Newport Bermuda Race Start in 2008; I had just completed taking some of my most favorite shots of my photography career. I stood in my custom photography dinghy, - harnessed in - watching the last of the boats disappear over the horizon on their way to Bermuda. I was very tempted to keep following the boats and to continue to get fabulous shots of hundreds of anxious but excited sailors.
Then it dawned on me, I was so caught up in the moment of gathering these images that I didn’t realize my own situation.I had hurled my 11.5ft dinghy over larges breaking swells in a good following breeze, to a distance of nine miles offshore. It hit me, though i did have a SPOT gps emergancey transponder, a handheld gps, life vest on and enough fuel to make it half way to bermuda. Still, if anything happened to my engine, or if I took a wave incorrectly, then I would probably join these sailors in Bermuda, just in far worse shape.
After carefully weaving my way around steep breaking waves that were easily over my head, I did make my way home just fine (after narrowly missing a collision with what must have been a 8ft shark on the surface). But this year with self-preservation in mind, we have chartered a VSR to photograph the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race Start.
Daniela and I have sailed to Bermuda on a Delivery but have never raced. We look forward to participating in future races.Here is a link to our 2010 Newport Bermuda Race Photography
Sailors: Please, be safe and enjoy the ride! Good luck!
Allen Clark - PhotoBoat.com
