3am Tuesday

That's when we leave Shetland and head south to Scrabster. The wildlife site has a had a few hits recently and we have a few bits of work to do with the boat through that site now including a trip with nursery school kids, which sounds ever so slightly scary.

Other than that I have now circumnavigated Shetland, and I loved it. Granted the steam down today and the steam north were pretty flat calm but hell its always good to be off enjoying the sunshine and light winds up here.

So we are heading for the off, the season has begun and its time to go.

An Overdue Update

Its the beginning of March and two weeks ago Humpback whales were seen off Yell, pretty exciting stuff considering its the first time for about 20 years. Unfortunately I heard about it all the day after and considering we had been pelted with snow for a good 48 hours it wasn't really surprising that I missed them, still can't help thinking it would have been nice.

On the business development front things for my photography took a bit of a backwards step as I set to developing www.wildseacharters.co.uk and went off on a WiSe accreditation course so we are well and truely sorted when it comes to watching wildlife. We're now on for marketing this and making sure we keep at it, and the fishing work. However, with all that my work received a boost, so I am now in charge of 4 websites that will come in more than handy when it comes to selling photos. So today is the day self employment beckons, as scary as that sounds especially looking at the current financial state of the world. But with work available for the end of the season up here in Shetland and looking at doing a teaching course things as ever are flowing on as best I they can, I just have to make sure I have everything organised, listed and contained so that its easy to follow.

Happy New Year

It's 2009, who would have thought it? When last year began I had no idea where it was going to end, or what would happen, a strange thing for me because usually I have got some idea as to the where's and when's and how's.  In February I was felling reasonably settled, then all that changed and I spent the summer at sea fishing away, spent early fall tying up loose ends and the rest of the year moving and settling into a new way of live in Shetland, looking onwards to another summer at sea away from home, and thinking on ideas of how I can make money out of what I enjoy (photography, conservation, environmental education, marine life, writing, exploring, traveling and sharing moments I have enjoyed with those around me and beyond).  

I suppose that the beauty of all of those is that is easy to share each and every single

element through the wonders of the web, but what I would like to do is share my fascination for wild with the people it affects. So there's the challenge, well one of them anyway.. the others are just as attainable.

Midwinter Surf

There has been a significant amount of very settled weather up here over the past two or three days, to the point that the water in the voe was as smooth as glass. With little else doing it was worth taking the chance and heading out to take some shots over at Burra. 

I'm hoping that by the end of January I'll be able to buy a new printer so I can get professional prints of my photos sorted out and sold.  Its a challenge and a bit of leap forward, but I can but hope and keep my fingers crossed my images stand out above other folks, I suppose a lot of it comes down to what people are looking for. But with a bit more money about to spend on lenses and other equipment you just never know where I'll end up.

Latest Addition

So here I is, sat in front of two massive windows staring out at Scalloway Castle, the harbour and one of the reasons I moved up here, the chance to be a part of a self run company and a life on the ocean wave, putting up with whatever mother nature decides to through at us (we're keeping our fingers crossed that she smiles on us).

With the fishing side of things we're rolling and future devlopments are to create an expedition programme to assist with local and on-going marine surveys along with whatever work I can gather together. Then comes the marketing and advertising, the thising and thating, think I'll get through Christmas first and look forward to Hogmanay. Then see if I can find ways to sell my photographs (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kneukedimages) and see what happens.