The Optimists are Racing, a photo from Auckland, North Island

Photographer's Note

Murrays Bay Sailing Regatta

This is one of the Optimist races held yesterday at the annual Winter Championshipsbeing sailed over the weekend at Auckland's Murrays Bay Sailing Club.

The Winter Champs regatta attracted a fleet of around 300 boats and 350 sailors this year, and marks the transition from the Winter to Summer sailing programs. Optimists, P-Class, Starlings, Laser Radials, 420痴, and a few other classes, all one-man youth boats, are all racing.

This camera was hand-held, and taken from the beach and I am using my Canon 70-300mm lens, and I cannot get any closer.

The third boat is going around the red buoy*, and the second boat is just in front of him. Number 3796 is in the lead � you can see him sailing left, to the very left of the photo.

These boats now have to sail / tack to the other red buoy* that you can see in the background just above no 3798痴 sail. Sailing is a mixture of straight runs, but many other twists and turns � it can be quite frustrating following the boats from the shore.

* In New Zealand the word BUOY is pronounced BOY, while in America it is pronounced BOO-EE. Naturally, BOY is the correct way to say it:))

besnard, Buin, macondo, bakes888, elihesamian, jmdaoudal, goldyrs has marked this note useful

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besnard (59196) 2007-10-01 1:45

Bonjour Janice
Joli clich� de toutes ces voiles blanches sur une mer d'un joli bleu et tous ces candiddats qui esp鑽ent bien gagner.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journ馥.
Nicole

Paolo (41258) 2007-10-01 1:48

Hi Janice, amazing one with all that small boat. beautiful colours, good quality and exposure too.
thanks, ciao

Buin (42580) 2007-10-01 3:41

Hallo Janice!
Nice to see "you" again! Your picture shows a lot of dynamics and a wonderful relaxed atmosphere. The light is truly beautiful, especially on the small waves. I also like the buildup of the picture with nearly all the boats on one side. And here autumn is on it's way ... ;-(
Greetings from an at the time grey Germany!
Frank

bucanas (2218) 2007-10-02 4:17

Hi Janice,
Beautiful regatta photo,nice composition.
Abraco.
Ralf

pineapple (74) 2007-10-02 7:17

aaahhhh... Thank you Janice... this awesome photo makes me homesick! (I livein Japan and far from the sea!).
I grew up sailing around the corner at Torbay... so these Murrays Bay kids were my competition!

Looks like a nice breeze was blowing for the regatta, a great challenge for the younger sailors, and fun for the rest!

Awesome colour and clarity in this shot... I love the focus on the Optis rounding the bottom mark, while the 'big kids' in their Starlings can be seen (nicely out of focus) in the background on their own course.

I look forward to more summery photos of Murrays Bay as summer progresses!
THANK YOU again
Charlotte

macondo (20449) 2007-10-04 5:15

Hi Janice. Haven't looked in your gallery for a while, but just found this thrilling shot. Superbly cropped, the pattern of sails looks dynamic, and I love the sight of those two leading boats on a different tack. You can almost feel the wind in this one. Very clear and bright, a terrific exposure.
Regards,
Andrew
BTW, thanks for the note, I have sometimes wondered what the hell they were talking about with those 'boo-ees'.

bakes888 (18499) 2007-10-05 1:52

Hi Janice. I used to watch the smaller sailboats race past our house in Wanganui when I was a kid, I guess they still race there now. Great photo. Very busy, shows the character of sailboat racing well. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

elihesamian (26149) 2007-10-05 14:13

dear Janice,
nice to a new post from you here,Thanks for sharing !
What a situation ! a beautiful graphism you resulted,too,a good panoramic cropp and well worked,very well captured and a great details and sharpness you reached.good note,too,Thanks,I enjoy this live scene and report,
Best Wishes
M

jmdaoudal (82) 2007-11-10 0:06

We have a lot of of those here and so numerous... I like this, the baby sailors will become then globe trotters or memebers of the america's cup :-))
I see in the note you can read the show, and this is not given to all spectators, especialyy when they reach a mark.
Compliments.
Jean Michel

ArtLook (2348) 2007-12-31 1:17

Hello Janice,
Very nice composition showing this event, such many boats in one place! :-) Very good colors and very well composed picture. Well done, Bravo!
With Best Regards,
Arthur

goldyrs (136) 2008-07-05 22:33