June
21 2008 - What
a spectacle! 198 yachts sailed across the starting line in
Newport as hundreds of spectator boats lined the
"sidelines", the Coast Guard protected the racing area,
people lined the cliffs and the lawn at the Inn at Castle
Hill, and 5 helicopters flew overhead. See the photos of the
sailboats beating their way away from Newport
here.
With sixteen starts, it took two and a half hours to get
every boat across the line, many of them a little
overzealous. I couldn't believe how many boats were
called over early; in fact the PRO was making special
announcements reminding people not to jump the gun. The
ebbing tide didn't help.
From a dinghy-bound photographer's perspective, this was
a challenge, and the helicopters were looking pretty
cushy. We'll see what happens between now and 2010's
Bermuda Race, but nothing beats the close up photos.
Allen
got great action photos of most of the boats, including some
great crew shots to commemorate the trip. We're
wondering...will they stay on the rail the entire time??
We've delivered a sailboat to Bermuda, but haven't raced
there yet.
It was time to call it a day for dinghy photographer man
when he found himself 9 miles out, couldn't feel his
legs anymore and almost hit a shark. No joke. Only a
six-footer or so, but that is half the length of the
dinghy. Other than that, he could have stayed out twice
as long. Engine was working well, still about 3/4 tank
of gas remaining, gps working, plenty of spare water,
life jacket and kill switch on.
We were pleased to see a bunch of Long Island Sound
boats cross the line. Cabady, Christopher Dragon, Avra,
Gold Digger, Devocean, Gracie, Stampede, Charlie V,
Challenge IV, Vamp, High Noon, Patriot, Maxine, Snow
Lion, and many more. Go Long Island Sound.
Best
of luck to all boats for a fast, safe trip. Speedboat is
probably already there...
