Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Onboard at Key West Race Week 2011

Anema & Core

Key West Race Week is not just about bow to bow racing, crowded starting lines, and gleaming hulls against pristine blue water. It is also about people. It is about crews flying around the boat during a spinnaker douse with practiced moves. It is about the chemistry and trust that exists between a confident tactician and a nervous helmsman at a crowded mark rounding as they slide inside a pack of boats.

When you’re outside of the boat photographing or filming you often only see the big-picture racing, it is easy to miss the small moments that make big differences on the race course: the exchanges between crew that save the douse, the discussions about which way to go, the smile of the tactician when it all pans out, and the concentration of a grinder as he throws his body over a pedestal and muscles in foot after foot of sheet as the boat rounds the leeward mark. Onboard shooting allows me to capture all of these moments. It gives people a more personal perspective of what goes on onboard during a race, and the importance of the roll each team member plays.

Big Booty Crew Member, John Bowden

Sunday, I had the privilege of being hired for two onboard shoots for two different racing programs. My morning session aboard the Annapolis-based Anema & Core, a custom JV52 was incredible. Trying to stay out of the way in the back of the boat, I got some great candid crew shots and video of the action during some tuning up and practice races. Video from the day is a great way for the team to critique their performance after a day on the water. It is also a wonderful take-home from such a high-profile event as Key West Race Week.

My 2nd shoot was on Big Booty, a custom Lutra 42, during the afternoon practice session and it also turned out really well. The team wanted profile and onboard pictures to use for their website as well as press releases to promote the program’s winning appearance. With less room than in the morning, I was balancing with my camera in the companionway and I got a ton of great shots for individual profiles and some great action shots for the owner.

Stay tuned as Tuesday I’ll be shooting onboard a RC44 during racing. I can’t wait for you to experience-through my lens-the excitement that is sure to happen on one of these high-performance race boats in one of the most competitive fleets at Race Week. I’m getting giddy just thinking about it!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Breeze On!

Fall is a time that all the sailors in the mid-Atlantic look forward to. The water is still fairly warm and cooler air temps bring on the breeze. This weekend at The Storm Trysail Club’s 2010 IRC East Coast Championship, Mother Nature did not disappoint. You can get the low-down on who finished first from the press-release and check out all my photos in my IRC East Coast Champ gallery on my Facebook page. If we’re not already Facebook friends, then maybe we should be! Send me a message and I’ll be glad to share the gallery with you. And yes my friends, I have plenty of fantastic wipe-out shots for your viewing pleasure. Cheers and see you at the Barnyard ~

Monday, October 25, 2010

Workin’ It at 2010 Rolex Farr 40 North Americans

Mother Nature once again proved that racing on the Chesapeake Bay is not just about light air tactics and banging corners at the 2010 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club. Sunshine, breeze, and waves on Saturday with near perfect fall weather again on Sunday had crews hiking over the sides, trimmers actively grinding at each mark rounding, and boats quickly launching on a downwind planes as crews raised the kite around the windward mark. For all 9 teams, it proved to be a challenging weekend for crew work, tactics, and boat handling and after 3 days of racing, the local Annapolis team, Ramrod, proved their dominance by finishing first in seven out of the eight races.

I was so humbled to be on the PR boat alongside the award-winning Rolex photographer, Daniel Forster. His talent, professionalism, and down-to-earth attitude was truly inspiring. As the only PR person on-board, I learned how valuable proper preparation and technical skills are necessary to be productive in the job on-the-water. One person cannot cover an event alone – it takes a dedicated team. My favorite moment from the event was watching the champagne pop and spray on Ramrod after taking another bullet in the last race on Sunday. Their energy in that winning moment was so powerful – you couldn’t help but feel giddy watching their excitement.

Ramrod Celebrating Their Win

Congratulations to the 2010 Rolex Farr 40 Champion, Rod Jabin and his team aboard Ramrod, and to the overall third place team and Corinthian winner, Kevin McNeil and his team aboard Nightshift. I also want to say a big “Thank you” to all the volunteers and race organizers who so often, go unacknowledged for all the hard work they do. It takes a village and the dedication of a lot of hard working people to make an event a success and so cheers to all of you!

Monday, October 4, 2010

The Photo That Speaks 1000 Words: 2010 Melges 32 Worlds, San Francisco

What a whirlwind of a week! Thank you to the generosity and support from my sponsor, Team Barbarians, who were responsible in helping me acquire my own rib for the event. Having my own boat enabled me to ever-so-graciously balance over the side of my powerboat in the large swells with no concern about bumping elbows with other photographers or having to compromise a shot. I also want to give thanks to my partner-in-creativity, Amie, who came out to assist me with editing work and updates; to all my Annapolis friends who keep rooting me on; and to all my sailing industry supporters who help to spread the word about my work. Please check out my Photo Gallery to view photos from the week and I look forward to seeing everyone in the Melges 32 fleet at Gold Cup in December and Key West Race Week in January.

Congratulations to Luca Lalli and the Italian team of B-Lin Sailing for taking home the World Championship trophy. Your teamwork was exemplary of what it takes to make true champions: passion, hard work, and talent. Thank you for making this sport so much fun to watch. Bravo!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Day 1: 2010 Melges 32 Worlds // Practice Makes Perfect

Around three-quarters of the fleet ventured out to Berkley Circle – the chosen course for the 2010 Melges 32 Worlds that is located between Alcatraz Island and Berkley, California for a practice race. With a boat full of Barbarians, I ventured out to the course on the most clear and sunny day I’ve seen yet in San Fransisco. Sailors were greeted with around 17 knots and some reported gusts up to 30 knots in puffs and those classic San Fransisco Bay swells. Dodging the spray, I aimed the camera at the fast and furious mark roundings and the numerous wipe-outs. Melges 32 crews caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, bow men/women who can look more like acrobats on the pointy end, cool boat and wave shots and colorful spinnakers were captured at every click. Bright white keels abruptly showing above the waterline as kites hit the water and boats roll made for some of the interesting shots.

Photos are posted on the SailfastPhoto Facebook page so check it out and become a fan. Tomorrow we’ll be shooting and posting updates from the Melges 32 Worlds Regatta all day on the Regatta Designs Twitter Feed if you’d like to keep updated on the races and what we’re up to. We’re going to be trying some new tricks so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Getting Ready for Melges 32 Worlds in San Fran

We’re busily preparing for five days on the water photographing the teams at the 2010 Melges 32 World Championships hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club here in San Francisco, CA. This is by far the largest Melges 32 Regatta ever in the U.S. with a record-breaking 32 entries and the battle flags are flying high. If you stroll by, check out the one we designed for The Team Barbarians. We got out Sunday for the last day of the 2010 Rolex Big Boat Series that served as a warm-up for the teams that competed. Pics from Sunday are now posted in my Photo Gallery so click on the link above and enjoy the slideshow.

Cheers from Sailfastphoto and we’ll see you on the water!

Sailing By Alcatraz

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Don’t miss our “Wind & Water” Exhibition at Annapolis Sailing Fitness Studio

Please join us this Friday, September 10th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. for the One Night Only “Wind & Water” Exhibition at Harry Legum’s Annapolis Sailing Fitness Studio, located at 726 Second Street in Eastport.

Cory Deere and I have been working hard on coming up with some new and exciting artwork as well as photographs from the recent the 2010 CBYRA Annapolis Race Week to share with you. Not only will there be some great art to check out, but there will also be lots of great Flying Dog Ale to go around, compliments of Ken Hadley & Jim Lutz, and some great giveaways, including a Flying Dog Brewery Battle Flag, personal training hours from Harry and ASF, and some sweet gear from Helly Hansen. As always we would like to extend a very special “Thank you” to our sponsors, Helly Hansen, Flying Dog, SpinSheet & PropTalk Magazines, and Annapolis Sailing Fitness, without you this event wouldn’t have been possible.

Look forward to seeing you tomorrow night!