day, sampling the 'Schopp' in some pretty gloomy local bars. They're definitely into black and sombre in a seriously Gothic manner. Music was good too and the beer was fine. (Schopp = Draft lager.)
In between Antigua and Antarctica we had a 3 week stint in Costa Rica. (Another Puntarenas here, slightly different spelling though.) Working for the Germans on the FS Meteor doing research into the Subduction Zone off Central America.
May 2005: This shows the locals at the docks (proper security here, complete with armed guards and entry passes) as they ambled through looking for lunch. Seriously though the dockers and assistance in St Johns, Antigua was pretty good, second-to-none almost. All sorts of help was easy to get and the kit had all arrived correctly and was waiting at the dockside. cranes and operators were helpful and we got the rig built up in no time.
Author and Chris Foss' Phase VI at Hillend.
(Edinburgh and Arthur's Seat in the background
- Photo Courtesy Pentland House.)
Click here to download the Muscovy.dxf drawing file.
Click here to v iew video of Muscovy in flight.
Click here to look at the write up on our Slope Soaring Club site.
Last year I had Muscovy out again and it has survived the repairs following a vertical plummet. Martin says I should have a higher aspect ratio foreplane. Will try that for next time. Still hoping to get video footage in the air. Loops with new foreplane? Still to try inverted (Something to do with plummet above!) April 2006, I have the video footage taken in 25 knot winds, roll clockwise, roll counterclockwise, scream back out of lift and land in (relative!) calm at back of slope. Phew!! See video link above to Google Video.
Subjects Summer 2004: at the North Pole. Photo courtesy Martin Jakobsson. To contact the author use the following:-
Model Gliding
Squash & Tennis in Edinburgh
Bridge Rockdrill
Model R/C electronics
BGS subsea kit
CFB LP recording to CD
Video Transmission Methods
