Night run on the Houston Ship Channel

May 9, 2009 4:33 AM

John Masefield would probably have enjoyed these videos.
posted by Joe in Australia (10 comments total)

Full movie on YT

That kicked me back to few years ago when I was on a work/supply boat for a summer. Those shipping channels can take hours to get into or out of depending on where you're docked.
posted by P.o.B. at 5:19 AM on May 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

I remember taking school field-trips down the Channel as a kid and being amazed at how they could squeeze such big ships into the port. They look big to me now, they looked huge to an eight year old.
posted by beowulf573 at 6:14 AM on May 9, 2009

Takes me back to my days on the riverboat, except this one is silent and I had to deal with drunk tourists asking about my shoulder boards.
posted by The White Hat at 6:56 AM on May 9, 2009

Shadowy Texan handymax with white-washed rails,
Running through the night to well-jettied Galveston,
With a cargo of nothing,
Cheap toys, cheaper clothes,
Migrants, cocaine, and an interval-timed Nikon.
posted by Sova at 7:29 AM on May 9, 2009 [4 favorites]

Fascinating view of an environment most of us never see. Thanks for the post!
posted by speug at 8:51 AM on May 9, 2009

I also liked the quick trip through the Panama Canal video linked on those pages, though it seemed less natural than these two clips. I think the 6 minute intervals and 12 fps was a great pace to make the movement seem fast, but not unnatural.

As linked in the comments, here's the route of the Night Run II.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:54 AM on May 9, 2009

This is really cool.

I wonder if a concerned citizen some idiot has contacted homeland security or some such about this because, you know, terrorists could, uh, steal an X-Wing fighter and, uh, blow up our navigable water.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 10:14 AM on May 9, 2009

I thought this was pretty cool, but then I opened it up full screen and WHOA!
posted by orme at 8:48 PM on May 9, 2009

Also was glad to not hear any goofy electronic music playing.
posted by orme at 8:53 PM on May 9, 2009

I thought this was pretty cool, but then I opened it up full screen and WHOA!

Oh yes. Full screen is definitely the way to watch this. The resolution you get, especially on the Flickr version, makes it look as though you're watching from the deck. Do I mean the deck? You know the housey thing where the captain steers the ship.
posted by Joe in Australia at 9:33 PM on May 9, 2009