Filed under: Boston Whaler, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, Photoboat, Sailboats, Sailing, Sailors, Uncategorized, Viewfinder | Tags: Boston Whaler, marine photography, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, Photoboat, sailing photography, Sailors, Viewfinder
This year the season started early with a trip to Charleston, South Carolina to work with our friends Allen and Daniela from Photoboat to cover Charleston Race Week. Though the drive is long – and with today’s gas prices, not cheap! – it was an adventure worth taking.
Friday’s racing was exciting, with winds hovering between 15-20 knots and seas rolling in at 4-6 feet. Daniela and I used Viewfinder to cover the two offshore race courses while Allen took care of the three inshore circles with the dinghy. The racing was hard fought and the action on deck was fast paced. I did most of the driving so Daniela could concentrate on shooting, and she did a great job capturing close up images of the shipboard action.
When I awoke Saturday our friend Jim Cantore on the weather channel was warning of severe weather including tornadoes for the area. Yes, Jim can be a drama king, but in this case he didn’t seem to be exaggerating. In fact, by the time the judges had to make a call about the day’s racing the sustained winds were already above 30 knots. No racing in those conditions. I hauled Viewfinder onto her trailer in case the major storms did come through, and then spent most of the day wandering around Charleston exploring with my camera. What a beautiful city! Great architecture, friendly people, lots of green space, and I even found a schooner! I am looking forward to getting back there again in the future. Fortunately, the dangerous weather never did bother Charleston.
The weekend wrapped up with light winds but blue sky and warm temperatures. Again Daniela and I focused on the offshore racing and we were able to get some nice images. Allen started with the inshore crowd, but the Melges’ and J’s aren’t too exciting in 5-10 knots of breeze, so he joined us outside the jetties. Between the three of us we had thousands of shots to share with the sailors.
It was great to visit a new place and fun to work with the Photoboat crew. Next stop: Cedar Point Yacht Club’s One Design Regatta on Long Island Sound on the first weekend in June.
Filed under: Avalon Cup, Avalon Yacht Club, Danise Cavallaro, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, Sailboats, Sailing, Sailors, Viewfinder | Tags: Avalon Cup, Danise Cavallaro, marine photography, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, new jersey photography, new jersey sailing, Photography, sailing photography, Sailors
A Small Craft Advisory and six foot seas did not deter the fleet of Flying Scots, one designs, and PHRF boats sailing in the 2010 Avalon Cup. In fact, the rolling waves and ENE winds set the stage for a terrific regatta.
After slowly pounding our way north from Cape May to Avalon (the 13 mile trip took more than an hour), we connected with the race committee and the fleet of a dozen Flying Scots who had endured a harrowing trip out of Townsends Inlet. Sailing a windward-leeward buoy course, the Scots were easily lost in the troughs of the large swells rolling in from the east. Undaunted, the sailors raced their boats hard and put on an impressive performance.
Shortly thereafter the larger boats crossed the start line and, after sailing upwind for a short distance, fell off to a broad reach for the downhill run to Cape May. With a nice breeze and big rollers on the quarter, the boats in the spinnaker class took off like race horses and we had to work to keep up. The wind and seas began to settle down as the afternoon progressed, but still the fleet had a fast run south and the boat winning line honors, the J105 Maxed Out, crossed the finish less than three hours after the start.
The big waves and nice made for great photo opportunities, and we were able to capture all of the fleet as they raced. A full gallery of our images can be found at michaelbagleyphoto.shutterbugstorefront.com.
Filed under: Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, Danise Cavallaro, Lightning Atlantic Coast Championship 2009, Lightning Championships, Lightning North Americans, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, Sailboats, Sailing, Sailors, Toms River Yacht Club, Viewfinder | Tags: barnegat bay, Danise Cavallaro, Lightning North American Championships, marine photography, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, new jersey photography, new jersey sailing, Photography, sailing photography, Sailors
A thunderstorm in the morning and the threat of one in the afternoon foreshortened the day on Thursday, but we still were able to get out there for a little while to watch the racing while it happened. A nice breeze just over 10 knots enabled the Lightnings to move well across the water, and the crews were impressive, as always.
The full gallery of all of our North American Championship photos can be viewed at michaelbagleyphoto.shutterbugstorefront.com.
Here are a few of our favorite shots from today:
Filed under: Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, Danise Cavallaro, Lightning Atlantic Coast Championship 2009, Lightning Championships, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, Sailboats, Sailing, Sailors, Toms River Yacht Club, Viewfinder | Tags: barnegat bay, Boston Whaler, Danise Cavallaro, Lightning North American Championships, marine photography, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, new jersey photography, new jersey sailing, Photography, sailing photography, Toms River Yacht Club
This year’s Lightning Class North American Championships are hosted by the Toms River Yacht Club and are sailed on Barnegat Bay. Right in our backyard. Today was the first of five days of racing, and it could not have been a better welcome to Barnegat Bay – abundant sunshine, a steady 15-20 knot sea breeze, 3-4 foot choppy seas…it was perfect. And the sailors rose to the occasion, taking the boats and the crews to their limits. The speeds were impressive, the teamwork high quality, and the sail changes reflected the skills and hours of practice the racers brought to the regatta.
We’ll be shooting several days of the regatta, and posting our photos at michaelbagleyphoto.shutterbugstorefront.com.
The good news: the weather forecast is the same for Tuesday!
Filed under: Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, BBYRA, Classic Sailboats, Danise Cavallaro, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, Sailboats, Sailing, Sailors, Toms River Yacht Club, Viewfinder | Tags: barnegat bay, Barnegat Bay A Cats, BBYRA, Classic Sailboats, Danise Cavallaro, marine photography, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, new jersey photography, new jersey sailing, Photography, sailing photography, Sailors, Viewfinder
After a busy month shooting in Westport, Connecticut and Keyport, New Jersey, we finally found the time to get out on our home waters of Barnegat Bay. The Barnegat Bay Yacht Racing Association puts together an impressive series of races from spring through fall, and each Saturday they host a regatta chock full of great fleets. Sanderlings, E Scows, Flying Scots, Lightnings and, of course, our very own A Cats are all on the starting line together. With a practically-guaranteed sea breeze filling in around noon and a short windward-leeward buoy course, the racing can be very exciting. Saturday was a nice day for sailing, and the skippers and their crews showed off their skills as they competed.
Here are a few shots from the afternoon race. Additional images can be viewed and, if desired, purchased at michaelbagleyphoto.shutterbugstorefront.com.
E Scows at the start
A Cats running
Hiking and rounding
Beating
Close at the mark
Focused
Filed under: Bill Volk Leukemia Cup Regatta, Danise Cavallaro, Keyport Yacht Club, Leukemia Cup Regatta, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, Sailboats, Sailing, Sailors, Viewfinder | Tags: 2010 Bill Volk Leukemia Cup, Danise Cavallaro, Keyport Yacht Club, marine photography, Michael Bagley, Michael Bagley Photography, nautical photography, New Jersey, new jersey sailing, Photography, Raritan Bay, sailing photography, Sailors, Viewfinder
We had a great weekend with the Keyport Yacht Club as they hosted the 10th Annual Bill Volk Leukemia Cup Regatta. A great fleet of boats, a skilled crew of sailors, a sharp race committee and good weather all combined to produce a fun and exciting regatta. Most importantly, the sailors’ efforts raised more than $20,000 in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, money that will go to research and treatment of blood diseases. We salute their efforts.
Photos from the weekend are posted at michaelbagleyphoto.shutterbugstorefront.com. In the spirit of the event, we will donate 25% of our profits from all print or product purchases to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
We look forward to making the KYC Leukemia Cup a regular event on our calendar!
