YRA LIS Annual Meeting

Check out our video from the YRA of LIS annual meeting: Best of LIS

Three Covers in a Row.

It's rare that people question our consistency. But it's nice to have a little reinforcement once in a while. Also keep an eye out for our photos in Sailing World magazine over the next year.

Check out WindCheck Magazine at http://www.windcheckmagazine.com/

Another Windcheck Cover by PhotoBoat.com

J105 North Americans

J105 North Americans ended yesterday with another day of great racing. The concern that a regatta on Long Island Sound in early November would be cursed by bad weather was wiped away as the 29-boat fleet sailed 11 races over four great days with winds that spanned around 8-30 knots and temps that were suprisingly bearable.

We saw the entire spectrum of conditions for photography. Check out the photos here.

Video Clip of the Summer

This is our favorite clip from the on-board-cams this summer.

October Windcheck Cover

We haven't tried counting how many times Chris Gill has used our photos on the cover of WindCheck Magazine, but it's always nice. On the cover here are our friends Chris and Michelle who didn't realize what they were signing up for when they decided to sail in the Denmark Friendship race this summer. Check out http://windcheckmagazine.com/.

Storm Trysail Intercollegiate Regatta

What a great event- you can tell these guys are having fun, and so did we. 40 college teams sailed aboard the same boats we're used to photographing all the time on LIS, but the college kids added some new flavor.

See all the photos here.

2009 Heineken HPDO

The weather couldn't have been better for photos at the Heineken HPDO this weekend. Saturday we saw winds reaching 30 knots as a front passed through and the sky changed from overcast to bright and sunny, with a lot of interesting clouds and light in between.

See the photos here.

Given the windy conditions, the competitors should really enjoy getting their complimentary photo CDs this year- thanks to Heineken for sponsoring us again this year to make it happen.

J30 North Americans

The October 3-4 weekend was a tough one for sailing weather, not that it was windy and rough like it usually is in October, but the opposite extreme. The J30s were on the calendar for Friday through Sunday, and Friday's light breeze that peaked around 10 knots was the best we got all weekend. Still, it was enough to make this 14-boat J30 fleet look good as they sailed on Westport waters. See the photos here. Cedar Point Yacht Club has hosted a number of important regattas this year. Next at CPYC: the impressive Laser frostbiting fleet kicks off their season.

Viper NAs

Stamford Yacht Club and Indian Harbor Yacht Club hosted 2009 Viper 640 North Americans and delivered two days of great wind for the sport boats- exactly what they need. 37 boats competed in the teaching regatta, which included after-racing chalk talks for the growing class that's rapidly recruiting new boat owners. As always, Vipers look great in big breeze, so take a look at the photos here and look for them in Sailing World in the spring.

Star NAs: an Easterly and a Westerly

We had two complementary great-weather days during the 4-day Star North American Championship held at Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport this September. Tuesday was a quintessential Long Island Sound Easterly, with gloomy skies and big seas on the body of water that opens to the East. Friday's Westerly was a familiar weather pattern as well, with high pressure, bright sun, and strong winds. 50-something stars had 4 great days of racing- what a treat. Take a look at the photos here.

NY400 Flying Dutchman Regatta

Around 100 Flying Dutchman sailors from around the world convened in Manhattan this month as part of the NY400 celebration of the 400th anniversary of Captain Henry Hudson's arrival in New York and establishment of New Amsterdam. For a full history lesson and information about the Holland on the Hudson celebration, visit NY400.org.

The waters between Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty are an interesting place to sail and a wonderful place to take photos.

See all the photos here.

The Vineyard Race and The Denmark Race

Two of Long Island Sound's biggest annual races have come and gone again: the Vineyard Race and the Denmark Race, both hosted by Stamford Yacht Club. Labor Day Weekend's Vineyard Race was a drifter this year; the Denmark Race weather was much more interesting for photographs.

See the Vineyard Race photos here and the Denmark Race photos here.

America II and the 12YDF

This photo speaks for itself...

It was a perfect night for a sail on America II (US 42) last night, as we had yet another beautiful evening with clear skies and a little bit of breeze. It's been a great week and it looks like the Vineyard Race participants will get more of the same this weekend- as long as they have some breeze.

We hadn't been aboard a 12 meter since we ran US 42's sister ship, US 46, in 2006. It was good to be back, especially with such a great group of people.

We look forward to photographing the 12s at the 2009 12 Meter Worlds and the rest of the local fall circuit, but also hope to be aboard US 42 and the newly acquired Lionheart more often for the 12 Meter Yacht Development Foundation.

CT Leukemia Cup Regatta

We were thrilled to be involved with the 2009 Connecticut Leukemia Cup Regatta, hosted by Duck Island Yacht Club and North Cove Yacht Club in the Westbrook-Old Saybrook area. This is a very well-planned event for a good cause, and the regatta party was held in a big work shed at Brewer's Pilot's Point Marina. We were not quite as thrilled with the weather that we got, but that goes with the territory, and it certainly makes things interesting. The remnants of hurricane Danny didn't deliver any excessive wind, but did dump buckets of rain on us throughout the entire distance race. Everybody put their foul weather gear to the test during the 2-3 hour race and came in with a good attitude and eagerness to help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. See the photos here. Click the logo for more info about the event and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

PhotoBoat Annual Cruise

We didn't get to cruise on our Gulfstar 37 this year (at least not yet), nor could we fit in 3 weeks, but at least we got an upgrade on the boat. We had a great time sailing with family aboard the X412 Expeditious- here's a Christmas card shot during a daysail off of Martha's Vineyard. We took care of the delivery home and despite threats from Hurricane Bill, the weather turned out the be quite calm. We just motored along, bobbing up and down with the big swells from the North Atlantic, like this one breaking on the Point Judith breakwater.

Introducing Harry Katz

Thanks to Harry Katz, a photographer and videographer who worked with us this summer. Harry is a Sophomore Photojournalism major at the University of Missouri School of Journalism- one of the top Journalism schools in the country. Harry's comfort with his camera was obvious to us right away, and no wonder, since his father is a well-known commercial photographer. Harry also worked as a photojournalist this summer for the Baltimore Sun. He's built quite a portfolio and is a true professional photographer already.

Harry helped us with video this summer, added to our photo inventory, and was instrumental in helping us with our event set-up.

At each event, we have four terminals networked for participants to view their photos from the regatta, including photos taken that day, searchable by boat name or sail number. With our pop-up tent, our viewing terminals, our projected slideshow going on in the background for those who just want to see a sampling of all the boats, we've got a lot of entertainment going on. Participants and organizers love it. Thanks, Harry, for helping us get to the next level.

Change of Seasons

It's back to school time and things have been busy. We've been covering a number of end-of-summer championships, particularly on the Jr. scene.

The Junior Sailing Association of Long Island Sound 2009 Summer Season ended with some great regattas. We covered Opti Champs at Pequot Yacht Club and Laser/420 Champs at Beach Point Yacht Club.

In spite of the fact that these are the best Laser and 420 sailors on Long Island Sound, when they got an Easterly thrown at them on Western LIS, things got a little messy- as usual. It's such a stark contrast to average LIS summer fair weather conditions. These kids will remember this day for sure, as I remember each one I experienced growing up sailing in Pequot's JSA program.

Be sure to check out the rest of the dramatic photos here.

Opti Champs was not as epic, but there was consistent wind and nice sun, and for that we are grateful. Pequot and Southport Harbor were absolutely overflowing with Optis, but everything was very well orchestrated- nice job, organizers.

I caught this Opti sailor waving to his parents at the jibe mark, which is a fun photo considering the fact that Opti racing can be very competitive.

See all the Opti Champs photos here.

Thistle Nationals 2009

What a week! More than 80 boatloads of Thistle sailors converged on Cedar Point Yacht Club for five days of sailing and a remarkable number of other activities. We've observed a lot of regatta parties, and we have to say, these Thistle sailors made an impression on us. They had costume nights, talent shows, bands, bocce competitions, blender wars, volleyball, and more. Cedar Point was the perfect venue for such laid-back family fun and we were thrilled to be working less than two miles from home.


This group was having a good time out on the water as well- and showing off for the camera- in spite of a week largely full of 5-knot days.

We got a lot of great shots throughout the week; check out our photos here.

2009 Governor's Cup Photos

The 2009 Governor's Cup start was very dynamic this year, with a lot of weather changes on the heals of a day of thunderstorms. The skies cleared just in time for the start and 15 knots filled in from the North on the heels of the front. It didn't hold for long, but a steady breeze held long enough for us to chase 100 boats 11 miles and get some nice shots. The light was constantly changing, and we were lucky enough to have a few moments like this one, where we caught Age of Reason looking good in some nice light. When the last bit of useable light was gone, we took the 11-mile trip back to Annapolis, packed up our boats, and headed to our dorm room at St. Mary's college...always fun. The next day's conditions were light but pretty, and as always, Southern Maryland knows how to party.

We always get a kick out of the photography competition that goes with this event- it's safe to say that there are more photographers at the Gov Cup than there are at Key West Race Week! Maybe we should enter the photo contest...

See the 2009 Gov Cup Photos here.

Across the Sound

KFAC IX took place last Saturday and between 200 and 300 kayakers made it across the Long Island Sound again this year. We always feel so lazy for powerboating across when all these guys are limited to self-propulsion, but they don't seem to look down on us. In fact, the KFAC group is one nice bunch of people. We always enjoy interacting with them both on the water and at the party. For more info about the event and all of the money raised for local charities, see the KFAC website. See all of our photos here.

Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge 2009

The overall winner of the Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge this year was Remedy; we're not sure where Still a Gorilla (last year's overall winner) was, but though they didn't sail this year it looks like they might have sent a representative...

The Screwpile is the kind of regatta where you can show up in a gorilla suit and start dancing. The Chesapeake sailors know how to have fun and the three-day regatta at the Holiday Inn Resort and Marina on Solomons Island is the perfect venue. The Screwpile is also the only regatta I know of that has a band named after it. The Screwpilers put on a good show again this year and so did the racers. The breeze was on the lighter side, but had it's moments- enough to get some great photos. See the photos here. Also see our photos and read about the event on the Screwpile event website and theBayNet.com.

2009 Red Grant Regatta

The Red Grant Regatta delivered good breeze, good racing, and a great party again this year. The wind was so good on Saturday that the fleet stayed out late and got a fourth race in-- a wise decision given the light-breeze forecast for Sunday. Saturday's conditions were picture-perfect, and we can't believe this is the third year running that we've had great conditions for photography.

Raritan Yacht Club was absolutely overflowing with people long into the night on Saturday- it seems that the party just keeps getting better and better.



Check out 2009 Red Grant Regatta photos here.

We also covered Friday's junior regatta- see the photos here.

Thanks to Amy and Doug for 3 years running great Red Grant Regattas.

2009 Newport Regatta: SB3 Sailing

Coastal Living Newport Regatta Action

What a great day on the water! Saturday's conditions in Newport were optimal, with sunny skies and a 15-20 knot sea breeze. Narragansett Bay was hopping with activity as racers and cruisers alike enjoyed another sunny Saturday.

The Coastal Living Newport Regatta- which concludes after one more day of racing today- has 250 entries. All four courses plus the around the island race enjoyed great conditions on Saturday and we were able to cover all of them. With so many boats looking so great, Allen may have set a personal record for number of photos taken in one day- yesterday's count came in at 3600. As usual, they're all great photos and will all go online.

Special thanks to Laser Performance for having me ride with them on their support RIB. I added 1000 photos to the count- all from the SB3/Viper/RSK6/F18/A-Cat/505 course- and had a nice chance to concentrate on the SB3s. We also got some good onboard-cam video footage from one of the LP-staffed SB3s...edited video coming soon...

Our Saturday highlights are up, and we'll have all the photos from the weekend sorted and online on Monday morning.

from LLP to Mr. and Mrs.

Unfortunately, we had to miss the Marblehead to Halifax start on Sunday, July 5th, but no regrets. We had something more important going on...and we were grateful to have what is normally perfect marine photography weather for our wedding weekend.

In fact, we actually got to sail on Friday night-- somewhat unusual these days, as we are always too busy photographing-- in a casual pre-wedding laser regatta that we hosted with JK at Longshore Sailing School. It was blowing 15-20 and we were out racing against all of our old co-instructor buddies- couldn't have been better.

We have this shot in an elegant silver frame on our dresser and it continues to make me laugh. Not quite the usual wedding photo.

The Law Trophy kicks off summer on LIS

The JSA of LIS 2009 season kicked off with the 2009 Law Trophy at Indian Harbor Yacht Club. These are Long Island Sound's best sailors and they know how to make their boats go in under 5 knots. Hence, we have many photos of roll tacks from the two-day Laser, Radial, and 420 event.
Of course, there was some play time, as with most JSA events. That's what sailing in the summer is all about. See the Law Trophy photos here and the results here.

Youth Champs ends with a bang

It only takes about an hour and a half of good breeze, a dinghy with a 20 hp engine, and a very active trigger finger to get the shots we had been waiting for all week at Youth Champs. After four days of very light wind, in the final hours of 2009 US Youth Sailing Championship, we got an unforecasted gift. The 15-20 knots from the east for an hour and a half were just enough to capture everybody looking good. See the photos at PhotoBoat.com and the results at ussailing.org.

2009 Youth Champs gets underway...aboard Rambler

The most important youth sailing event in the country kicked off on Thursday; high school and college kids from around the country arrived by car and plane for this week-long event hosted by US Sailing. But in addition to the usual registration and setting up event boats, the Indian Harbor Yacht Club event organizers arranged a special treat for the kids: sailing aboard the 90-foot Rambler.

The US Youth Sailing Championships is packed with racing and other seminars and activities for these top sailors in the United States. See the photos, updated daily, here. At the end of the week they'll be sorted by sail number.

Block Island Race Week 2009

Monday at Block Island Race Week 2009 was a day to remember. Even leaving the harbor was an adventure, as can be seen from this shot of Loki 3 popping over a wave. After Monday's 30 knot winds for the around the island race, the excitement slowly declined throughout the rest of the week. Imagine being out in an 11' dinghy in these conditions. Needless to say, it was a tiring day, but the shots were well worth it! Be sure to check out these great photos here. See you at Block Island Race Week 2011 (and 2010).

Graves Marine Art and PhotoBoat

We're proud to announce our partnership with marine artist Tom Graves. Tom is a member of the American Society of Marine Artists and has been capturing the essence of the sea for over 40 years. Even better, he is an avid sailboat racer himself, currently calling Long Island Sound his home turf.

Tom created this beautiful piece from one of our photos, and he can do the same with our photo of your boat, whether it's a Farr 40 or an Optimist, a 12meter or a Laser. A commissioned paiting is now an item on our product list for each photo on PhotoBoat.com. Tom offers two different sizes of framed paitings: 24x36 or 18x24.

For more information and to see examples, visit Tom's website.

"What goes up must come down": see our shots on Sailing Anarchy

This photo demonstrates the statement too, but check out the sequence on Sailing Anarchy today.

Block Island Day 1 was one to remember. Check out our photos here.

We'll be taking photos all week at Block Island Race Week 2009.

BIRW here we come!

What's better than photographing Block Island Race Week? Sailing there.

We're in the anchorage and ready to hit the ground running tomorrow. Forecast is for big wind, and that means great photos. Be sure to check our 2009 Block Island Race Week photos page throughout the week.

SailFast: capturing the spirit

Conditions couldn't have been better for our SailFast apparel photo shoot this week. It's been such a rainy June, we couldn't believe it when the clouds cleared out and 15 knots of breeze filled in from the East. I don't know who was more upset that they weren't out sailing- the models, the company president, or us. We all kept sneaking jealous glances at the boats pushing through the chop of a strong Easterly on Long Island Sound.

That's the thing about SailFast- it's more than just an apparel company, and we felt the spirit as we set up these shots. SailFast is about on-the-water fun, families, summer, sailing, boating, surfing, kiteboarding, or whatever aquatic fun you can dream up. Right up our alley. For me, it's about that moment when you're going so fast in a Laser, you're basically drinking salt water, or it's even about bouncing around in the dinghy, waterskiing, cliff jumping, or snorkeling in the Caribbean. For all of us waterbugs out there, it's anything that involves water, sun, and a little bit of extra adrenaline.

It's also about giving back- SailFast has a 10% For a Cure policy and has been recognized for the resulting contributions to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. We wear SailFast wristbands to support the cause- if you don't have one, get one! They're made of spinnaker material and all proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma society.

Check out the gear - and our shots - at isailfast.com .

Marion to Bermuda Race start photos

And they're off...another Bermuda Race got underway this afternoon in foggy conditions on Buzzards Bay. See the photos here.

About 45 boats crossed the start line four miles off of Marion, Massachusetts today on the heels of quite a weather system. Rain and fog lingered; it was by no means a pleasant morning, as it had been in Westport, CT when we left at 7 am. On the way out of the harbor, two powerboats took a look at Allen in the dinghy and told him he'd best turn around. That would have been a waste of a 3-hour drive. Presumably, it was the chop in 15-20 knots and opposing current that they were warning against, but that's exactly what we were hoping for.

The photos are exciting. Check them out at the PhotoBoat Regatta Gallery

New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta photos

Rambler sheds her water ballast as she sails around Conanicut Island in Friday's Around the Island Race. Along with the other faster boats, including winner Titan XV, Rambler made a quick trip around the Island and was headed back to the dock by 2:30 pm. Most people had a much longer day and didn't finish until 5 pm, or didn't finish at all. Two reasons: wind and fog. The wind died throughout the day, and many classes started late due to fog. Race committee kept having to reset the line because they couldn't see the pin.

Our take on the weekend: not windy enough. But we can make something out of nothing, and we still got some nice shots. See them here.


It was great to be in Newport again and we're looking forward to photographing many of these same boats at Block Island Race Week 2009!