2009 Key West Race Week Animated Slideshow

This is a must see.

See our Thursday highlights and all the other photos here.

Key West at its best

We couldn't ask for anything more today, with sun and wind in our favor and another great day of racing action. Our focus was on Division 1- Farr 40s, IRC 1, IRC 2, Swan 42s, and F30 classes.

The photos are a must see.

There will be some interesting changes in positions after today's racing, but there are still two more days.
Considering that last
year's Key West Race Week only had three days of racing due to bad weather, we're appreciating the extra days this year.

See the photos from Key West Race Week 2009 here.

Key West action: Tuesday

Speed was the word of the day today, as proven by many a Melges with a big wake. The day started off with a 48-knot gust, measured from the docks in front of the Half Shell Raw Bar. Had that continued, racing would have been cancelled, but we were fortunate to see those gusts pass through early in the day. Out on the race course, a consistent 20 knots helped produce some great action and we had another day of interesting Key West Race Week photos. See them here.

Key West Race Week 2009 - Day 1

From a photographer's perspective, 2009 Acura Key West Race Week had a very interesting start. With a stormy morning complete with squalls and diffused light, and a signature Key West sunny afternoon, we saw almost every type of light on the spectrum. See the photos here.

The racing was competitive and the wind was good- it was a great start to a Key West Race Week.

Though the number of boats participating is down about 40% this year, the competition is up and there is still plenty of action to photograph.

We've got 2500 great shots from Monday and are looking forward to showing them- and all the others from the week- at Schooner Wharf Bar on Thursday.

Please visit the PhotoBoat Regatta Gallery to see Monday's highlights now, and check back later in the week to view all of the 2009 Key West Race Week photos sorted by boat name.

Annapolis November 2nd

It was a great day on the Chespeake on Sunday November 2nd, and a great season finisher for many.Pictured above is the Soling fleet sailing their Nationals near the Bay Bridge. Also on the water were a J105 fleet sailing the Chesapeake Bay Championship and the IRC East Coast Championship Regatta- both sailing down near Thomas Point Light. It was a great day to get our last photos of the season and it's always great to have a reason to go to Annapolis. Next stop: Florida. We're looking forward to taking photos at Key West Race Week 2009.

See the 2008 Soling Nationals photos here.

Click here for the 2008 IRC East Coast champs photos.

J105 Chesapeake Bay Champs photos: click here.

American Yacht Club Fall Series 2008

Despite a mediocre forecast for around 10 knots and rainy, the conditions in the middle of Long Island Sound created some dramatic photos afterall thanks to the fact that Long Island Sound opens to the East. After three days of strong Easterly breezes, the sound was still pretty bumpy on Saturday morning. Here, the J44s are looking good in tight competition. We played with the saturation a bit in photoshop. Normally we are minimalists when it comes to photo tweaking, relying on our ability to take good photos, not to make them, but when you take as many as 10,000 photos a month, sometimes you just need to do something a little different to stay interested.

Allen happened upon a classic yacht regatta out of Hempstead Harbor and got some great photos of classic yachts punching through the waves. The photos are mixed in with the AYC Fall Series photos, sorted by boat name. Check out the photos here.

7,000 photos later: Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge 2008

135 boats raced in this year's Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge in Solomons, MD...and two dinghies were buzzing around them taking photos. Three days, 20 knots, 4-foot seas, one super thunderstorm, countless bottles of Mount Gay, 3 bands, and 7,000 photos later, everybody was exhausted, but happy.

We had a great time at this event, which is packed full of onshore fun (it's the only regatta with a band formed in its honor and therefore named after it). It's kind of a mini Key West Race Week, just a little more friendly and laid-back. Chesapeake-style.
Sunday's conditions were first rate, with a building breeze and growing seas; by 2 pm it was hitting 20 knots and it was getting bumpy. Even this double-jibber in the non-spinnaker division is flying downwind. Double-jibbing was quite popular on the West Course and we got a kick out of it.

For more info and results, go to www.screwpile.net.

For the 2008 Screwpile Lighthouse Challenge photos, go to http://www.thephotoboat.com/Screwpile_Lighthouse_Challenge_Photos_2008.html

2008 Newport to Bermuda Race photos

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

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

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

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