So, I went to shoot a boat race.
I had a plan (he says). Based on a previous trip to see the same race (Launceston to Hobart), I knew that there was a reasonable chance that I could get some good, tight action pics as they moved through a tight part of the Tamar river, a spot called Garden Island. The race starts about 5km further down the river.
I remember the last time there was a chaotic tactical bun-fight at the river choke point as the yachts contended with tides, headwinds and each other. At one point it felt like we could reach out an touch the boats and thatbthey would have to touch each other!
Hmmmmmm…..thrilling. The likely winner.
I felt a bit of a twit armed with my longest lens (300 + 1.4tc which is 840mm on a full frame), my 40-150 and a hopeful 12-40 in case they got that close, as they motored past on their way to a secondary start line, just waving and relaxing!
Resigned to coming home with “file” shots of the boats, I spied in the distance the very wide sand bar that juts off Kelso Beach a little further up river.
I felt I had missed my chance because a local informed me the race would likely go out into the ocean to start. Even if I was on the other side of the river, this would be a case of “dots on the horizon”.
A nice flotilla shot, but look, there in the background.
As I drove off the point, I looked over at George Town on the opposite side of the river and it looked like the secondary start might actually be inside the heads. I hatched a quick plan.
Driving the 2km up to Kelso I was greeted by a 1/2km of sand bar and yes, the yachts were circling ready to start directly opposite me.
Off I went, determined to trash a perfectly good pair of shoes. Take them off I hear you say! No chance. The sand is mixed with sharp rocks, shells and “locals”, so shoes on and just have to try to dodge the bigger tidal pools (not so successfully as it goes).
Literally millions of these little crabs…….
…..and plenty of birds
Pretty happy with the 840mm combo (crop from above).
So, was it worth it?
Ironically now fighting strong winds, but also thick sea mist and still pretty decent distances to the boats, I got at least a feeling of the race.
The RAW files were ok, but could be better.
C1 De-haze applied, some cropping and a little colour correction and we have a decent image of the likely winner and the lighthouse as a point of interest/scale.
Lessons? There are always lessons.
Take my ratty old winter “mud” boots, even in summer.
Never give up.
Go to other side of the river next year (I could have taken the shots I wanted of frantic crew highly cropped tight on deck and compressed yachts).
My TC and 300 work well (all the shots above are with that combo). I do not trust the AF for sports without adressing the firmware on the lens, but otherwise good quality.