Shipping

A very short post today, simply to tell anyone who doesn't already know about a very useful and interesting website:
 marinetraffic.com
When you 'go to' (as they say) this site, you are shown a map of the world, into which you can zoom, and then you are told what ships are in that place, their exact position and speed and direction, the name of the ship of course, and even the names of the ship's master, engineer etc. It is updated every few minutes. For instance, five minutes ago (I am writing at 10.45 a.m Greek time) I zoomed in on this area and found that the ferry boat Proteus is currently stationary in the port of Glossa, en route to Volos.
Note that the site doesn't tell you where ships are 'supposed' to be, or what timetables and schedules say: it shows you (complete with a picture of the ship itself) exactly where the ship actually is, right now, which way it's going if it's moving at all, and all sorts of other details which you may or may not need.
It would in fact be possible - haven't tried it yet - using this site to sit at the cafe on the ferry-boat jetty and see if the ferry was in fact just about to appear round the headland, or was still in Skopelos, or was struggling to get across the strait between Agios Georgios and Kokkino.