#ostend

When boarding the Overzetboot along the Visseskaai to cross toward Oosteroever, most people don’t really look at the boats and vessels around them. I see them concentrating on their smartphones for whatever interests them, but I always find myself wondering about the function of these boats and vessels stationed at the edge of the port.

Through some research, I’ve found that numerous activities require the presence of these boats and vessels for the well being of everyone at sea… Police, customs, and, of course, rescue services.

Just imagine being at sea on your pleasure boat, close to the coast if all goes well, but way too far if something goes wrong. You may find yourself in the water without any help, and your chances of survival could be drastically reduced.

That’s where rescue teams become crucial, for both pleasure boats and commercial or industrial vessels. The R6 Orca may be supported by a helicopter for certain missions, teamwork for everyone’s safety.

The R6 Orca caught my eye first because of its orange colour, of course, but even more so for its sporty aesthetic and it all makes sense. It’s a tool built to act fast in open water, in any kind of weather.

I’m definitely going to try to meet and speak with the rescue team. I’d like to find out whether they sometimes run prevention operations that I could join, so I could put together a short report on their daily activities including video and field recording.

To follow…

https://youtu.be/61FgzH94l9o?si=qzROpQ7jwFk-hN_U

The R6 – Orka is operated by the Kustwacht (Belgian Coast Guard) and stationed in Ostend.

Key SpecificationsLength: 19.60 meters

Width: 6.14 meters

Draught: 0.95 meters

Built: 2014 by Chantiers Navals Bernard SA (France)

Speed: 25 knots

Capacity: Space for up to 27 people in distress

Operations and EquipmentPropulsion: Powered by jet propulsion with 360° turning nozzles for high maneuverability in shallow waters and safety near people in the water.

Design: Features a low-freeboard aft deck for safe, fast recovery of survivors and a self-righting hull for heavy weather.

Crew: Typically manned by a captain, a sailor/lifeguard, and a rescue diver.

Dimitri Pike / Wildtek (http://wildtek.net / wildtek.concept@gmail.com)

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After some recording around the few vessels present on Oostende’s east side, I took the Overzetboot back to the city center, where I had plans to meet friends from Brussels who’d rented a house for 3-4 days for a little celebration including BBQ, beers and laughs.

When I arrived, some of their friends were already there, and I ended up chatting with a girl nice enough, but standing a bit too close for comfort. I politely asked her to keep a decent distance, since my heart belongs to someone else and I wasn’t interested in any physical proximity.

She didn’t quite take me seriously, treating it more like a joke, so at some point I picked her up and tossed her into the swimming pool.

She was upset as hell, but laughing at the same time, calling me crazy. Every guy there was cracking up, and the girls were like “ooooh, Dimi’s like that? Seriously?”

Around 10 PM, the guests left for another party, so I said goodbye to my friends, a couple, as I also had a party of my own to get to around midnight.

That left me some time to walk along the beach and watch the sun disappear over the horizon. In the distance, I heard and spotted a percussionist/singer, so I walked over and asked him and his group of friends if I could record, just for fun. I was welcomed in, ended up chatting with everyone, had some vodka, and spent about an hour with them. Really cool guys.

https://youtu.be/uXLNKwo7_aU

Not far from my Airbnb, I stopped to drop off my backpack and gear, so I could go into the second party light and free.

As for the party itself, there’s not much to say beyond drinks, dancing, and conversation. I’ll keep this part brief since it’s a bit more private. But I had a great time, and got back to my Airbnb around 5:30/6 AM, sun already up. I was completely wiped, made some coffee, smoked a few cigarettes, and crashed for a few hours of sleep.

Dimitri Pike / Wildtek (http://wildtek.net / wildtek.concept@gmail.com)

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On 2 August, I celebrated my birthday in Ostend, because there was no question of being anywhere else, it’s the city I love most in Belgium!

I arrived early Saturday morning, 1 August, dropped my things at the Airbnb (keeping only my recording and photography gear with me), and walked straight to the beach. The sea, my feet in the water, just walking along…

What a pleasure it is to feel that particular contact with nature, the water, the movement. It’s like taking back pure energy.

Then I walked toward the Vistrap to buy some shrimps! You wouldn’t believe how much you get for just 4 euros. I even tossed a few to two or three seagulls watching me with what looked like envy.

From there I headed straight to what I like to call MY area, Ostend’s east side, Oosteroever, taking the Overzetboot under a beautiful sun, already crowded, but heading in the direction I love.

Once there, I was a little surprised to find almost no fishing vessels at the port, everything more or less closed. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying my time alone. I thought: “Okay, the sun’s shining, I’ve got biscuits, sweets, and a bottle of vodka (don’t judge me, it was my birthday weekend) let’s head to my favourite beach, Oysters Bay, and make the most of this time with myself.”

This beach is rarely crowded, much to my satisfaction, so I set up my tripod and recorder, took off my shoes, rolled up my jeans, and alternated between walking in the water and sunbathing from 11 AM to around 2 PM.

On the way there by Overzetboot, I noticed a huge vessel in the restricted zone of the harbour and decided to head over, hoping I might catch the machinery running or even better, catch the vessel departing.

That’s where the magic happened. I got almost no usable sound, but a few recordings worth keeping so I’ll be adding seven of them as a bonus to my “Vessels” field recording pack, since there are some interesting textures and ambiences in there. But the real magic wasn’t the audio.

I was standing in front of Deschildre Streekproducten, a bar and restaurant that also hosts rare and collectible car meetups on Sunday mornings. A guy walked up and asked if I was some kind of professional measuring decibel levels from the industrial vessels. I explained that I wasn’t, that I record sounds all over the city for techno tracks, with an album coming, and that I sell field recording packs. He was stunned, and we ended up having a great conversation. Turns out he’s the owner of the place, nice guy.

As for the big vessel, it’s called the Moritz Schulte. I couldn’t get close, and even photographing it was tricky because of the fencing, but I got what I could.

Then the second bit of magic happened. I’d been in touch with a venue close to my heart about DJing for Oostende Voor Anker, but the owner and I had missed each other’s messages, and I started thinking maybe I’d done something wrong. Feeling a bit rejected and out of the loop, I told myself it probably wasn’t the place for me and that I should let it go. Then, guess what, the owner cycled past and called out, “Dimi? You there?”

So I grabbed a fresh beer at Deschildre Streekproducten first, chatted a bit more with the owner there, and then headed straight over to sort out the misunderstanding. And this is something I want to say clearly: don’t assume people are against you until you actually talk to them. A real, in-person conversation can dissolve almost any misunderstanding, it’s important to communicate, to say what’s on your heart.

The result? I’ve got my own party on 4 September, underground techno! I’m thrilled, and now I’m working hard to bring in as many people as possible to enjoy great music and grow my artistic connection with them.

I had another beer there, met a lovely girl with an adorable dog, played with the dog, talked with her for close to an hour, and then headed back out to record more sounds around the harbour before returning to the city center where even more surprises were waiting for me.

Part of another post to come ;-)

Dimitri Pike / Wildtek (http://wildtek.net / wildtek.concept@gmail.com)

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