Sapphire Princess

When I first got the script for "The Boat", (see "Page 1" and "Page 2" for details), I thought it would only be a matter of time before one rolled into Sydney Harbour so I could have a good look. I always get a better feel for what I'm drawing if I've seen it. I don't really like to slavishly copy from photographs, don't see the point (they are good for reference however).

Anyhow, 3 months later, this one finally comes into Sydney Harbour - Sapphire Princess.


What can I say, it is a monster! 18 Stories tall, it won't even fit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge (off to the right). It pulled into Sydney Harbour this morning and was leaving for Melbourne this afternoon. I quickly flew out the door and got about 250 high quality reference photos.

One thing occurred to me was the logistical nightmare while I was watching forklifts load the thing. They have less than a business day to resupply the ship with food for thousands of people. Then I was think, what about water? You'd need plenty of that for drinking, showers and toilets. Ah too much engineering with critical paths and time management.

From a drawing point of view, generally you can draw a large looking type of vessel and so long as you stick a smoke stack on it, you have an ocean liner. So I was surprised to note the lack of one here. Although from a design point of view, I much prefer the curves and subtly here.



When I first caught the train, this was the indicator board



For those not from Sydney, it isn't possible to have a "1 Car Train". Would almost be like having a "1 Axel Car". Would somebody please fix our trains!