Photo assignment: Sailing

[Tommi]

Hi all,
I made a quick search and couldn't find a picture thread about sailing, so I thought why not start a new one?

All sail related pictures are very welcome!
/Tommi

[Tommi]

The optimist is the first boat many people sail, so why start with some pictures of optimists?






Some really tight racing going on.




Some times even grown ups takes the time to have some fun in the opti!

/Tommi

[SaintsFCFan]

These are fantastic photos! I love the depth of field to them, very nicely done indeed!

[pakarang]

Very nice photos Tommi!

I too love the compositions: they really stand out, and the clarity of the images almost makes me feel like I was there too!

The first image is definitely my favorite out of them: I think it is because of the subject and the "out-of-focus-range" collections of sailboats in the background. There is quite a bit of professional feel to the image: I could clearly envision seeing this image at a shipping office board room.

[Tommi]

Today we go for some action!
/Tommi

Oops!


Yeah!


Splash!


Jihaa!


Wooow!

[wherrygirl]

Tommi, what in heaven's name is that last one???

[Seagull]

By the way, across in the photography section, I’ve drawn our SaintFCFan’s attention to these (and your photo competition entry too) as he’s been learning about photographing moving subjects recently.

I’ve just declared you to be our expert!

[ombugge]

Tommi, what in heaven's name is that last one???

Not to mention the one before????

[Tommi]

It's really nice to get some feedback, it makes me feel, eh honoured.

Tommi, what in heaven's name is that last one???

That's called "Moth", http://www.moth-sailing.org/
It's a sort of a combination of a sailboat and an aeroplane. In the bottom of the keel and rudder there are vertical fins shaped like the wings of a aeroplane. These wings will lift up the hull from the water when the speed gets high enough. This will lower the friction against the water and the boat will accelerate even more.
These vessels have been sailing in speeds up to 30 knots!
The man sailing on the picture had some problems turning around with the Moth, resulting in some spectacular crashes.

Not to mention the one before????

This is a 49er, http://www.49er.org/
It's one of the boat classes racing in the Olympic games. It's always sailed by two persons. The "platforms" on the side of the hull are primarily to make it possible for the crew to hike the boat even more. A good speed for a 49er is about 20 knots. The boat looks much more sophisticated than it is.

By the way, across in the photography section, I’ve drawn our SaintFCFan’s attention to these (and your photo competition entry too) as he’s been learning about photographing moving subjects recently.

I’ve just declared you to be our expert!

Thank you, I really appreciate those nice words.
Sailing photography on the water is probably one of the most difficult sports to capture. I try my best, but I feel that there's still a lot more to learn.
I'll write some more in the How do you thread too.

[Tommi]

This time I'll post some slower and cooler sailing pictures, as a variation from the action shots last time.
The following set was taken at the Swedish championship for some older boat classes arranged last august.

Trying to find a space to moore.


A study of the harbour


Quite many boats of the same kind:


They're almost as well polished as furniture:


Very shiny indeed:


If you have some sailing related pictures, feel free to share some with us!

[pilotdane]

Wow, have I been missing out. I just discovered this thread. What beautiful photographs though I do feel sorry for everyone having to sail in dry suits.

[wherrygirl]

Thank you for the description of the Moth, Tommi. And isn't there a lovely light on the hull of that last one, with its reflection in the water, too?

[Tommi]

In the previous posts I've shown some pictures of boats sailing. Now I invite you onboard on my small boat for a pretty special tour: the october full moon cruise.


The sun is setting.


We are heading back to the town.


It seems a bit cozy for those beeing indoors.


The moon breaks through the clouds.


Port and starboard.


Wonderful.


The crew seems to be a bit chilled out.


Quality time!


We're heading back to the docks. The darkness was never a problem since the full moon was shining on us. We were although a bit cold when returning to shore.

/Tommi

[Ralf__]

Great, Tommi. That is a pleasure to watch!

[Seagull]

I seem to be following Ralf around as I catch up on the last day or so, first Tom’s Bergen ships, and now your sails, Tommi! Your last image in particular is simply amazing, with the lines of clouds, the bright water and the sails and shadows so perfectly composed to give a sense of the boat moving forward! What an experience that moon-lit trip must have been.

[Tommi]

Here comes some fresh pictures from yesterday. The round Ornö race is a quite large competition in Sweden with about 200 competitors. We finished on place 127.









A complete slideshow can be found here.
/Tommi

[pakarang]

These images are a true pleasure watching.

They are salty and full of action, and if I close my eyes for a moment, I can almost feel like wanting to go sailing.

[Tommi]

For a couple of weeks ago I attended the Swedish junior sailing championships. Two days of very sunny and warm weather.
Here are some of my shots from Arkösund in St Annas archipelago:











And finally a panorama over the harbor area:


I might post some archipelago pictures from this trip in a near future...
/Tommi

[Tommi]

Some more from Arkösund.


Looking for a coach boat?


This is how it usually looks when all sailors are going ashore.
Quite crowded don't you think? So the sailors from our club decided to do it a bit different, we found a island of our own next to the race course:


Not too much hassle here. The small white dots on the right is Arkösund, the place where the regatta base was. The races were held on the waters between us and Arkösund.

So, while waiting for the wind to come I spent my time taking some pictures.


The view to the opposite direction. The nearest coast is probably Estonia.


Quality time.

[Tommi]

Now we're a bit off topic, but I just have to show these flowers!








Some cracks in the rocks have been filled up with rain water, I like the reflections.




After about 45 minutes of relaxation the wind came and we were heading back to action again.
My skin was more than tanned after two days in the intensive sunshine.

/Tommi