Φωτογραφίες

Flying Dolphin X

A Flying Dolphin (#10) from the Ag.Konstantinos - Alonisos service, after shooting from the narrow straight between Evia and the mainland and skirting the Pagasitic gulf, on its way to the Sporade islands.

The Flying Dolphins are operated by Hellenic Seaways (former Hellas Flying Dolphins Maritime S.A.), were built in the former Soviet Union and are 'Kometa' (Project 342ME) class hydrofoils, which are very similar to the "Meteor" type , but with larger wings, bigger draught to manage the waves of the coastal waters.
The type was designed by the Central Hydrofoil Design Bureau and was in serial production from 1961 till 1983 in the plants of N. Novgorod, Feodosia , Poti (Armenia) and Volskij. The main engines are two Zvezda (звезда) M400 or M401A diesel engines (62L displacement V12 cylinder 1.000 HP each). The fuel consumption is 286 kg/hour (each). Some Dolphins were refitted in Piraeus with 8 Cylinder MTU Diesel engines of 1100 bhp each.

The cruising speed is 64 km/h, operational range 445 km and the passenger capacity 118-130 persons. The Kometa type was very popular in and also outside the Soviet Union - 96 units were exported.
They are gradually being phased out now by Helenic Seaways and replaced by Flying Cats. See the pic in Work shop 1. There are only a few Dolphins left. The remarkable combination of their sleek, streamline/rocket-age design and their thunderous diesel roar (they’re easily the most noisy ships I’ve ever encountered) are going to be missed.

From the Moleskin travel diary:
“….we saw the sleek form of the Flying Dolphin approach the quay and paid the waiter for our tasty English breakfast. Time to leave lovely Agios Konstantinos…. The interior of the Dolphin is like a wide body jet - 2+4+2 abreast and the going was very smooth. Our fellow passengers were almost all Greek and the atmosphere laid back. People were reading, chatting, listening to their i-pods or using a laptop. I was engrossed in a Murakami novel and after a while my love went to the open deck further down the hull to have a smoke. When she came back she said that it’s very interesting outside. And it really was. The deck is astride, partly sunken in, the machine room and I was not only greeted by the wind but also by the very loud noise of the two engines since the hatches between the deck and the machine room were partly opened to enhance ventilation.
Looking at the long wake of the Dolphin, listening to the thunderous diesel roar and feeling the wind, there was the feeling of sheer momentum, the feeling of speed, of being on the move, going to places. An exhilarating experience. I stayed outside until the Dolphin moored in Skiathos….. ”

The PCS3 tech: I altered the saturation, contrast, curves and levels for the whole pic and some elements separately, using different layers, enhanced the edges, USM-ed added a frame and resized, and enhanced the edges on a 65% transparent frame and did a gentle USM (1,1px, 20%) again.

exif data

Camera Manufacturer : FUJIFILM
Camera Model : FinePix F30
Exposure time [s] : 1/900
F-Number : 8.0
Exposure program : Aperture priority (3)
ISO speed ratings : 100
Date taken : 2008:06:16 10:02:33
Exposure bias value : -1/1
Metering mode : Evaluative, Multi-segment (5)
Focal length [mm] : 36 mm (35 mm equiv)
Colour space : sRGB
Contrast : Normal