Ship Spotter Spotlight: Michael David from the United Kingdom

In 2021, we started to put the spotlight on our passionate ship spotters. Each month, we showcase a different photographer of FleetMon.com. In December 2022, you’ll meet a maritime enthusiast from Great Britain (User name: MickWarrick) who joined FleetMon in 2016.

What is your maritime background?

I started Ship spotting around 1967 at the age of 10, it started when watching the many Ferries arriving at Harwich, UK, from Holland, Denmark & Germany. My uncle lived in Harwich and my parents would take us as children for a weeks holiday once a year to stay with him. I used to wait at the bedroom window for the Ferries to come and go as I could see the harbour from this view. Later on I used to drive to Southampton from my home in Reading to see shipping and also Tilbury was another location I was starting to visit. Later on in life I have travelled to Malta, Gibraltar, Holland, and Singapore 9 times to see vessels that would not visit Europe.

When did you start to take photos of vessels?

I started taking pictures around 1980 which was mainly colour slides, then moved on to digital photography as found slides were getting far too expensive.

What is your motivation for being a ship spotter?

A hobby of a lifetime, and I do like to share my pictures for others to enjoy, obviously if you get natural sunlight it can make the picture.

Special Vessel Shot

Michael’s comment on the photo: “BERT PRIOR was on a trip from London to the Fingringhoe Sand terminal on the day.”

How often are you on tour to shoot vessels?

Several times a week.

Which technical equipment do you use to capture vessel moments?

I have a basic Panasonic DMC-FZ72 Camera with a long zoom that takes a good picture.

Which vessel types do you like to take photos of the most and why?

I do like both general cargo vessels and coastal vessels as there are so many different designs, but will take a picture of anything of interest including vessels at a Marina.

How many pictures of different vessels have you collected since you started?

My current collection is over 6,000 colour slides plus I have a few hundred colour photos, the collection consists of all types of vessels.

Where is your favorite ship spotting location so far?

Singapore is my favourite location, the weather is always kind to you, plus the amount of shipping in the area is plenty, I could easily take 100 photos a day!

Which worldwide ship spotting location would you like to visit if you had the chance to?

I would like to visit the Panama Canal, and China would be well worth a visit as you would possibly see quite a few older vessels still afloat.

Is there anything you would like to improve when it comes to uploading photos to FleetMon.com?

Only possible thing I would like to see would be a slightly bigger picture on the site.

(Thank you, Michael, we will take your feedback seriously!)