We are members of the Palm Beach sailing club and it has been wonderful spending time with such a great group of adventurous people.
Today and tomorrow they are hosting the Florida Laser Masters Championship. It was a real learning experience for me. I have photographed a few sailboat races, it is so fun with all the compositions, colors and action. This time it was a little different. I spent more time trying to stay dry than anything, but I did get a few fun shots off.
I was on the Safety boat, which is what we did most of the time. Rescue tired competitors who had to take a break from the incredible effort it took to right their boats after flipping over in some very tough conditions. There was a couple times when the Coast Guard, Sea Tow, Towboat US, Sheriff and West Palm Beach Police had come to the scene. Fortunately, we where able to save every competitor situation without their help. Mostly with the help of Joe Fields and his son, Eric. Eric jumped in the water to help 3 competitors recover.
Unfortunately the club lost one official boat due to the rough seas.
I went away from this experience, totally impressed with the tenacity of the competitors and the calm professionalism of the sailing club. I also learned how to balance myself in 6 foot seas to shoot and keep the camera dry while mountains of water was splashing through the boat.
