PhotoBoat.com Sailing and Regatta Photography Blog

Red Grant Regatta 2008: Fun, wind, and great photos

2008-07-17T11:08:00.007-04:00

Raritan Yacht Club knows how to throw a party. Thanks to a great volunteer organizing committee, the forethought to hold a big annual event that includes many types of boats and sailors, a modern club, a good reggae band, and many other factors (including PhotoBoat slideshows, of course), the Red Grant Regatta is a good time.

The party was good, but the sailing was better! See the 2008 Red Grant Regatta photos here.

89 boats plus a bunch of Optis and other kids fleets, combined with good sea breezes and sunny skies, is enough to make you forget that the water isn't quite Key West green or BVI blue. Who cares? We had a lighthouse, the NJ and Staten Island coastlines, and a lot of commercial traffic to put in the background of our shots. When you take around 4,000 photos a week, little things like interesting backgrounds and this shot with the cormorant being startled by Project Mayhem on her way to the weather mark keep us interested.

The J80s called the Red Grant their ECCs and a 15-boat fleet added an exciting complement to the cruiser and PHRF divisions, which were also incredibly strong in numbers. Throw in some J105s and J109s and a couple of First 36.7s and you've got a diverse bunch of boats.

We thought the trophies were pretty cool, too.

Next stop, the Screwpile in Solomons Island, MD. We've never been, but it sounds like it will be another fun event.

Red Grant Results: http://www.redgrant.org/

2008 Red Grant Regatta photos: http://www.thephotoboat.com/Red_Grant_Regatta_Photos_2008.html

Law Trophy 2008: photo coverage

2008-07-09T00:30:00.010-04:00

The Law Trophy 2008 was an event for photographing roll tacks and other close up action, just like many other events will be during the July doldrums that plague Long Island Sound Jr. regattas. But light wind sailing is a skill and these Law Trophy participants proved their prowess.

Competition was tight in the Laser, Laser Radial and 420 fleets, with some big names on LIS competing. The results can be found on IHYC's website, http://www.indianharboryc.com/.

Photos are sorted by last name and sail number and we have several of each boat. See them here.

The law trophy marks the first big event of the JSA season and we look forward to a month packed with regattas. For details, see http://www.jsalis.org/.

There's nothing like a PhotoBoat slideshow to kill time during a protest hearing...

2008 Newport to Bermuda Race photos

2008-06-21T13:17:00.008-04:00

What a spectacle! 198 yachts sailed across the starting line in Newport as hundreds of spectator boats lined the "sidelines", the Coast Guard protected the racing area, people lined the cliffs and the lawn at the Inn at Castle Hill, and 5 helicopters flew overhead. See the photos of the sailboats beating their way away from Newport here.

With sixteen starts, it took two and a half hours to get every boat across the line, many of them a little overzealous. I couldn't believe how many boats were called over early; in fact the PRO was making special announcements reminding people not to jump the gun. The ebbing tide didn't help.

From a dinghy-bound photographer's perspective, this was a challenge, and the helicopters were looking pretty cushy. We'll see what happens between now and 2010's Bermuda Race, but nothing beats the close up photos.

Allen got great action photos of most of the boats, including some great crew shots to commemorate the trip. We're wondering...will they stay on the rail the entire time?? We've delivered a sailboat to Bermuda, but haven't raced there yet.

It was time to call it a day for dinghy photographer man when he found himself 9 miles out, couldn't feel his legs anymore and almost hit a shark. No joke. Only a six-footer or so, but that is half the length of the dinghy. Other than that, he could have stayed out twice as long. Engine was working well, still about 3/4 tank of gas remaining, gps working, plenty of spare water, life jacket and kill switch on.

We were pleased to see a bunch of Long Island Sound boats cross the line. Cabady, Christopher Dragon, Avra, Gold Digger, Devocean, Gracie, Stampede, Charlie V, Challenge IV, Vamp, High Noon, Patriot, Maxine, Snow Lion, and many more. Go Long Island Sound.

Best of luck to all 133 boats for a fast, safe trip. Speedboat is probably already there...

To see the 2008 Newport to Bermuda Race photos, click here.

Block Island Race Week Photos 2008

2008-06-18T19:02:00.006-04:00

Block Island Race Week is always a great place for photos (click here to see the 2008 photos), whether it's an even year or an odd year. The logistics are always tricky for everybody, including PhotoBoat, because dinghying* from Pt. Judith to Block for a daily commute is...actually where we draw the line. So we sailed here and anchored in the harbor for the second year in a row. If only we could afford the time to travel to every regatta by sailboat!

*Dinghying and any form of "to dinghy" is probably not actually a word, but it's definitely part of our vocabulary.

We took advantage of our extra photoboat by sending Allen up the mast to get some photos on Tuesday. Take that helicopters! Only .9 gallons per hour. Hence our photos will be posted and available at our normal prices.

Wednesday, regatta participants sailed their Around the Island Race, which is always great for photography. Block Island is such a beautiful place, with lighthouses, dunes, cliffs, and mansions; all of these are among the top backgrounds for sailing photos.

This year, it's a small fleet at Block Island Race Week, with a handful of Swan 42s, over a dozen J105s, and others, totaling just over 50 boats. It's nice being on Block Island when things are a little quieter than the rucous created by the 200 boats in 2007. The low participation is due to conflict with the Newport to Bermuda race, which starts Friday, June 20, 2008. We'll be headed there next. Keep an eye on PhotoBoat.com for the Bermuda Race photos.

See the Block Island Race Week photos by Allen Clark here.

NYYC Annual Regatta 2008 photos - Around the Island Race

2008-06-13T23:33:00.010-04:00

The outlook was bleak this morning as we arrived in Jamestown, RI to take photos of the NYYC Annual Regatta's Around the Island Race. The forecast for 5 knots had held. But the start was postponed about 45 minutes and it was worth the wait; the glassy water turned to whitecaps as the seabreeze filled in. With bright sun, interesting background scenery and a decent amount of wind, what more can a photographer ask for? How about the fastest, newest boats to photograph...Puma, the new Moneypenny, Bella Mente, Rambler, and many more.

Today's course was clockwise around Conanicut Island (Jamestown), just like last year. This year visibility was a lot better and we are much more familiar with the area, but where's the challenge there?..

The Around the Island Race photos are a must see. Check them out here:

http://www.photoboat.com/

The New York Yacht Club regattas are always great ones to photograph and we are big fans of hanging out in Newport, but we had to head back to Connecticut this afternoon. Saturday we head to Larchmont to photograph 2008 Vanguard 15 Nationals for Sailing World Magazine. This regatta is the biggest V15 Nationals in history, with over 100 boats entered. We're keeping our fingers crossed for some breeze like today's.

Upcoming 2008 photos: New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta, Block Island Race Week, and Newport to Bermuda

2008-06-11T09:04:00.008-04:00

The busy season is upon us! We're looking forward to an action-packed upcoming week with New York Yacht Club 154th Annual Regatta, Block Island Race Week 2008, and Newport to Bermuda 2008. Zipping around a great line-up of boats competing in the Bermuda Race this year will be a blast. Too bad we can only cover the start. We've sailed to Bermuda before, but a 60' Swan was a much better ride than a 12' dinghy would be. If only we could find a place to re-fuel...

We loved the NYYC Annual Regatta Around the Island Race last year, and the fog made for some great photos. 2008's entry list is looking strong as well.

Regatta participation seems to be better than ever right now. Keep it up!

See all of the 2007 and 2008 photos at http://www.photoboat.com/ or directly in the gallery: http://www.photoboatgallery.com/lightbox/index.php

CPYC One Design Regatta 2008

2008-06-10T08:28:00.005-04:00

The 2008 Cedar Point Yacht Club One Design Regatta ended Sunday with a beautiful sailing day. After two days of focusing on close-ups of the crew due to light wind, we were thrilled capture the J105s, M 30s, Express 37s, J35s and J30s with a little bit of heal and some bow wave action...and a blue sky in the background.

See the photos here: http://thephotoboat.com/CPYC_One_Design_Regatta_2008.html

Competition was tight in all fleets, especially the M 30 fleet, which had a protest in hearing while the other fleets received their awards Sunday afternoon. The protest committee used video evidence and Kattack tracking in their decision.

We provided the photos for the awards again this year. They looked great!

Block Island Race 2008

2008-05-25T12:41:00.006-04:00

The conditions at the start of the Storm Trysail Club's Block Island Race made for some tremendous photos. What a beautiful start to the 2008 summer season for Long Island Sound sailors. 101 boats sailed the 185 nautical mile race from Stamford around Block Island and back. Last year's winner, Rambler, was first to finish again, completing the course in 17 hours and 17 minutes. However, this year Rosebud and Blue Yankee corrected over her, taking first and second respectively in the IRC Super Zero division. For more information and results, go to Storm Trysail Club's site, http://www.stormtrysail.org/ .

See more great sunset sailing photos from the 2008 Block Island Race at the link below.

http://thephotoboat.com/2008_Block_Island_Race_Photos.html

J24 Nationals 2008

2008-05-20T10:46:00.005-04:00

54 J24s battled for the 2008 J24 National Championship this past weekend on the waters between Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Sandy Hook, NJ. What a weekend of weather! Friday brought rain pretty much all day long and increasing wind that was knocking down J24s left and right by the second race. Saturday's sun would have given racers a chance to dry out their foul weather gear except that building conditions and big seas made for a wet ride by the end of the day. But who's complaining...we're always greatful for big breeze. Sunday started out slow and sunny, but a few hours later brought wind and pouring rain. Gotta love the spring in New England. No really, we do. Consistent rain is an enemy to our cameras but at least there was breeze and we still came away with a bunch of great shots and working cameras.

Twins and the Z sails crew (pictured, bow 10) defended their title with a solid performance again this year. For the complete results and other info about the event, held at Richmond County Yacht Club on Staten Island, go to http://www.j24nationals2008.com/ .

See the rest of the good, bad and ugly in the PhotoBoat.com J24 Nationals 2008 gallery. http://thephotoboat.com/J24_Nationals_2008_Photos.html

AYC Spring Series 2008 - Epic Conditions

2008-05-05T20:44:00.009-04:00

Here's Rima2 on one of the downwind legs at American YC Spring Series on Saturday. The course was 2 miles each way and Rima2 did 3 laps in 78 minutes. Even better, they did each downwind leg in just 6 minutes at a speed of 18-19 knots with TWA of 155. It's no surprise that this photo is from behind...it was hard to catch this heavy weather speed machine built by Reichel-Pugh. Thanks to owner John Brim for the stats.

Mother nature whipped up a nasty combination on Saturday, with 30 knots of breeze, an Easterly on Western Long Island Sound, and, worse, opposing tidal current. For an Inland body of water, Long Island Sound can get surprisingly rough when the stars are aligned like this.

As a result, some crews were not as gleeful as the Rima2 team. We heard of at least two blown out spinnakers, a broken mast, two broken booms, and a collision. Ouch. Nobody likes a gearbuster at the beginning of the season.

This brings up a controversial question...is it okay for photographers to post photos of carnage?

We do post those photos - though we make sure not to post thirty photos of one incident - because 1. it can happen to anybody and 2. those photos help describe the day. After the initial emotions pass, it is important for boat owners and crew invovled to be able to look at the photos and remember what happened.

American Yacht Club Spring Series lived up to its reputation for us this weekend. Both Spring Series and Fall Series frequently have big winds and always have big boats and big fleets. What a great combination. The photos are portfolio quality and are must-see action shots.

See more photos at http://thephotoboat.com/American_Yacht_Club_Spring_Series_2008.html

See results at http://www.americanyc.com/

See more about Reichel-Pugh Yachts at http://www.reichel-pugh.com/

PhotoBoat in the APS Catalog

2008-05-03T11:13:00.004-04:00

Thanks to APS for supporting sailing industry photographers! Good photos help sell gear! See our photos in the 2008 Annapolis Performance Sailing catalog and on the APS website, http://www.apsltd.com/ . Find out more about our commercial and editorial photography at www.PhotoBoat.com .

2008 Annapolis NOOD and American Spring Series

2008-04-28T12:31:00.014-04:00

It was foul weather gear over sunblock this weekend on both the Chesapeake Bay and Long Island Sound, where two big beginning-of-season regattas were taking place.

See more photos from both AYC Spring Series and Annapolis NOOD at http://www.photoboat.com/

American Yacht Club kicked off 2008's Spring Series with a powerful Easterly and chilly temps.

Despite the cloudy day, the shots are dramatic and as always, a lot of great boats were out racing, including Rima, Devocean, High Noon, Swan 42s, and a bunch of JBoats looking good.

In Annapolis
...conditions were very light on Friday and Saturday, but Sunday's 15 knots helped create some drama on the Chesapeake. Around 270 boats are a lot to cover in one day, but Allen did his best to get as many as possible. The Melges 32s and Mumm 30s were looking particularly good, with 15 boats in each fleet. Other fleets, also looking good, of course, included J24s, Etchells, J22s, Cal 25s, Catalina 27s, Stars, Alberg 30s, S2s, Beneteau 36.7s, J105s, J30s, J80s, Melges 24s, and J35s. That's a lot of One Designs...nice job Sailing World and Annapolis sailors.

Getting There...And Back

Our plan was to hit Annapolis NOOD on our way North from Florida, just like we did for Charleston Race Week. But Friday's conditions on the Chesapeake were far from photogenic and Saturday's forecast called for more of the same.

We had wanted to take some shots at AYC Spring Series and saw that the forecast called for a strong Easterly. On Long Island Sound, that means big seas and good photos, so a day trip to Rye it was. Then back to Annapolis for Sunday's action.

We officially have a screw loose for making that trip, especially with gas prices where they are, but dramatic conditions generate our income, so we have to be a little crazy sometimes.

See more AYC Spring Series and Annapolis NOOD photos here: http://www.photoboatgallery.com/lightbox/index.php

Charleston Race Week 2008

2008-04-21T15:24:00.008-04:00

Check out our photos of Charleston Race Week 2008.

With around 140 boats ranging from Melges 24s to J105s to racer-cruisers (just because you have a bimini doesn't mean you can't race), Charleston Race Week is quite an event. Charleston is one of our favorite cities and it's great to have a reason to come here every year. In 2007, we arrived by sailboat and spent the week at Charleston Maritime Center. It doesn't get much better than that, but this year we were still happy to be here.

Racing was tight on all three courses for 2008. The sea breeze kicked up in the afternoons, so mornings were spent waiting for it (and sometimes drifting backwards because of the ripping current in Charleston Harbor), but the wait was worth it- especially for the photos.

The city is beautiful and the buildings and the bridge provide great backgrounds for photos on the inside course.

We had a great time at Salty Mikes, where Sailing Anarchy threw another great party complete with a slideshow of our photos.

This regatta marks the beginning of our 2008 summer season (which includes Spring and Fall) and we're looking forward to another great season of sailing photos on Long Island Sound, the Chesapeake Bay, Newport area, and more.

Next on the agenda: 2008 Sailing World Annapolis NOOD photos.

Check out more Charleston Race Week 2008 photos here: http://www.thephotoboat.com/CharlestonRaceWeek08.html

A Wedding on the Schooner Liberty

2008-04-06T11:46:00.006-04:00

Daniela is shown here, taking a photo of the wedding party during John and Niki's nuptuals on the Liberty in Key West. We covered this wedding from two boats- a little one and a big one. Daniela zipped around in a dinghy taking shots of the Liberty underway and the group lined up at the rail; I was on board documenting the day and capturing the bride and groom's interaction. The Liberty crew was great as usual, all the guests had a blast, and John and Niki got a photo with the coordinates at which they were married, courtesy of the Liberty Fleet.

Find out more about Liberty Fleet weddings in Key West and Boston here.

See more of our work at www.PhotoBoat.com .

Sail Fast 2008 Line Product Shoot

2008-04-02T12:25:00.007-04:00

We just finished shooting SailFast's brand new 2008 line and the t-shirts look great! We had a good time with models Wells, Trip, Joe and Stacey, taking shots both at the St. Petersburg Sailing Center during Flying Scot midwinters and at the laid-back Pass-a-Grille beach. Both the Flying Scot fleet and Pass-a-Grille embody the SailFast mentality quite well. Flying Scot sailors love the sport and sail a lot, often with families and spouses. Fleets are located in sailing hotspots such as Long Island Sound and Tampa Bay, but also on smaller lakes in non-coastal states. Pass-a-grille beach and the accompanying small neighborhood is picturesque, but quiet. The beach is accessible to the public but never crowded or over-commercialized. It's a great place for watersports or beachcombing- both important parts of the SailFast lifestyle.

One of Allen's photos was used to create the artistic fleet image in the grey shirt pictured above.

See more SailFast products and learn about their dedication to raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at www.isailfast.com .

See our client list and learn more about hiring Daniela and Allen for commercial photography including catalog product photos such as these at www.PhotoBoat.com .

Flying Scot Midwinters 2008

2008-03-28T12:59:00.008-04:00

The Flying Scots experienced conditions at both ends of the spectrum for their midwinters this week. The fleet has a heavy population of lake sailors and Monday and Tuesday's weather was a bit much for some, with 15-20 from the Northeast and a really lumpy Tampa Bay. Many competitors were happy with Wednesday's dying breeze and Thursday was a complete drifter. That's undesireable for us, but we were happy to get the two days of great action photos. The Flying Scots are a great family fleet, with many parent-child teams and even more wife-husband teams. In fact, they have an annual Wife-Husband Regatta. It was also great to sit in on some of their Top Gun training and debrief sessions. It's always great to see sailors that are so dedicated to helping each other improve.

See Flying Scot Midwinters results at St. Petersburg Yacht Club's website: http://www.spyc.org/.

Take a look at the event photos, sorted by sail number, at http://www.photoboat.com/ .

St. Petersburg Winter Lightning Championship 2008

2008-03-18T13:57:00.004-04:00

The Lightning has been around for a long time but despite its more classic shape, it still goes fast and looks good doing it. 69 crews proved that at this weekend's Winter Lightning Championship at St. Petersburg YC, the last stop on the Lightning Southern Circuit. There's nothing like 69 boats on the line and 15 knots of breeze on a lumpy Tampa Bay. The result: Allen took 3,000 photos on Saturday. We had a great time showing a slideshow at the Banquet on Saturday night in St. Petersburg Yacht Club's ballroom, particularly because we got to learn a lot about the Lightning fleet's history and the members' dedication, friendship, and generosity. Maybe we'll end up in a Lightning when we finally find time for sailing again.

See the lightning photos at www.PhotoBoat.com and the results at www.spyc.org.

Miami Grand Prix '08

2008-03-11T11:11:00.006-04:00

Conditions were beautiful off of Key Biscayne today for Acura Miami Grand Prix racing Saturday. With a stiff breeze but relatively flat seas, particularly compared to the bumps the day before, the Farr 40s, Melges 32s, and more were just flying. It was an easy day to capture boats looking good. See more photos at http://www.photoboat.com/ .

Laser Midwinters - wrap-up

2008-02-29T15:30:00.003-05:00

Racing conditions were up and down for the rest of Laser Midwinters East. Friday was a great day for racing and for photos. Competition was really tight. See more Laser Midwinters East photos on PhotoBoat.com .

2008 Laser Midwinters East - Thursday

2008-02-21T18:54:00.004-05:00

Laser Midwinters East started off with good breeze this morning, but conditions diminished throughout the day on the Laser S/Radial/4.7 course in the Gulf of Mexico. There was a lot more breeze funneling down the inland waterway than there was just off the coast of Clearwater Beach where the racing took place. Clearwater Yacht Club will host three more days of sailing for the series and we look forward to some more tight racing in all three fleets.

See our photos at www.PhotoBoat.com .

Miami Boat Show 2008

2008-02-20T08:55:00.004-05:00

We were hired to do some sea trials and interior shots for Mad Mariner, a daily online boating magazine. Pictured here is a Nordic Tug doing 15 knots. That's something we didn't know was possible, so we took this slow shutter-speed shot to show high boat-speed. Not bad for a comfortable home. Still, the boats are intended to cruise around 8 or 9 knots, but can go 15 in a pinch. The other boats we covered included models from Luhrs, Grand Banks, Mainship, Parker, Catalina, Lagoon, and a new Electric-powered cat. A few more of our slow shutter-speed shots can be seen at http://www.photoboat.com/ under Melges 24 Northeast District Champs 2007.

Yngling Worlds 08 - Medal Race

2008-02-16T09:34:00.007-05:00

Yngling World Championship team GBR 12 was celebrating during a high-speed tow back to the US Sailing Center after today's quick medal race. FRA 9 won the 10-boat medal race, held in about 6 knots of breeze on Biscayne Bay.

See more details, results and our photos at http://www.yngling.org/ .

See all of our photos at http://www.photoboat.com/ .

Yngling Worlds 08

2008-02-15T11:06:00.008-05:00

Today's final day of Yngling Worlds was full of happiness for some and tears for others, as several teams locked in spots in the Olympic games in China and others had to bid that prospect farewell. In this photo, the GBR 12 team celebrates after the finish of today's second race. The women had the world championship locked in with one race still remaining. France and Russia also had teams that took bullets today.

The conditions on Biscayne Bay were very light at the beginnng of the day, but the wind slowly picked up to around 12 knots and the racing got a lot more exciting. The fleet got three races in.

We were both out there taking shots for the International Yngling Association, Allen in the dinghy and I on a RIB. Conditions were tricky for photography with the combination of light breeze, low booms, and sun and wind coming from opposing directions...it made it challenging for us to capture the girls' faces in bright light. But we like a challenge and still came away with some nice shots. We were also asked to get some shots that can be used to advertise match racing since that's how the Ynglings will compete in China.

See more details about Yngling Worlds and the path to the Olympics at the Yngling Association's website,
http://www.yngling.org/index1.html

For more photos, go to www.PhotoBoat.com .

505 and A Cats finish with a great day

2008-02-10T19:03:00.001-05:00

With 20 knots from the North on the heels of a cold front today, conditions were perfect on the South end of Tampa Bay for everybody but A Cats. Only one A Cat lasted all morning and no races were held for the class. Most of the high-performance cat sailors made a decision not to go out before breaking any gear or having serious wipeouts.

The 505s, on the other hand, were loving life (and breaking a little bit of gear and having a few serious wipeouts).

It was a great day for photos, and we really like the silhouette photos taken into the bright sun. When you take as many as 5000 photos a week, something different is really nice...

Check out the sequence below, caused by a big wave from a container ship's wake.

Hopefully Mike doesn't mind us posting this. He was not the only one who hung out in the water today.

See the photos at http://thephotoboat.com/505ACatMidwinters.htm and see the results and more info about the active 505 class at www.usa505.org .

505 and A Cat Midwinters 08 - Saturday

2008-02-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

This Hall Spars-owned A Cat has a rigid wing "sail" which had us oogling. It is the only one of its kind at the regatta, but is still class-legal because it meets the sail-area specs. Cool.

We're looking forward to getting some good shots of this A Cat and all the other A Cats and 505s in action tomorrow, with 15-25 knots and sunny skies in the forecast. Today's weather was tough...while the wind was supposed to increase in the afternoon, threatening squalls forced the sailors to hit the beach at noon and they weren't able to go back out. We're concentrating our photo efforts on tomorrow's action. But still, we had a good time at dinner with the competitors and they had a good time too...