[Leica] Midocean assistance

[hlritter at bex.net (Howard Ritter)]

Cynthia and I are treating ourselves finally to a 20-year ambition, crossing 
the Atlantic on a Cunard liner. It's the Queen Mary 2, sailing from New York 
to Southampton, followed by 6 nights in London. For compactness and general 
touristy stuff I've brought the NEX7 with the kit 18-55 plus the 16 with a 
12mm converter. For more serious stuff I have an M3 wearing a 50/1.4 'Lux, 
loaded with TXP, and I have a couple rolls of TMax 3200.

Question: will the high-speed film survive a single passage thru airport 
security X-ray? I got discombobulated at the last instant taking stuff off 
and putting it into the plastic bin, and the rolls, which I had taken out of 
the bag to ask for hand inspection, stayed in my coat pocket and went 
through in the bin. My thought is to leave the 3200 unused, buy new rolls in 
London, and when I get back, have one of the X-rayed rolls developed to see 
if there's any fogging, then use or toss the remaining roll accordingly. But 
if anyone has reassuring experience, I might go ahead and use the rolls in 
London.

Will have photos to post in a few weeks, but meanwhile here are a couple 
from the ship today. We were treated to a no-extra-cost bonus bit of 
entertainment, courtesy of those nice folks at Cunard. At about 0900 the 
Bridge announced that a solo female transatlantic rower (Halifax to France) 
had lost some equipment in a storm and requested assistance, and that the 
QM2 was going to her aid! Fortunately, our track must have been taking us 
very close to her position, as I was not aware of steaming off our usual 
course. About 1000 (Fernando de Noronha Standard Time) we slowed to a dead 
stop and spotted her a mile off the port bow. And by "we" I mean EVERYBODY. 
I think the whole ship's party (~2000?) except for the essential crews was 
out on the decks to greet her. Tiny partly closed yellow craft, about 7 m 
long, bobbing in swells sometimes deep enough to hide her from view even 
from our elevated position, with a lone figure in a black seasuit rowing 
toward this 1100' ocean liner stopped dead in the water for her. She waved 
and blew kisses and we all cheered and everybody had a camera at the ready. 
The crew tossed out some packages containing a satellite phone and a sea 
anchor, the essentials that she had lost, plus some other provisions. She 
took some pictures of her own, held up a sign (which I couldn't read), 
shouted her thanks, and came over the VHF, which the Bridge put over the PA, 
to thank us all in English and French. She retrieved the packages, and the 
whole ship's company, led by the Bridge on the PA, gave her a rousing three 
cheers. When the wind and her oars had taken her to a safe standoff 
distance, we got underway again. Later the Bridge announced that she had 
told them "this is the best day of my life!" Her name is something like 
Mylene Paquette. She'll surely come up in Google and by tomorrow, I should 
think, there ought to be a little news about the QM2 assisting her as well. 
A couple of photos at:

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/hlritter/Fotos/


?howard