It still was dark when the tanker “Hovden Spirit” from the Bahamas showed up in the AIS layer of radar and chart. She was about 18 NM east of MaRe. The intercept data showed a CPA of only 0.8 NM in front of MaRe’s bow. This was too close.

I carefully watched it and called the tanker immediately to ask her, to please change course to pass behind my sterns.

At a distance of a bit less then 10 NM I reached her via an individual DSC call on channel 72.
The friendly officer on watch agreed to my request and changed the COG 249 to 278. A 29 deg change!

Then I went out to have a direct look for the “Hovden Spirit” and saw a wonderful sunrise with the sun just above the eastern horizon. A gradient of red to orange into the light blue of the morning sky.

When the “Hovden Spirit” passed behind MaRe’s sterns, she looked, illuminated by the morning sunlight, pretty good although her most likely heavy oil burning engines pollute the atmosphere with plenty of CO2 and sooth. I experienced the sooth while being in Shelter Bay Marina and in Vista Mar Marina. It is a lot what’s coming down. I also got an infection in my eyes. According to the doctor I visited, the likelihood that sooth is the cause of my infection is very high.

How many people have to live in an air polluted by such, cheap oil burning engines?

At the end, when she was clear of MaRe’s sterns, I called her officer on watch again and thanked him for changing course.