Mother nature whipped up a nasty combination on Saturday, with 30 knots of breeze, an Easterly on Western Long Island Sound, and, worse, opposing tidal current. For an Inland body of water, Long Island Sound can get surprisingly rough when the stars are aligned like this.

As a result, some crews were not as gleeful as the Rima2 team. We heard of at least two blown out spinnakers, a broken mast, two broken booms, and a collision. Ouch. Nobody likes a gearbuster at the beginning of the season.

This brings up a controversial question...is it okay for photographers to post photos of carnage?

We do post those photos - though we make sure not to post thirty photos of one incident - because 1. it can happen to anybody and 2. those photos help describe the day. After the initial emotions pass, it is important for boat owners and crew invovled to be able to look at the photos and remember what happened.

American Yacht Club Spring Series lived up to its reputation for us this weekend. Both Spring Series and Fall Series frequently have big winds and always have big boats and big fleets. What a great combination. The photos are portfolio quality and are must-see action shots.

See more photos at http://thephotoboat.com/American_Yacht_Club_Spring_Series_2008.html

See results at http://www.americanyc.com/

See more about Reichel-Pugh Yachts at http://www.reichel-pugh.com/