tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34615855957925326192024-02-20T18:25:27.369+00:00NautographyNautical PhotographyBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-444003430664675862018-05-16T14:34:00.000+01:002018-05-16T14:34:07.745+01:00Workhorse: The 70-200 f/2.8<span style="font-size: large;">The 70-200 f/2.8 is a photographer's workhorse lens, the telephoto end of the "holy trinity" of fast zooms*. It is an incredibly versatile lens because it lets you get pictures of things that are far away, or to take portraits where the background just melts away into a silky blur. I had a lot of photographers tell me that this is the single most important lens in a pro's bag, and I didn't really understand it until I shot with one.<br /><br />And they're right, of course, which is why they're pros. Nothing I can say will really explain it, you just have to try one to really understand.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Now, in spite of that, I don't own one yet. I've been renting them when necessary because, from a purely business standpoint, buying one outright hasn't made financial sense yet. I've also been renting different versions so that I can get a feel for which one I'd like to eventually buy. To date I've tried out the following:<br /><br />Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 FL</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 G2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Nikon 70-200 f/4 <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(I know it's not an f/2.8, but I'm a sucker for lightweight lenses)</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm not going to spend a lot of time doing detailed comparisons of optical performance other than to say that they are all very good because other, far more qualified folks have done that to death (plus, I never had all of them at the same time to do a real side-by-side). But I do want to share a few things that I learned about them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Build Quality</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnsp1sz-YS1TMUDROQvUrKNBYaU0CMI7SgO_CpBvlQIu0DPrJRmwgHiwKPFLCXovXGhuP3XWrpIve2gV6zSHbVzZgH60ypuMkrHFc93xRmQUWxun2Vk3qkIuXPPhKGHzQ2RD9S2zjCJc/s1600/_D727157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnsp1sz-YS1TMUDROQvUrKNBYaU0CMI7SgO_CpBvlQIu0DPrJRmwgHiwKPFLCXovXGhuP3XWrpIve2gV6zSHbVzZgH60ypuMkrHFc93xRmQUWxun2Vk3qkIuXPPhKGHzQ2RD9S2zjCJc/s320/_D727157.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Nikon VRII and the noticeably lighter Nikon f/4.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first thing you notice when handling a 70-200 f/2.8 is the size and weight of them. They are generally built like tanks and would likely serve just as well as a blunt weapon as a photographic tool**. This is part of why pros love these lenses: they're reliable. The f/4 isn't nearly as ruggedly built and is much lighter. This is great if space and weight is at a premium for you and I could see using one if I were hiking, climbing, etc., but out on a bouncing chaseboat, I always had a mild fear of breaking it in the back of my mind. I never had this fear with any of the f/2.8s. For this reason alone, the f/4 is generally not suited for my needs, even though it is a great performer optically and in other regards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Smooth Zooming</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The zoom rings on all of the Nikon lenses have a very consistent feel to them: light enough to zoom easily, but not so light as to shift focal length should you take your hand off of the ring. The zoom ring on the Tamron lens, on the other hand, is stiffer and takes a bit more effort to turn. None of them feel bad to me and I suspect that liking one or the other will boil down to personal preference. For me, shooting the Tamron on land feels better because it feels more precise, but the Nikons feel better on the water because I'm already expending that much more energy just to steady myself that every little bit of reduced effort helps. I suspect that the zoom ring on the Tamron will loosen up over time as zoom rings are prone to do, but ideally I'd like it to be a bit looser <i>now</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Ring of Power</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of zoom rings, not all of them are located in the same place. On Nikon's VRII and f/4, the zoom ring is located closer to the camera, and on Nikon's FL and Tamron's G2, the zoom ring is closer to the front element. Two of these arrangements feel quite natural and balanced nicely, the other two not so much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The f/4 is just about perfectly balanced for a smaller body like the D7200 I used it with. It doesn't have a lot of weight out front, so keeping your grip closer to the body keeps the whole camera well balanced. Likewise, the Tamron G2 is also very well balanced for a smaller body; with more weight from the heavier lens out front, moving your hand further forward on the lens keeps the weight distribution right. Also, and very importantly, the focus ring on the Tamron is placed such that your hand doesn't tend to rest on it (at least not my hands), so having my hand that far forward doesn't interfere with the focus.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHvAO7il_W-1Y4E3seEsECt4lbL186GocCZQkFSAtU6bE8erQj6Lb-587JkvvIQ-3sPyTcctlOm7pUJAPCrxC6ANzbSbQCCI32lAU8AAIkKI8jyT7J15EX1Dg_U9J0mhkewk681UyZxg/s1600/DSC_1972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJHvAO7il_W-1Y4E3seEsECt4lbL186GocCZQkFSAtU6bE8erQj6Lb-587JkvvIQ-3sPyTcctlOm7pUJAPCrxC6ANzbSbQCCI32lAU8AAIkKI8jyT7J15EX1Dg_U9J0mhkewk681UyZxg/s320/DSC_1972.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nikon FL, as deployed.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The VRII feels very front-heavy with a smaller body. I suspect that it's definitely designed with a heavier body in mind. This poor balance seemed to wear my arms out faster while shooting, which was an issue being on a boat all day. Nikon changed this with the newer FL model, possibly in anticipation of lighter mirrorless bodies in the future. But in doing so they placed the focus ring right where the palm of my hand seems to naturally rest, meaning that I had to come up with a creative solution (which I describe below) to avoid throwing my focus off. This awkward placement of the focus ring really hits the FL in the ergonomics department despite the better overall balance with a smaller body.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Feet of Strength</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">With the VRII, my preferred method of deployment is simply to remove the tripod foot from its collar and attach my cross-body sling to the tripod mount that remains in the collar. This makes for a very slim setup and balances well while by my side, and it doesn't get in my way while shooting. Nikon really got the tripod collar right on the VRII and FL; I wish someone would come up with a similar version for the Tamron or other lenses.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbMerPe2VjtTX18t-ya1u7ljsEy_Ul9Emx8w5O7y3y1jDtJFcZIduyRzrHbjev4hxooyhc5cOPIYutEglYorkW8MIGNzG6aENW7_tbPU7CSnYYiqKIITyq5w4gSMg6jCD2_xq5HlVhbM/s1600/DSC_1982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbMerPe2VjtTX18t-ya1u7ljsEy_Ul9Emx8w5O7y3y1jDtJFcZIduyRzrHbjev4hxooyhc5cOPIYutEglYorkW8MIGNzG6aENW7_tbPU7CSnYYiqKIITyq5w4gSMg6jCD2_xq5HlVhbM/s320/DSC_1982.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nikon FL, foot rotated. See how it rested on my palm***?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I deployed differently on the FL because of the focus ring issue. I settled on leaving the foot attached, but rotating the foot to the left so that it covered the switches and attaching my sling to it. This had the benefit of protecting the switches from being accidentally flipped (which isn't a big deal for Nikon lenses, those switches are pretty stiff), but more importantly it allowed me to rest the palm of my hand on the tripod foot instead of the focus ring. Viola! No more focus ring issues. The downsides to this are a slightly clunkier rig and a bit more fatigue for my left hand from arching my palm slightly. Mind you, this works with my hands, if you have smaller hands it may not. (Then again, if you have smaller hands, the focus ring placement may not be an issue for you in the first place, so....)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxqSeUpTHF8bPngUUOfFfjpIraN2c_7R_LtTD6IKKHkyxcrEZZ-jofA2cu3vx7w3jA4W61Q7e7xaU4toQf1swFRMUUqZ_ShO_DJ5bk02Der2qIxbpMtN8JmMigk9xDU3OBbXiSyZCf00/s1600/_D720627.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJxqSeUpTHF8bPngUUOfFfjpIraN2c_7R_LtTD6IKKHkyxcrEZZ-jofA2cu3vx7w3jA4W61Q7e7xaU4toQf1swFRMUUqZ_ShO_DJ5bk02Der2qIxbpMtN8JmMigk9xDU3OBbXiSyZCf00/s320/_D720627.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nikon FL @ 75mm, f/2.8, ISO 400, 1/200sec.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A similar setup (tripod foot left attached and rotated over the switches) works wonderfully for the Tamron G2 as well, but for a different reason. The switches on the Tamron lens are a bit looser and more susceptible to accidental switching, so having that tripod foot guard them works quite well. Also, the geometry of this setup feels much more natural on the G2, so it didn't tire out my hand like it did on the FL. (Again, your hands may vary.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Although the Tamron lacks the cool removable tripod foot of the Nikons, it does have an Arca Swiss mount built into it's tripod foot, so it's easier to actually attach to a tripod. (The whole collar is also removable, but the lens seems rather awkward without it on.) I feel like an ideal tripod mount for a 70-200 would combine the easily detachable foot and permanent collar with a secondary mount of the Nikons with the built-in Arca Swiss mount of the Tamron.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The f/4 has an optional tripod collar, but I suspect that using it would be largely a waste. The lens is so light that the camera body's tripod attachment point should works just fine for a cross-body sling and should work equally well for tripods.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Hippy Hippy Shake</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdT_usexZyiba76MEMyDlUM8VB1KWDl9gMLlqSkML_VJJU7fvnlm6Z1ZxrerDzP6PDFqvLlFJQX9tKNcCvdEPx7d-RvjULIEDfwQ2OBSfb8SSoq2Iy1vkbt5rORrpeFeLLtokRDs4rnM4/s1600/DSC_2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdT_usexZyiba76MEMyDlUM8VB1KWDl9gMLlqSkML_VJJU7fvnlm6Z1ZxrerDzP6PDFqvLlFJQX9tKNcCvdEPx7d-RvjULIEDfwQ2OBSfb8SSoq2Iy1vkbt5rORrpeFeLLtokRDs4rnM4/s320/DSC_2000.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamron G2, as deployed, just like the FL.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Image stabilization is important for telephoto lenses if you're not shooting with a tripod. I didn't do detailed measurements of the performance of the different lenses, but I will say that they all allowed me to make sharp, hand-held shots that would have been impossible otherwise. One distinct observation that I do have though is the general feel of the various image stabilization systems and how they look through the viewfinder.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Nikon systems tend to jump around more as I'm composing a shot. This has no impact on the final image as it still freezes the frame when the shutter is released, but it does sometimes make composition trickier. Also, if I were to shoot video (which I rarely do, at least through lenses like these), I imagine the video would likewise be jumpy. Nikon seemed to design their system with minimizing power use and instantaneous, instead of continuous, performance in mind, which makes perfect sense for a still camera.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">On the other hand, the Tamron system held the image much more smoothly over time. When looking through the viewfinder I had an easier time composing shots, and I imagine that video shot through the Tamron lens would be smoother as well. In terms of overall usability, I definitely prefer the image stabilization of the Tamron lens. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-l-UE-r5d5AIBuxtx48rAYnxOipitFKPC4tjGHSS34YpRaMbEHj04l-5GwP0TFB6tP2Va-B9xcZNsVXkibSApdyp5q9ThQ7U6kykoqhbo3ycv-JGkpTkqUn1_hfRt2aLwJ_40Awt7PM/s1600/_D723096.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-l-UE-r5d5AIBuxtx48rAYnxOipitFKPC4tjGHSS34YpRaMbEHj04l-5GwP0TFB6tP2Va-B9xcZNsVXkibSApdyp5q9ThQ7U6kykoqhbo3ycv-JGkpTkqUn1_hfRt2aLwJ_40Awt7PM/s320/_D723096.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tamron G2 @70mm, f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/400sec.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One potentially related observation here is that my camera's battery seemed to drain a bit faster with the Tamron G2. Maybe that extra smoothness in the image stabilization came at the expense of increased power draw? This would make sense because it seemed like the Tamron's image stabilization system was running running harder/longer than on the Nikons. Or maybe my batteries are just getting old. Again, I haven't gotten to do a side-by-side test, but I wanted to mention it anyways.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The Almighty Dollar</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The difference in price between these lenses is wholly non-trivial. The Nikon f/4 and the Tamron G2 are both about $1,400 when bought new. The Nikon VRII was last available at $2,100 new but isn't in production anymore, and sells used for about $1,400.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Nikon FL sells new for a whopping <i>$2,800</i>. I could buy two of the other lenses and have one as a backup for the price of a single NIkon FL!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Price-wise, the VRII felt about right to me when you could still get it new. Paying a premium for the factory warranty and Nikon reliability would have been worth the extra money. I'm not opposed to buying refurbished or used (in fact, most of my gear is refurbished), but for a major investment like this I'd rather buy new for the factory warranty. This means I probably won't be buying a VRII.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhmzvwSaLL7oKmaokfyHJY7WDntWKcMR2NzWemsASqkB35nD7uLZJ3oYBJY0VyDrBFbBHMahe3ir5-dmmX_1SFDCuG2IFTnfJUqLRw73HL8P6_YsnPr4YHdUUE5fCSQhUOBH-yCDXko8/s1600/DSC_1974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdhmzvwSaLL7oKmaokfyHJY7WDntWKcMR2NzWemsASqkB35nD7uLZJ3oYBJY0VyDrBFbBHMahe3ir5-dmmX_1SFDCuG2IFTnfJUqLRw73HL8P6_YsnPr4YHdUUE5fCSQhUOBH-yCDXko8/s320/DSC_1974.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Business end of the Nikon FL</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I cannot see myself being able to justify a $2,800 pricetag for <i>any</i> piece of equipment anytime soon, even to get that warranty and legendary Nikon durability. I simply don't make enough money with my photography yet to justify such an expense. Sorry Nikon, you priced yourself right out of my market with that one. I'm sure that full-time pros will still buy it, but for side-gig photographers like me, it just doesn't make financial sense.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As I mentioned above, the Nikon f/4 isn't rugged enough for my needs, so that's a no-go as well in spite of it's comparatively low pricetag and great optical performance. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">That leaves me with the Tamron G2. It's rugged, it's ergonomics are right, it's image stabilization is top notch, it's price is reasonable, it's still available with a full warranty, and it produces great images. I think this puts the Tamron G2 into a sweet spot in terms of value and performance for me as a part-timer. I have some reservations about its long-term reliability since it is coming from a third party manufacturer, but the lower cost and 6 year warranty help balance those reservations out. Once I get my income stream a bit more solid, I'll almost certainly be buying one.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*The other two being the normal zoom and the wide zoom in f/2.8. Most current normal fast zooms are 24-70, and the wides vary by manufacturer, but Nikon's is 14-24.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>**I do not, under any circumstances, recommend or condone the use of expensive photographic equipment as a blunt weapon. Or, for that matter, beating people with blunt weapons in general.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> ***I cannot quite emphasize how tricky it is to take a picture of yourself holding a camera with a heavy lens, one handed, with a second camera, also one-handed. Heh.</i></span> </span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-4134259687322094202018-05-07T22:04:00.000+01:002018-05-08T14:26:31.077+01:00Lens Sharpness or: How I learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Lens<span style="font-size: large;">There are a lot of ways to quantify the performance of a lens.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One standard method is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_transfer_function">Modulation Transfer Function, or MTF</a>. Without getting into the technical details, MTF charts can be used to represent a lens's optical performance: a horizontal plot means that a lens will produce an image equally sharp at all points across an image plane, whereas one that drops off will be less sharp away from the image center*.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Another handy resource to use are websites that do standardized testing of lens performance, one of which is <a href="https://www.dxomark.com/">DXOMark</a>. Here you can get plots of lens performance at various apertures, including sharpness, transmission, vignetting, etc. You can even get everything rolled up into a single score for the lens. Handy, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Yes...to a point. Something I've run across is photographers judging lenses as inferior simply because their MTF plots aren't good enough or their DXOMark scores aren't high enough. While I'm all for using these resources to learn about my gear and its limitations, they are just that: resources. They aren't meant to be end-all-be-all judgements on the superiority of a lens because there is so much more to consider when choosing a lens than pure optical performance in a technical sense. I'd like to take a moment and call out a few factors that aren't included in these measures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Bokeh</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JhjdGr3bGroNDx54mUcChQ9A4tGugmYkt-ZK5SbUO-T4fACHeStIIFfn92ZrisZu7yUKgb7w_7sQTZ6GLNdY44bAgmMGma5DfBpf8umz0-1PvpMEIfgpl3bfUPAHQ9Tmy3UjKMesobA/s1600/_D724924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JhjdGr3bGroNDx54mUcChQ9A4tGugmYkt-ZK5SbUO-T4fACHeStIIFfn92ZrisZu7yUKgb7w_7sQTZ6GLNdY44bAgmMGma5DfBpf8umz0-1PvpMEIfgpl3bfUPAHQ9Tmy3UjKMesobA/s320/_D724924.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bokeh! Shot wide open at f/1.4.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you're trying to isolate your subject using a narrow depth of field, you likely want those areas to be as out of focus as possible. The pleasing quality of these out of focus areas is called "bokeh". If you're using a more advanced lens that is tack-sharp, corner-to-corner you can achieve pleasing bokeh, but it's also possible that any out of focus highlights will render so sharply as to be distracting. However, if you're using a simpler lens design that is a bit softer away from the image center, you may have a better chance of getting pleasing bokeh because those highlights will be softer. This is why some portrait photographers still love simpler lens designs. Conversely, this simpler lens may not be an obvious choice for shooting landscapes or architecture, where your subject is likely to be taking up the entire frame and you want it all to be in focus. And the thing is, this is all subjective, and it isn't necessarily constant either. A lens can render amazing bokeh in certain circumstances and be decidedly "meh" in others. And what one photographer sees as great bokeh could be not what another one is looking for. Like all art, it's largely subjective.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Aperture</b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOmqlrb1P0_TwkVLON4u-51aNpfZSzBQ2kvHdYwhMrXnBPeDu8bAMkja92MB0Tz8Gf5AzYZzyQp1n6ftxwaVN3FLlAjGcNYLcbRFSUwypXT06cXz-pCgBj1uorjXxJEhQQBinXmn34zw/s1600/103-722640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOmqlrb1P0_TwkVLON4u-51aNpfZSzBQ2kvHdYwhMrXnBPeDu8bAMkja92MB0Tz8Gf5AzYZzyQp1n6ftxwaVN3FLlAjGcNYLcbRFSUwypXT06cXz-pCgBj1uorjXxJEhQQBinXmn34zw/s320/103-722640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polygonal bokeh can be distracting. Shot at f/2.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">Part of what determines the "feel" of bokeh is the configuration of a lens's aperture. The rounder the aperture is at a given setting, the "softer" the bokeh will generally be. As a result of this, many lens manufacturers have lately been shifting more and more towards using rounded aperture blades. This is great for bokeh, but the price you pay is often the inability to produce sunstars**. Sunstars are those brilliant, pointy stars that get produced by bright points of light on longer exposures when shooting through a small, polygonal aperture. One of the reason I love older Nikon lenses is for their odd number of straight aperture blades that produce <i>amazing</i> sunstars when stopped down. The tradeoff is that the bokeh on these lenses can be somewhat harsher when shooting at faster apertures because highlights render as polygons instead of circles<b>.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawjF4RWStmkoAUgEX4kKA3SHo1s0c4VlhaMkwwWarGYIWHo6G4Jdxk9LYlb28HY76KdFkRbasrFGHb5h62h3WzAAjEmt3xQCxWUViwA1ElQcnRuaOKHEt5AWbIHYgkA9bUuhJdT10avM/s1600/103-725401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1500" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawjF4RWStmkoAUgEX4kKA3SHo1s0c4VlhaMkwwWarGYIWHo6G4Jdxk9LYlb28HY76KdFkRbasrFGHb5h62h3WzAAjEmt3xQCxWUViwA1ElQcnRuaOKHEt5AWbIHYgkA9bUuhJdT10avM/s320/103-725401.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Sunstars! Shot at f/8 on a tripod.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I am a total sucker for sunstars, the donut-shaped bokeh of <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2018/02/the-reflex-tamron-55bb-lens-review.html">catadioptric </a>lenses,
or any other kinds of optical oddities that lenses produce that you can't just "add in post". They can be distracting in certain circumstances obviously, but when used right, they add a touch of magic.</span></span><b><br /></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Bulk</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Lens design has come a long way since the first SLRs revolutionized photography. Computers have allowed for more complicated and precise optical designs, more advanced optical coatings help ensure superior transmission and reduce aberrations, and autofocus systems have gotten faster and more accurate. Well, guess what? All of this engineering means that lenses have generally gotten bigger and heavier too. As someone who enjoys shooting small, fast primes, the idea of toting around some of the newer, heavier offerings for most work isn't really appealing to me in spite of their superior optical performance. Why? Because a photo that you missed because you were too tired or sore from lugging around a heavy kit is always less sharp than one you actually took. On the other hand, if I can limit my kit to just one or two large, heavy lenses and still get the job done without limiting my creativity, that works too. It's a balance, and striking the right balance depends on what you, the artist, needs.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>A Lens Is A Tool</b></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4G4VqJg-7XxQhY1tz-cqXWCTvLSUabigv74_1saxeYdYm9RlEQD0NwNr2qXUJwkN1EQ3JvVlOlsYOQKi8yll3CGeK86aXTWhmMuW6lkAtxC1c32dIZFFs7bfSuwottTuelKdF7GGlT0/s1600/_D726442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4G4VqJg-7XxQhY1tz-cqXWCTvLSUabigv74_1saxeYdYm9RlEQD0NwNr2qXUJwkN1EQ3JvVlOlsYOQKi8yll3CGeK86aXTWhmMuW6lkAtxC1c32dIZFFs7bfSuwottTuelKdF7GGlT0/s320/_D726442.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite lens. Not in spite of its "flaws", but because of them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">What does this all mean? It means that a lens, <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2018/01/on-cameras.html">just like a camera</a>,
is a tool, that different tools have different strengths and
weaknesses, and that judging a lens by measuring it along only one axis
of performance will likely limit your creativity. My Nikon 50mm f/1.4
AF-D is my favorite lens. It is tiny, is fantastically sharp when stopped down, and produces amazing sunstars, but faster than f/2.8, it gets...quirky. Bokeh is super-soft wide open at f/1.4, but has a weird harshness from f/1.6 down that goes away by f/2.8 due to the straight aperture blades. And faster than f/2, getting your subject sharp is hard because your depth of field is paper-thin, and chromatic aberration tends to soften even things that are in-focus. It's MTF charts reflect this quirky behavior, and at first glance it seems decidedly "meh".</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Does that
make it a lesser lens than more modern 50mm lenses with "better" MTF plots at faster apertures and
higher DXOMark scores? No. It only makes it a <i>different</i> lens. I would consider a newer lens with rounded aperture blades for a studio portrait shoot, or a more rugged lens with better weather-sealing for use on the water, but for candid or street
photography, where small size is a virtue, or landscape shots,
where stopped-down performance reigns and sunstars can add a nice
creative flare, it is absolutely perfect.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Photography isn't just about producing the sharpest possible image. It's about translating your artistic vision into an image using the proper tools.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Know your tools, and choose them wisely.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Epilogue</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I have become a huge fan of "try before you buy". I've been <a href="https://www.lensrentals.com/">renting</a> 70-200 f/2.8s for racing shoots for about a year now, and I realized that I was wasting a huge opportunity by always getting the same lens. If I really wanted to know my tools, I should be trying different ones. So, as much as I love the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR2, I branched out and started trying other offerings, and I've learned a lot. I also have a few other rentals coming up for other occasions. Stay tuned for my write-up of these experiences!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*Assuming your MTF plot is vs frame position. Other fields outside of photography will often plot them vs frequency.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>** Some manufacturers have managed to produce apertures that are round when wide open for good bokeh but polygonal when stopped down for good sunstars. I try to find these whenever I can....</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-38024253096704925412018-02-15T14:17:00.001+00:002018-05-30T13:09:47.994+01:00The Reflex: Tamron 55BB Lens Review<span style="font-size: large;">I'm a physicist by training, and an astronomy nerd at heart. The first digital camera I used (before they were even called digital cameras) back in the '90s was attached to a reflector telescope pointed at the night sky. Because of this, I've always had a soft spot for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catadioptric_system">catadioptric</a>, or reflex lenses. Most traditional camera lenses use nothing but glass to bend light in order to produce an image, but reflex lenses use a combination of lenses (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioptrics">dioptrics</a>) and mirrors (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catoptrics">catoptrics</a>) to do so.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The main benefit of such a design is that you can produce lenses with large focal lengths that have relatively short and light bodies. My Tamron 500mm is shorter and lighter than a pro 70-200 tele zoom, albeit slightly larger in diameter. It is <i>considerably</i> shorter and lighter than a traditional </span><span style="font-size: large;">dioptric 500mm prime lens would be. They are also excellent at managing various aberrations because considerably less of the optical path is influenced by changes in index of refraction.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">There are, of course, downsides to reflex lenses, otherwise we'd see a lot more of them. They have fixed apertures that are slow compared to traditional </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">dioptric</span> lenses, and out-of-focus areas will take on a very characteristic, and often distracting, donut shape due to the central obstruction. Given their long focal length and slow aperture, they're not good for handheld photography in anything other than bright light, and, somewhat ironically, they can be hard to use on a tripod as well since they don't have much mass to damp any vibrations present; wind is a particular issue. Also, being something of a niche lens that has long since fallen out of favor, they haven't seen much of the way of improvements in the past 30-ish years (lesser optical performance*, no autofocus, etc.). Some companies still make them, but they tend to be geared more towards astronomers than photographers.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwjK_gos2b5prd07MSsyAbxyiFWgklJi0BQmAnqnZrTDpULsGfmpfM7h44m4D5WigoEpPozTycQmbwnEMs0QzIQA5l7SoFaW8Q1HAWh5nil1M411DMJr0yjeZTHxh3X2waHN2FK8ZBGw/s1600/_D726346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1500" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwjK_gos2b5prd07MSsyAbxyiFWgklJi0BQmAnqnZrTDpULsGfmpfM7h44m4D5WigoEpPozTycQmbwnEMs0QzIQA5l7SoFaW8Q1HAWh5nil1M411DMJr0yjeZTHxh3X2waHN2FK8ZBGw/s320/_D726346.jpg" width="320" /></a>My first reflex lens was a new model by Bower/Opteka/Samyang, a 500mm f/6.3. Although I liked a few of the pictures I took with it, I wasn't a fan of it overall. It was very girthy (it took 95mm caps!), that extra girth didn't actually buy you any better light gathering ability (the central obstruction was so large that it performed much like an f/8), and the focus ring was too heavily damped for my taste. But what killed it for me was this: I had a really hard time getting good pictures with it. It was often so bad that I could get better results by shooting at 200mm on a kit lens and cropping to a 500mm field of view. I got a few neatly artistic pictures with it that I love, but that bulk combined with limited utility meant it had to go; I sold it to finance its replacement. Fortunately, I hadn't paid too much for it: you can find them for a little over $100 brand new.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGr6e9k2Hk8TrcR4qh0rBg_7sXvE3xlLLRLg_5o4QMVhKo4Ev8gmwnoJnlVp9SNOmvzpTRx8XJQzgcQ6zokY_ecR6Qr92ej5SJonBQJLvHIO-8an8WmFM_Ee0kvRj5dz25feyFv5I0Yj4/s1600/DSC_1843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGr6e9k2Hk8TrcR4qh0rBg_7sXvE3xlLLRLg_5o4QMVhKo4Ev8gmwnoJnlVp9SNOmvzpTRx8XJQzgcQ6zokY_ecR6Qr92ej5SJonBQJLvHIO-8an8WmFM_Ee0kvRj5dz25feyFv5I0Yj4/s320/DSC_1843.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">My second, and current, reflex lens is the Tamron 55BB 500mm f/8. Although it is smaller in diameter (82mm instead of 95mm) and one stop slower on paper than my previous lens, in some experiments I conducted for the short time I had both, they both had roughly the same light-gathering power, which was a pleasant surprise. It turns out that the central obstruction in the Tamron is proportionally smaller relative to the barrel size so less light gets blocked. Unlike my previous Bower, the focus ring feels much better, and it's easy to turn throughout the entire focus range without feeling sloppy. The Tamon also feels much more solidly built, which is a huge plus for me, and focuses more closely, going so far as to bill itself as a "Tele-Macro" lens. But the biggest difference is by far in the overall optical performance. While it still suffers from the same general limitations of being an older </span><span style="font-size: large;">catadioptric lens, I can actually get reasonably sharp images out of it relatively easily. I did add a short generic lens hood to help control some lens flare, but it's hardly a necessity unless you're shooting close to the sun or backlit subjects.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I say "relatively" easily because shooting with a light, fat, manual focus 500mm lens takes a good deal of practice and, ideally, a camera with good in-viewfinder focus indicators (like my Nikon D7200 has). You have a tiny depth of field unless your subject is a quarter a mile away or more, and anything out of focus turns "loopy" very quickly so getting your focus right is both tricky and important. You'll also want to try to focus on subjects that are largely parallel to your field of view for the same reason. Fortunately, most subjects that I tend to shoot (i.e. landscapes, boats on the water, etc.) are far enough away that I can just set the focus to infinity (which is clearly marked) and tweak it slightly around there as need be. Shooting surfers was hard...but I managed.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Be-bCD_FfSy/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2018-02-09T12:07:12+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 9, 2018 at 4:07am PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I <i>love</i> this lens. While it is definitely a niche lens and will never substitute for, say, a 70-200 f/2.8 for general purpose telephoto shooting, I like being able to toss what is essentially a small telescope into my camera bag and not sacrifice much space to do so. While they haven't been made new for several decades, there are still a fair number available on the used market. My less-than-perfect example (plus the necessary Nikon adapter**) cost me about $100 at <a href="https://www.keh.com/shop/tamron-500mm-f-8-sp-tele-macro-55bb-lens-30-5.html">KEH.com</a>, which is just a fraction of a modern tele zoom. At that price, this lens is a steal.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BfOHPo3lZOW/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2018-02-15T14:22:08+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 15, 2018 at 6:22am PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Reflex: maybe it's not just a song by Duran Duran anymore....</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Epilogue, 30 May 2018</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In doing some research on adapting vintage lenses using the M42 screw mount to Nikon, I came upon something that I was previously unaware of. While you can physically adapt an M42 screw mount to a Nikon flange, the geometry of the arrangement generally prevents the lens from focusing at infinity unless your adapter includes</span><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: large;">a lens to alter the image slightly. This is almost certainly why I couldn't get clear images with my original Opetka reflex lens! The adapter I used didn't include any optics.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All things considered, I'm glad that I didn't know this earlier because I do much prefer my Tamron, but I wanted to update this post so anyone reading it would know too.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*One important thing to note is that at the kinds of ranges you tend to use a 500mm lens at, especially over water like I do, atmospheric interference is likely going to be the limiting factor on your image quality, not your equipment.<br /><br />** This lens is part of the old <a href="http://www.adaptall-2.com/">Tamron Adaptall-2</a> series of lenses. All of the lenses came with a common mount designed to accept adapters for different camera bodies. Unlike the cheap, screw-on adapter used by the Opteka and other astronomy-based lenses, these adapters are well-machined bayonet mounts and feel very solid.</span></i></span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-27240546615189709042018-02-07T12:39:00.002+00:002018-02-07T12:51:17.531+00:00Back To The BVI!<span style="font-size: large;">Two years ago, Sara and I went sailing in the <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2016/04/things-i-relearned-sailing-in-bvi.html">BVI</a> and the <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2016/08/things-i-relearned-sailing-in-balearic.html">Balearic Islands</a>. Both times it was with one other person, both times it was on 39-ish monohulls with a similar layout, and both trips were <i>amazing</i>. Each trip also offered something new: our BVI trip was my first trip as a skipper, and our Balearic trip was our first time in the Mediterranean.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Shortly after we booked our second trip that year, my older daughter Abby, now 13, told me in no uncertain terms that if we took another trip like this without her that she would kill me.*<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Be5WIPIF5I1/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2018-02-07T12:48:09+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 7, 2018 at 4:48am PST</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Not being one to tempt fate, or the temper of a 13-year-old-girl, I am happy to report that we will be cruising in the BVI for a week this summer and that we will be doing so without pain of death hanging over me. And like our past two trips, this one also has new things to offer. Although this will be our third time in the BVI, this will be my first time skippering a catamaran, my first time skippering with an appreciable crew (we're bringing some family along), an my first time skippering overnight with kids aboard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But despite our excitement, this trip will be doubly bittersweet. Last September, Hurricane Irma devastated the Caribbean, with the BVI being particularly hard hit. Although rebuilding is already well underway, I expect that we will still see much of the remaining devastation and reconstruction. I'm hoping that our tourism dollars will help with the recovery. It will also be our first time back since the loss of Sara's mother to cancer a month after our last trip there. I'm hoping to hit a few of the same spots with other members of her family so that they can share our memories of her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BFJb6RGnrij/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-05-08T13:10:16+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 8, 2016 at 6:10am PDT</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, watch this space. Adventure awaits this summer!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*And I kinda believed her.... </span></i> </span></span>Nautography Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13008400872832428761noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-16066223582008232892018-01-17T11:45:00.000+00:002018-02-07T15:00:36.432+00:00On Cameras<span style="font-size: large;">As I've taken and shared more and more pictures, I've been asked two questions with increasing regularity:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">1. What kind of camera did you use to take that picture?<br />2. What kind of camera should I buy?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'd like to take a moment to address both of those questions here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BUbr9DEF95m/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: "arial", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-05-23T11:07:42+00:00" style="font-family: "arial", sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">May 23, 2017 at 4:07am PDT</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>What kind of camera did you use to take that picture?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">When I was getting a print of the above picture framed, the lady behind the counter asked me if I used some kind of special camera to take it. Although I politely told her what I used, the correct answer would have been to tell her that this is the wrong question to be asking. It's like asking a chef what kind of pan they used to prepare a delicious meal, or what kind of brush an artist used to paint a masterpiece.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">There are a lot of things that go into making a good photograph. Things like lighting, timing, and positioning are all far more important than what camera the photographer is using. In the image above, the sun is setting behind me and casting a golden glow across the harbor. There is also a harbor wall behind me shading me from that golden glow, making the foreground look darker and bluer. In essence, the sun has set further on me than it has on the other side of the harbor. It's this combination of lighting, timing, and positioning that created the contrast of light and color that make this image so interesting, not the camera I used. And it took knowing all of those things (or, in this case, being with someone who knew all of those things*) to capture that image, not a specific camera.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The camera is just a tool. It can't take good pictures, only the person using it can do that. Taking good pictures requires experience, patience, and a little bit of luck, not a good camera.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">What a good camera does do is make it <i>easier </i>to take good pictures. This is why pros buy top-end cameras, not because they take better pictures. The easier it is to use, the less distracted the person using it will be and the more focused they'll be on taking pictures. Which leads me to my second question:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>What kind of camera should I buy?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This is also the wrong question. What you should be asking yourself is what you need a camera to do. If you're interested in shooting portraits or weddings, using the kit I use to shoot racing sailboats would likely leave you woefully unprepared. And even if you are shooting racing sailboats, using my kit without knowing what I've learned about it could leave you almost as unprepared.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I don't like to tell people which camera to buy, but I will tell people who are starting out what I think they should look for in a camera. Don't look at your camera purchase in terms of specific features, but to look at what you can learn from it. Think of it as the first car that parents buy a teenager who just got their license; they wouldn't likely buy that kid a Ferrari, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Your first camera is a tool, as all cameras are, but it will also likely be your first teacher. Pick a camera that gives you options to learn and gives you room to grow. To me, this means three things:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It should be cheap.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It should have interchangable lenses.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It absolutely has to allow for full manual control. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">This is exactly what I did, although I didn't realize it at the time. My first "real" camera was a refurbished, out-of-production Nikon D3100. (I wrote a 'blog post about my first camera and what I liked and disliked about it at the time <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2016/03/new-toy-nikon-d3100.html">here</a>**.) I had no clue what I was doing, but after using that D3100 for about a year, I felt like I had learned enough to know what would be a good choice for my next camera. I bought another Nikon, a D7200, because it was (and still is) the best mix of features for what I need on my budget. How did I know that? Experience. I knew what I needed by not having it (in my case, better weather-proofing, better autofocus, and easier ways to change settings among other things), not because someone else told me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ0rhEoF8sx/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: "arial", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-10-04T10:41:52+00:00" style="font-family: "arial", sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Oct 4, 2017 at 3:41am PDT</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">This picture is single most popular image on my Instagram feed by a substantial margin at the time of this post. It was taken with that cheap, refurbished, out-of-production, entry-level D3100, not the more expensive camera.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /><br />It's not about the camera. <i>It's about the photographer.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">A camera is just a box that collects light. <i>Learn to work with the light. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* Big 'ole shout-out to Kat Hanafin at <a href="https://thenauticollection.com/">The Nautical Collection</a> for putting me in the right place at the right time to take that pic. After almost a year, I did manage to recreate the effect on my own in <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bd2VR-lloZF/">this pic</a>. Thanks Kat.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">**At some point I may need to go back and update that post with more things I've learned. Given my recent posting rate, that'll be sometime in 2020. Heh. </span></span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-63312035804254436092017-09-07T12:23:00.001+01:002017-09-07T12:31:00.266+01:00Professional Photographer?<span style="font-size: large;">I <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2015/05/about-me.html">started</a> Nautography two and a half years ago with little more than an iPhone, a background in sailing, and a dream.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/2YNQZNnrtv/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2015-05-07T10:59:55+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 7, 2015 at 3:59am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">About a year later, I <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2016/03/new-toy-nikon-d3100.html">bought</a> my first "real" camera*, a bottom-of-the-line refurbished Nikon DSL.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDRZgnhnrly/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-03-22T22:20:25+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 22, 2016 at 3:20pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few months ago, I started getting instruction from pro photographers and using Lightroom/Photoshop to post-process my images.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BTJNrFKlbhI/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-04-21T10:25:23+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Apr 21, 2017 at 3:25am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now I'm an on-the-water contributing photographer for <a href="https://www.spinsheet.com/">Spinsheet Magazine</a>, having provided their <a href="https://issuu.com/spinsheetpublishingcompany/docs/aug_ss_2017/1?e=18283236/51588237">August cover</a> and now with my <a href="https://spinsheet.smugmug.com/SpinSheet/2017-Events/2017-Annapolis-Labor-Day-Regatta/">first regatta shoot</a> under my belt.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">It seems that while my 'blog posting has been somewhat anemic and my sailing adventures have been somewhat lacking (at least this past year), my photography has really been taking off.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYqFGpClURN/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-09-05T11:22:24+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 5, 2017 at 4:22am PDT</time></div>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script> <span style="font-size: large;">It's been a lot of work, I still have a lot to learn, and I haven't gotten here on my own. I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way, with a few special shoutouts: <a href="http://kathanafin.com/">Kat</a> for her experience and patience, <a href="http://jennifercaseyphotography.com/">Jen</a> for the opportunities and encouragement, Molly and Mary at Spinsheet for having complete faith in a rookie photographer, my folks for providing me more creative genes than I had realized, and most of all my lovely wife Sara for being fully supportive of me running headlong into a second career even though we just had a baby.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BYvPXK9lAdG/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-09-07T11:28:15+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 7, 2017 at 4:28am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Somebody pinch me....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*I did buy a GoPro in there somewhere too, but it hasn't seen much use. Maybe I need to rectify that. Hmmmm.....</span> </span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-894411429413964042017-08-03T18:39:00.000+01:002017-08-03T18:39:11.133+01:00Bon Voyage<span style="font-size: large;">The tail end of 2016 was quite eventful for us in that we found out that we bought a sailboat and found out that we were having a baby. Earlier this spring, Sara & I decided that it would likely be best for us if we sold the boat; we wanted to be able to focus our attention on our new arrival and it didn't seem prudent, or good for the boat, to leave it sitting unused for a few years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday, the sale was finalized, and Sara & I are no longer boat owners*. It was a hard decision, and I'll miss Bird, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. I wish her and her new owner many wonderful voyages!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I know it's been a while since I posted (big shock, right?) but I should have a few new posts up soon. I've been quiet, but I haven't been idle. ;^)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* Well, we do still own the dinghy. I mean, come on. We couldn't give up the dinghy! B^)</span> </span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-30751979925827638922017-03-17T11:21:00.000+00:002017-03-17T11:32:22.355+00:00Thumbs Up: A Severn River Shipwreck<span style="font-size: large;">Around the middle of last December, I caught word through an Instagram post that a sailboat had run aground at <a href="http://www.aacounty.org/locations-and-directions/jonas-green-park">Jonas Green Park</a> in Annapolis. Being the curious sort, I stopped by after work the next day with my camera to catch a glimpse of the shipwreck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BN_4T41gDlh/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: "arial",sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-12-14T12:48:34+00:00" style="font-family: "arial",sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Dec 14, 2016 at 4:48am PST</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the looks of it, she was a Cal 22 in otherwise good condition aside from being aground. She was reasonably upright and her hatches were closed and her hull and rigging looked solid, but her engine and sails had been removed. I'm guessing she had been in storage on a mooring ball or at anchor somewhere and broken free.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I came back the following morning before work when the tide was considerably lower, and she was clearly heeling, almost to the point of her cabin windows being submerged.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOE6jCmABg8/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: "arial",sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-12-16T11:44:19+00:00" style="font-family: "arial",sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Dec 16, 2016 at 3:44am PST</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I did what any concerned sailor should do and notified the proper authorities of her whereabouts and gave them her registration information from the hull. Under Maryland law, I couldn't legally attempt any kind of salvage operation until after a certain amount of time had passed without the owner claiming her, so for now I would have to be content to watch from shore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOE6UYDg9x8/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: "arial",sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-12-16T11:42:19+00:00" style="font-family: "arial",sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Dec 16, 2016 at 3:42am PST</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That morning, in the light of day, I could see that she had been in the water for some time. Barnacles were growing over much of her hull, although oddly were absent from the lower portions. I can only guess that she was at leas partially buried in the sand, roughly upright, prior to arriving at Jonas Green. The tides in mid-December had been quite high, so it's entirely possible that she drifted there from a previous grounding.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the weeks passed, I stopped by every so often to check on her. She was working her way further up the shore, so far that by early January you could touch her bow at low tide and not get your feet wet, and was no longer standing even close to upright at high tide. Shortly after her initial grounding, she had rolled over onto her port side instead of her starboard side.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">By late January, she had settled enough onto her port side that she started taking on water. First in the cockpit, then eventually in the cabin. At this point, I realized that she was more than likely a total loss.</span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPr5NApgL6a/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-01-25T11:34:21+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 25, 2017 at 3:34am PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Around the time that Sara & I moved to Annapolis, we had purchased a dinghy. One Saturday, I got the bright idea to take that Dinghy to the park and see if I could read the boat's name off of her transom. It was cold, damp, and I was fighting the sniffles, but it was an opportunity I couldn't miss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPpWobYAOvG/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: "arial",sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-01-24T11:53:47+00:00" style="font-family: "arial",sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Jan 24, 2017 at 3:53am PST</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although I never got a single clear picture that showed her name in its entirety (largely because of the placement of the outboard mount), I learned that her name was Thumbs Up. An oddly optimistic name for a boat stuck in such a pessimistic position.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRS2JsIDPOJ/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: "arial",sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-03-06T11:09:27+00:00" style="font-family: "arial",sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Mar 6, 2017 at 3:09am PST</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the flooding came the winter storms. By the first weekend in March, her mast had broken in two, and her rudder had broken off. The following weekend, her mast had fallen entirely off into the water. The elements were taking their toll on the poor boat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRsiVHyjxxs/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: "arial",sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-03-16T10:36:31+00:00" style="font-family: "arial",sans-serif; line-height: 17px;">Mar 16, 2017 at 3:36am PDT</time></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After her mast had fallen off into the water, I took it upon myself to drag up what I could onto the shore. It wasn't much as the lower half of the mast and the boom were still connected to the hull by various lines and shrouds, but I wanted to make sure that the upper portion, which was free, didn't get buried or wash away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I asked a passing DNR officer about the status of the boat, and he informed me that her owner was coming to salvage her the following week. I thanked him and went on my way, not quite believing that, after all this time, her owner had finally come for her.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BRvM7_kjICT/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-03-17T11:27:18+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 17, 2017 at 4:27am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">On March 16th, I stopped by Jonas Green Park and Thumbs Up was nowhere to be seen. Her owner had finally come and gotten her. I was sad that I would no longer be able to photograph my favorite shipwreck, but also hopeful that she would get a proper salvage and sail the waters of the Severn River again.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Godspeed. </span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-24633895880669151872017-01-01T14:11:00.000+00:002017-01-01T14:19:43.368+00:002016 Recap in Pictures<span style="font-size: large;">2016 was a hell of a year for us, packed with new adventures and some painful losses. And, just like last year, I was too busy going and doing (and photographing!) to actually get as much 'blogging in as I would like to. So, I'd like to send 2016 off with a little tribute.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In January, we moved in with Sara's mom.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BA4oYranrtl/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-01-23T14:26:37+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 23, 2016 at 6:26am PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In March, I bought my first "real" camera.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDRZgnhnrly/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-03-22T22:20:25+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 22, 2016 at 3:20pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In April, we took Sara's mom sailing in the Caribbean.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BEe2WLhHrrb/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-04-22T00:13:55+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Apr 21, 2016 at 5:13pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In May, we lost Sara's mom to cancer.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BFJb6RGnrij/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-05-08T13:10:16+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 8, 2016 at 6:10am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In June, I started volunteering with CRAB.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIFEEkDAJpt/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-07-20T09:59:11+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 20, 2016 at 2:59am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In August, we took our friend Jen sailing in Spain.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJkanNNAYzB/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-26T10:44:00+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2016 at 3:44am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Later that month, we lost Sara's grandfather.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BKOQFeDAN4l/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-09-11T16:40:07+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 11, 2016 at 9:40am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In September, we moved to Annapolis.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BKk3REQAynD/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-09-20T11:25:46+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 20, 2016 at 4:25am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In October, we bought our first boat.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMQ9Lr9ACuf/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-11-01T10:55:27+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 1, 2016 at 3:55am PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And, finally, in December, we were happy to announce that we'll be having a baby in June!</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOuYsxmgY62/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2017-01-01T14:16:39+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 1, 2017 at 6:16am PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy New Year! May your 2017 be joyous and eventful! </span><br />
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-17173138804602137022016-12-15T11:32:00.004+00:002016-12-15T11:37:14.195+00:00The Badass SwedeEvery time I charter a boat, it seems like I see some incredible maneuver happen. This Spring in the BVI, it was <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2016/04/the-gods-of-docking.html">The Gods of Docking</a>, and this summer in the Balearics is was the Badass Swede.<br />
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We had entered the anchorage of Cala Pi on Sunday afternoon and gradually worked our way up towards the beach as boats closer in left. As we settled into our final spot, the skipper of a departing boat suggested that we set a stern anchor in order to keep our boat from swaying beam-on to swell throughout the night.We did this and ended up having a very peaceful night.<br />
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At this point in the afternoon, the anchorage is pretty full and I thought there was no way that another boat would fit in as close as we were: we were only a boat-and-a-half away from the cliff on the west side of the cove, and we were close enough to the marked-off swim area that squeezing in would have been exceedingly difficult.<br />
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Enter the Badass Swede. I have no idea of the his actual nationality, but his boat was flying a flag that looked decidedly like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Sweden">Swedish flag</a>, so the name stuck.<br />
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The Badass Swede drives his 45-ish foot sailboat into the cove looking for a spot. He comes to a stop near us and begins to execute a perfectly stationary 180 degree turn while asking me where our anchor is set. I point it out to him, he nods, and then when his bow is facing out of the cove, he goes reverse slow towards the swim area.<br />
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I sincerely regret not grabbing a video camera at this point because what followed was nothing short of maritime ballet.<br />
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Shortly after going into reverse, the Badass Swede shouts up to his man on the bow and he nonchalantly kicks the anchor overboard. No slow, measured lowering of the rode, he just lets it all go at once, which means that he had let out a set amount of chain in advance. The Badass Swede keeps going in slow reverse for a moment until the anchor sets, and it sets solidly because the boat stops almost immediately.<br />
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At this point, their stern is maybe 20 feet from the edge of the marked swim area.*<br />
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Within a heartbeat of stopping, the Badass Swede had another man in their dinghy motoring out with a stern anchor to keep the boat from swinging. Rather like the rode for the main anchor had been measured out in advance, so too had the stern anchor and the dinghy been set before they even entered the cove.<br />
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The entire operation took under five minutes. It was seamless, took only a small handful of commands to execute, and I didn't see their boat move a damned inch the whole time we were there.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BOCUAvYg2r-/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">The Badass Swede is on the far right. Our boat is the third from the right, up against the cliff.</a> on <time datetime="2016-12-15T11:29:06+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 15, 2016 at 3:29am PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i> </i></span>Badass Swede (on the right-most boat in the picture above), I don't know who you are or what nation you hail from,
but thank you for giving me something to aspire to. Bravo sir, bravo.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>*My one beef with the Badass Swede is that his stern anchor was set into a marked swim area, which meant taking the dinghy somewhere it shouldn't have gone. I'm not sure that I would have done that, but given the overall level of badassery involved, I'm willing to let it slide.</i></span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-32093320256494184062016-12-15T11:21:00.002+00:002016-12-15T11:21:41.839+00:00Landlocked Part DeuxJust like the <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2015/12/landlocked.html">last half of 2015</a>, the last half of 2016 has kept me away from 'blogging. Shortly after getting back from Spain we started making preparations to move to Annapolis, and the whole "moving/settling" process obviously took a lot of time. Fortunately, I've managed to spend a lot of time in Annapolis taking pictures, so my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nautography/">Instagram</a> feed has been pretty full until recently when it started getting cold. Brrrr!<br />
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We also managed to, rather unexpectedly, buy our first sailboat. I say "rather unexpectedly" not because we were surprised that we bought a boat (what sailor moves to Annapolis and doesn't buy a boat, right?) but because we weren't really planning on buying a boat that quickly, or one quite that old. S/V Bird's Nest (Bird for short), a 1967 Bristol 29, has already provided us with some...interesting times and I've already started on some repairs necessary to get her back into operating condition and we should be able to have fun sailing her this summer.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BMQ9Lr9ACuf/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-11-01T10:55:27+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 1, 2016 at 3:55am PDT</time></div>
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I plan to spend some time this winter writing up the story of how we acquired and moved Bird to her new home closer to Annapolis, and the work I've had to do on her engine so far.<br />
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Stay tuned!<br />
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Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-72277940852560606942016-08-31T11:38:00.003+01:002016-08-31T12:01:19.930+01:00Balearic Island Highlights: Cabrera<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabrera,_Balearic_Islands">Cabrera</a> is the largest island in a small archipelago off of the southeastern shore of Mallorca, only a couple hour sail from Colònia de Sant Jordi, Sa Rà pita, or any of the other stopover spots along that stretch of coast.<br />
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While there are several well-protected harbors, no anchoring is allowed as the entire archipelago is a nature reserve. However, in the main harbor there is something of a rarity in the Balearics: a mooring field. There are about 50 overnight moorings for vessels of differing sizes, and you must reserve them in advance. Be aware that reservations cannot be made until 20 days before your desired date, and in peak season they go very quickly. You can reserve a spot for 2 days during peak season, or for a whole week when it's less busy.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJxTRePAboj/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-31T10:49:59+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 31, 2016 at 3:49am PDT</time></div>
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To reserve a mooring, follow <a href="https://www.caib.es/rescabfront/inicioForm?tipoReserva=AMARRE&lang=en">this link</a>. You will need the full registration/owner information for the boat, so if you are chartering make sure you ask for this <i>before</i> you try to place a reservation. I didn't* and it forced me to reserve a spot a day later than I had hoped, which cost us a whole afternoon there. Reservations are from 6PM local time on the day of your reservation until 5PM the following day. Unless you get stuck on one of the large-ship red moorings at the mouth of the harbor like we did (they were the last ones available), the moorings are in a quite protected part of the harbor. Even our more exposed position was relatively calm while we were there. There are also day-only moorings in the same harbor, and more on the other side of the island, but I am not familiar with how those are reserved.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJxTj8Egcb_/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-31T10:52:31+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 31, 2016 at 3:52am PDT</time></div>
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So, with the "how" out of the way, let me get into the "why". <i>Cabrera is absolutely beautiful</i>. There is a small pier with limited facilities in the main harbor; the single best dinghy dock we saw all week, restrooms, and a small cantina that serves a variety of delicious tapas. (Note that, unlike many other restaurants on Mallorca, the cantina on Cabrera closes a bit on the early side at 9:30 PM local time.) There is a strict "no trash" policy, so don't expect to be able to bring any rubbish or recycling ashore. From the pier, you can find a series of hiking trails that lead to, among other places, a small medieval castle overlooking the harbor that is partially open to the public. The castle is definitely worth checking out even if you're not a history buff because the views of both the harbor and the Mediterranean are spectacular. There are also a few areas in the south of the harbor where you can dinghy ashore to beaches and some good areas for snorkeling, but we didn't get to any of them.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJxTwKVAKL6/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-31T10:54:11+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 31, 2016 at 3:54am PDT</time></div>
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But the crown jewel of Cabrera has to be the stars. There is virtually no light pollution there, and with the high cliffs surrounding the harbor you get what Sara calls a "snowglobe" effect where the stars all feel close enough to just reach out and touch. On a clear night like we had, words don't really do the view justice. I'd love to go back an just spend a few hours ashore taking pictures of the stars.<br />
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One piece of advice: if you're moored near one of the cliffs in the harbor like we were, keep your anchor light on even though it's not required in a mooring field. Imagine motoring in your dinghy towards a massive wall of blackness, several times taller than your sailboat, that fills your entire field of view and trying to find said sailboat without any lights on it. Even with the anchor light on it was a tad disconcerting, but without a light on it would have been downright unpleasant.<br />
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We only got to stay for about 18 hours due to scheduling pressure, which is not nearly enough time to explore, but even in that short time we fell in love with the place. If you ever find yourself planning a trip to Mallorca's southeastern shore, I highly recommend at least a whole day stopover at Cabrera.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>*The main base of the charter company did though, and they provided it quickly once I asked. It was the 6-hour time difference that really slowed us down though. </i></span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-40152612570601729992016-08-26T11:36:00.002+01:002016-08-31T19:46:40.534+01:00Balearic Island Highlights: Cala PiCala Pi is a small, quiet, protected anchorage along the southern coast of Mallorca that lies about 2 nm east of the lighthouse at Cabo Blanco. There is only room for a six or so yachts of the 12-15 meter
range for an overnight stay*, but if you happen to find a spot there you are in for a treat. It is long and narrow and surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs, so it would be easy to miss from the sea were it not for the medieval watchtower situated prominently at its mouth. The cliffs protect the cove from wind coming from any direction but the south.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJkaaLIgI8Y/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-26T10:42:13+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2016 at 3:42am PDT</time></div>
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At the head of the cove is a small, sandy beach with a well-marked swim area and a set of stairs going up to the town of Cala Pi. The swim area for the beach takes up most of the head of the cove, but there is a channel for dinghies and other small craft. There is a designated dinghy parking area on the beach and sheds for locally-owned small boats are built up along one of the cliff walls.<br />
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The bottom is a mix of sand and thick seagrass so you'll have to be
careful about where you set your anchors, but they should hold well in sand. The
depth comes up from about 5-6 meters at the mouth to a little under 3 meters** by the edge of the swim area. This provides plenty of depth for yachts of the size I mentioned earlier without needing too much room to swing on a long rode. I haven't seen detailed depth information on any charts I've looked at, so
make sure you do a "drive-by" as necessary to get a feel for the depths. There are a few large rocks sitting away from the cliff faces that one could tie off to instead of using a stern anchor if one was so inclined, and we saw at least one boat doing just that while we were there.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJkanNNAYzB/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-26T10:44:00+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2016 at 3:44am PDT</time></div>
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The town of Cala Pi has an assortment of restaurants and a supermarket near the beach, although I can imagine that carrying down a large load of provisions down the stairs to the beach would be a bit treacherous. We had dinner at the Restaurante Miguel, and their seafood was remarkable. But probably the best reason to climb the stairs into town is the view from the aforementioned watchtower. There are stunning views of the sea to the south and east, and to the west you get a fantastic view of the cove itself.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJkbMfGgbwI/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-26T10:49:05+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2016 at 3:49am PDT</time></div>
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If you find yourself sailing east out of Palma and looking for a place to stop that's not just another crowded, run-of-the-mill beach anchorage, I'd highly suggest giving Cala Pi a try.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*A few more boats could easily fit anchored further out, but expect to be in for a rather rolly stay. We started out off there and within five minutes we knew that staying there overnight would have been rather uncomfortable.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">**We never did figure out where out depth sounder was calibrated, so take these numbers with a grain of salt. One more reason to do a "drive-by" before you anchor. </span></i>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-16716832681531255242016-08-23T11:39:00.003+01:002016-08-23T11:48:29.859+01:00Things I (Re)Learned Sailing in The Balearic IslandsApologies for the unannounced, extended hiatus. My last <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2016/05/a-bit-more-time-gratitude.html">post back in May</a> was rather draining and getting ready for this trip was rather hectic. But, now we're back and I have a ton to talk about, so hopefully you'll be seeing some more posts soon!<br />
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So, without further ado:<br />
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<b>1. Not all cruising grounds are the same.</b> When someone asked me to compare sailing in the BVI to sailing in the Balearics, my short answer was this: "Sailing in the BVI is a vacation, sailing in the Balearics is an adventure." In the Balearics, especially in peak season, you will be anchoring most nights as there aren't nearly enough mooring balls or marina spots to accommodate all the boats. The weather is also far less consistent than in the BVI: unlike the constant Easterlies I've experienced there, around Mallorca the wind is shifty and varies considerably with your position relative to land, and over time. Along with the wind, the ocean swell is also rather hard to predict. All of these factors mean that you have to be very flexible with your plan in order to ensure you can find a comfortable anchorage each night. Fortunately, along the southeast coastline of Mallorca, there are plenty of anchorages to choose from.<br />
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<b>2. Cleats? What cleats?</b> While all of the boats we saw had the kinds of cleats I'm used to seeing, the docks we pulled up to did not. For larger craft, instead of the standard issue cleat, there was a large, flat-ish hook, facing away from the water, that worked well for wrapping a line around and tying both ends off on your boat. Dinghy accommodations were somewhat more...irregular, with the most common cleat substitute being a metal ring anchored into something. These rings were anchored into items ranging from an actual wooden dock like I have seen elsewhere in the world to the stones of a jetty. Some of them looked like they had been there for a hundred years or more. Everything was functional, if a bit cramped, but it definitely took a little getting used to.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJcsirlAHoM/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-23T10:46:44+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 23, 2016 at 3:46am PDT</time></div>
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<b>3. Every sailboat should have at least one set of snorkel gear.</b> Unfortunately, the charter company for this trip did not provide any, nor did I think to bring any and I didn't think anything of it as we sailed away from base. In spite of the utility of a GoPro on a selfie stick (which I had discussed in a <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2015/06/things-i-relearned-sailing-to-maine.html">previous post</a>), sometimes you just need a pair of Mark I Eyeballs underwater to have a look at things. In particular, there was some confusion as to where our depth sounder was calibrated (depth below keel, depth below waterline, depth from transducer, etc.) which added some guesswork to our anchoring and the GoPro was no good for helping assess that. Also, on one occasion we managed to snag the anchor on a large rock hiding under the otherwise sandy bottom (<i>Blarg!</i>) and having a mask and fins would have likely allowed me to follow the rode down fifteen feet or so and free it. (We did manage to get free, but it took considerable time and some...creative driving.)<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/5s77yNHrhS/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Ben Cushwa (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2015-07-29T01:46:47+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 28, 2015 at 6:46pm PDT</time></div>
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(Note: This was taken on a different boat last summer.)</i><b><br /></b><br />
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<b>4. Every skipper should learn how to properly set a stern anchor.</b> Two of the anchorages we opted to stay in were relatively tight with steep cliff faces at waters edge, so in order to avoid being beam-on to any incoming swell and keep ourselves off of the rocks we set stern anchors at those two locations. I had read about setting stern anchors, but admittedly had never done so in practice. The first anchorage (at Cala Pi) turned out reasonably well, but at the second anchorage (Cala Marmols) our stern anchor dragged during the night. We weren't in immediate danger when I realized our predicament, but we were noticeably closer to one of the cliffs than when we had set the anchor and a quick tug on our stern rode showed that it was not providing any holding power. Not wanting to attempt to reset the stern anchor in the pre-dawn gloom and not wanting to wait another hour until we had sunlight, I woke Sara, we vacated the anchorage in an orderly manner, and motored to an easier-to-anchor-in spot so we could get some sleep. I've since taken stock of my experience (and done some additional reading) and I feel pretty comfortable that I know what I was doing wrong and, hopefully, won't make the same mistake again.<br />
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<b>5. Communication with your crew is paramount.</b> Sara & I have sailed before on several occasions, and she's proven to be very a capable crew member. On our recent BVI trip in particular, by the time we finished we could pick up a mooring ball pretty much without talking: I pointed us roughly upwind towards a mooring ball, Sara took the helm, and I directed the final approach from the bow. Seamless. Our first afternoon anchoring at Cala Pi involved multiple anchor sets; partly because of some failed sets, but mostly because we wanted to move to the calmer waters closer to shore as other boats closer-in left. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of assuming that just because I understood what was going on that Sara
did too. This was foolish on my part because, even though the to of us were pros at picking up a mooring ball, Sara had only helped me anchor once before, and even then under entirely different circumstances. Needless to say, stress levels began to rise by about the third set. At that point, Sara sat me down and explained that she was very frustrated because she didn't really know what was going on, and I realized that I hadn't been communicating with her <i>nearly </i>enough. I was more verbose after that, both before and during maneuvers, and things went considerably more smoothly for the remainder of the trip. Thanks baby.<br />
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<b>6. Put the camera down and enjoy things.</b> After we checked in our boat near Palma, we took a short hop over to Ibiza and had the extreme pleasure of enjoying a sunset at <a href="http://www.kumharas.org/en-gb/">Kumharas</a>*. I was frantically snapping away until about 10 minutes before sunset, then I put my camera down, sat with Sara, and simply enjoyed the moment together. No number of pictures can ever capture that. <br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*If you ever get a chance to go to Kumharas for a sunset dinner, do it. Don't hesitate, ask why, or balk. Just go. You'll thank me.</span></i><br />
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-55740781145187129232016-05-25T12:12:00.000+01:002016-05-25T12:12:06.187+01:00A Bit More Time / Gratitude<div dir="ltr">
If you've been following my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nautography/">Instagram feed</a>, you'll know that I was recently in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Virgin_Islands">BVI</a> for a week-long trip on a charter sailboat along with my wife Sara and her mom Cathy (a.k.a. Momma). Sara & I had been to the BVI before with friends back in 2012; we fell in love with the place and vowed that we would eventually go back. After a few years of work taking courses and sailing as crew, I earned my <a href="http://www.rya.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx">RYA</a> Day Skipper certification last summer which would allow me to charter a boat on our own instead of having to rely on others.</div>
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Once the three of us started planning this trip last December, we knew it would be one for the books. It was going to be my first time as the skipper on a multi-day sail, it was the first trip abroad for Sara & I since getting married, and it was going to be Cathy's first trip ever to the Caribbean. From the time we booked the boat until the day we left, Cathy was curious about what we were going to be seeing and where we were going to be going, and Sara & I spent joyful hours telling her all about it. Cathy's excitement was almost palpable. But in addition to all of the excitement and happy anticipation, there was something looming over all of our heads making this trip somewhat urgent.</div>
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Cathy had been diagnosed with terminal cancer about sixteen months before our trip.<br />
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After she was diagnosed, she started on various rounds of chemotherapy, to which she responded quite well, and spent time traveling domestically to visit friends and family. By the time December rolled around she was still in relatively good health despite the grim prognosis for her kind of cancer, and that's when the three of us decided to take the BVI trip. I had just earned the credentials, we had the money, we just needed a bit more time.<br />
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<i>I had never taken the phrase "a bit more time" so seriously in my life.</i></div>
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The trip was everything we dreamed it would be and we all had a fantastic time in spite of a few bumps along the way. Even though she had only been on a sailboat once before with us for a daysail in Pensacola, Cathy took to life aboard very well and enjoyed our time under sail. We hit some of our favorite places from the 2012 trip (The Baths, North Sound, Trellis Bay) along with a few new ones (East End, Cooper Island, Spanish Town). I took a lot of pictures, the ladies did some shopping, we spent much well-needed time just relaxing and enjoying each others' company, and Cathy sent post cards to folks back home, which I thought was a really nice touch.</div>
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I had never seen two grown women try so hard to contain their excitement and happiness about visiting new places, doing new things, and simply...being. Having the opportunity to see them have so much fun for the week, especially in light of Cathy's condition, instilled me with a profound sense of gratitude.</div>
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A few weeks after we returned, Cathy's health deteriorated rapidly and she finally succumbed to cancer on Saturday, May 14th, 2016. We had been back from the BVI for just over a month.</div>
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I am grateful for the wonderful daughters she raised, grateful for the wisdom she shared with me in the brief time that I knew her, grateful for her and her family accepting my daughter and I as one of their own, grateful that she trusted me enough to take her far beyond where she had ever gone before for one last adventure, and <i>profoundly </i>grateful that we had just a bit more time to pull that adventure off.</div>
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Love you Momma. Thanks for making me a better man. <3</div>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-83997875163233204412016-04-22T01:07:00.000+01:002016-05-12T18:47:46.024+01:00Things I (Re)Learned Sailing In The BVIAnd just like that, my much-anticipated return to the Caribbean has come and gone. I'm somewhat settled back into my regular routine and ready to share some lessons.<br />
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<b>1. Pack light.</b> I've heard this before and I think I did a reasonably good job packing light on clothes, but my camera bag was another story. I brought just the right amount of gear for my Nikon (probably because I don't really have any gear for my Nikon apart from a charger and a pair of lenses), but I totally over-packed on GoPro stuff. My CamelBak had never felt heavy before, but this time it was stuffed to the gills and I definitely felt it. This over-packing was accentuated by the fact that being sick for a few days kept me from doing much of the snorkeling that I had planned on using it for. Urk. One of the first things I did when I got home (aside from sleeping) was cutting down my standard GoPro kit to something more minimalist for future adventures.<br />
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<b>2. "Travel Days" are an absolute Godsend.</b> The last time Sara & I sailed in the BVI, we arrived the day before we set sail and we spent that night on the boat. "First night on the boat" is a common service offered by many charter companies, but after a long day traveling, one more night in a real bed, with a real shower in the morning, would have been nice. And on our last day, we had to drop off the boat, clean up, pack up, and make a flight home all in one day. Needless to say, that last day on our last trip was a blur. With these lessons in mind, I scheduled a "travel day" on either end of our charter this time around; we stayed at a hotel at the marina the night before and the night after our charter. Not only did this mean we were far less rushed and much more rested, since our charter company had a busy day scheduled on our return day and we didn't have to catch a flight, they actually gave us a few more hours out on the boat for free. Score!<br />
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<b> </b><br />
<b>3. Don't panic</b>! The wind on our third day (leaving Spanish Town for North Sound) was erratic and gusty, so the sail up and around Virgin Gorda was a bit...sporty. Once we cleared Mosquito Island to make our turn south into the Sound, we tacked the boat across the wind (which was out of the ENE). After tacking, the boat refused to point anywhere close to the wind and we were getting heeled over pretty badly. My guess was that we had hit a current that was pushing us off course. After fighting this for a moment there was a loud pop and the helm jerked over away from the wind. We regained some of our pointing ability, but the helm had gotten really sloppy; I would spin one wheel half a turn before the other wheel turned in kind or I felt the rudder engage. Immediately I knew that something in the steering gear had broken fighting that current. I decided to drop sail and motor our way into the Sound. I contemplated breaking out the emergency tiller, but I felt had sufficient helm authority, albeit barely, to navigate the entrance to the Sound. By the time we picked up a mooring ball at the Bitter End Yacht Club, my arms were exhausted and looking back I was surprised by how quickly and calmly I handled the situation. Experience pays! The next day, I found the access panels for the steering gear and, sure enough, one of the pulleys had broken. I called the charter company and they had someone out the next morning to fix it. To Dufour's credit, they engineered their steering system with a particular failure mode in mind (the pulley wheels were plastic, and therefore the weakest link) and ensured that that failure mode was easy to access and repair. Well done!<br />
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<b>4. I am not a fan of self-tacking foresails.</b> Our Dufour was equipped with a rather well-thought-out self-tacking foresail system that meant the boat could practically sail itself once you got it underway. Tacking was, as expected, as simple as turning the boat through the wind and both sails simply moved over to the new leeward side. Sailing upwind or on a reach, I rather enjoyed the system, even though it did lose some power because of the smaller foresail required. However, sailing downwind was kind of a pain. It was damned-near-impossible to get the foresail to stay on one side of the boat and it was difficult to trim it properly*. While I appreciated the ease of sailing upwind, during our one downwind leg I wanted nothing more than the conspicuously missing pair of cockpit winches and a few extra lines to get that damned sail set properly. Again, kudos to Dufour for making the best of the design principle (and for making the boat available for sale with a traditional foresail rig), but it's a design principle I'm not personally fond of.<br />
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<b>5. Be flexible.</b> Our original plan had been, roughly, to sail from East End to Cooper Island, then to Spanish Town, then to North Sound for at least two days, then to Trellis Bay, then wherever the wind took us (within reason) until we had to get the boat back to East End. Our steering casualty tacked on one day in the North Sound, and me getting sick tacked on another. Even though we spent twice as much time in North Sound as we had originally planned, we still got to Trellis Bay, and actually ended up in a great position to make a beeline back to East End on our last day through choppy seas and gusty wind. Had we been further away, that last day would have been far less pleasant. Having that extra time built into our schedule meant there was virtually no stress added by waiting for repairs or me sleeping a day because the blessed cold meds knocked me out while they worked. While you can do a whole circuit of the BVI in a week, I would recommend doing it in two or only doing a partial circuit in a week. The extra time is worth it, and not hitting two or three stops in one day means the trip won't be a blur for you.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* As much as I present myself as a cruiser, racing sailboats has broken me. I may be okay with meandering wherever the wind may take us, but I want to get there efficiently dammit!</span></i>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-34460577066768593072016-04-20T01:11:00.000+01:002016-04-22T02:08:10.325+01:00The Gods of DockingOn our recent BVI trip, we were docked comfortably at a slip at Leverick Bay on the North Sound of Virgin Gorda. Sara and Momma were making breakfast and I was up on deck enjoying the morning when I saw a sailboat pulling into a slip on the opposite of the pier. They seemed to be coming in rather fast so my gaze stayed fixed on them to see just how abruptly the skipper was going to slow down. The bow of the boat cleared the finger pier and then the boat slowed somewhat but it was still coming in faster than I would consider typical. I began wondering if this was some hotshot skipper trying to show off or some poor sap who didn't know what they were doing.<br />
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It was then that I noticed that <i>there was no skipper</i>. The boat was drifting in from the sound and, purely by the most blind of luck, managed to come in, bow first, almost directly into an empty slip. My mind raced for a moment at the near-astronomical odds of this happening. Had the wind or current been moving in any of an infinite number of other directions, this boat would have been washed up on rocks, drifted into one of the buildings on the dock, or crashed into one of the other boats at the dock.<br />
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I quickly put aside all thought of the odds and by the time my feet hit the pier in order to help secure the drifting vessel*, I felt a low <i>thump </i>as the bow hit the pier. Myself and several others managed to wrangle the boat into something of a secure position using lines that were handy, but with no fenders and a bit of a swell on that side of the pier, the longer this boat was there the more likely it was going to sustain some damage. I say "some damage" because the impact with the pier managed to leave only the <i>slightest </i>of dings on the bow; the soft wood on the edge of the pier had absorbed most of the impact, and even the damage to that was minimal. Rather incredible when you consider the circumstances.<br />
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Those of us on the dock securing this wayward boat wondered what had happened to it and where its crew were when we noticed that there was a line hanging off of the bow. Someone fished the other end out of the water and discovered that it had been the pendant of a mooring ball and that it had likely been cut by a propeller. Our guess was that someone had taken a dinghy too close, damaged the line, and left the boat to adrift and at the mercy of the wind and tide.<br />
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With the marina dockhands on the scene, I left them to their work, still amazed at what had just seen. Sara & Momma didn't almost didn't believe me when I told them over breakfast. The owners must have been nearby because the boat was gone within an hour or so.<br />
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My takeaways from this episode: be careful with your dinghies while in a mooring field...and whatever Boating Gods the owners of that boat pray to seem to be highly effective!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>*This was one of those times that I opted to forego snagging my camera to catch the action and just go help. I did take pictures of the minimal damage afterwards, but the boat was gone before I had a chance to offer to share them with the owners. Oh well.</i></span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-46761846683365023582016-03-29T01:43:00.000+01:002016-05-28T13:48:52.842+01:00New Toy: Nikon D3100Apologies (again) for the lack of posting. It seems that I generally only have time to do two Nautography-related things at a time, and as of late that has largely been shopping for cameras and getting ready for our upcoming <a href="http://www.bvitourism.com/">BVI</a> trip. (Less than a week away!) Curse you day job!<br />
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As someone who's budding social media career depends greatly on taking pictures, I have found myself lacking in the camera department for some time. Most of my experience snapping pics has, sadly, been done with just a smartphone. They're compact and easy-to-use, they're obviously great for uploading images, and doing something as simple as turning on the gridlines on your display make lining up quick shots a breeze, but they are fundamentally limited in what they can do in terms of, you know actually taking pictures.<br />
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I addressed part of this limitation last summer when I bought my <a href="http://gopro.com/">GoPro</a> Hero4 Silver. (In hindsight, I should have written a post about it at the time, but I got it just before several trips so I was busy posting about them instead. Oh well.) In my GoPro, I gained the ability to shoot while wet (which is kind of important on a boat), take higer-resolution images (my trusty <a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones">Samsung Galaxy</a> S4 Mini is definitely showing its age in this department), and its wide-angle lens affords me the opportunity to do things take closeups of sailboats without clipping off the mast and also capture good panoramic shots. And yes, it does shoot amazing action videos too and the ability to mount it places and control it remotely is incredibly handy. But as I soon learned, even with my GoPro supplementing my GS4m, I was still largely limited to taking non-landscape pictures of subjects relatively close to me. I referred to that limitation as "the boatlength rule" because I could really only take good pictures of things within about one boatlength* of wherever I was.<br />
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This winter, I started on my quest to fill yet another gap. I spent a lot of time asking around and doing some research. While the choice of my GoPro was practically a no-brainer, my next choice for a camera was far less clear. Should I go with a waterproof, ruggedized, point-and-shoot like an <a href="http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/tg-4.html">Olympus TG-4</a>? Or should I go with a more conventional-yet-less-boat-friendly digital camera like a DSLR or mirrorless? Should I go high end or something with fewer bells and whistles? WiFi enabled? GPS enabled? There were just so many things to consider.<br />
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Well, as the title indicates, DSLR won. Specifically, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-Digital-18-55mm-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B01CO3DC7I/ref=sr_1_5?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1459170480&sr=1-5&keywords=nikon+d3100">a factory-refurbished version of an older DSLR won</a>. The Nikon D3100 had almost all of the things I was really looking for: manual controls so I can broaden my photographic horizons, exchangeable lenses so the camera can grow with me as I learn, and a low pricetag ($270 with 18-55mm lens and all factory accessories) that went a long way towards sealing the deal. It uses the same media (MicroSD cards with an adapter) as my GoPro and my GS4m, which greatly simplifies logistics. And to top it off, even though it's not WiFi enabled, I can just drop the MicroSD card directly into my GS4m to post pictures in the field if I want to.<br />
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Not too shabby for a camera that was released over five years ago. <br />
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Given the cost of a typical 18-55mm lens, I pretty much only paid $170 for a fairly modern and capable Nikon DSLR. No, it's not brand new and no, it's not top of the line, but as someone who's just learning neither of those things matter to me right now. I can do far more than I could before, and I can do it without having broken the bank, so that's pretty much perfect for me.<br />
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The one thing** I sacrificed, and the one advantage that the Olympus I mentioned earlier had over my Nikon, was water resistance. The Olympus would have been wonderful for taking underway (and even underwater) pictures, but it would have been far more limited while working afloat (i.e. docked, moored, anchored, etc.) or ashore. Since I already have some underway/underwater capability in my GoPro, I opted for the camera with more growth potential (both in the camera and in my abilities) with the understanding that I wouldn't necessarily be able to use it while underway. Had I gone with the Olympus, I feel like I would have just gotten another GoPro-like camera, which is really not what I was looking for. <br />
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Check back in here (and on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nautography/">Instagram</a>) for pics from my trip, but for now, here's a few teasers:<br />
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I also have it on good authority that someone took it upon themselves to order me a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R1MXPFW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=TSABZVTL461X&coliid=IUIN18155FYG2">300mm telephoto lens</a> as an early birthday gift and had it shipped here. It should arrive just in time to take some fabulous pics in the BVI. THANKS MOM & DAD! B^)<br />
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<b>UPDATE:</b> I've got a few weeks of shooting in with my D3100
and I'm now convinced that it is an ideal camera for me at the moment. Coupled with the fantastic Nikon 55-300mm telephoto lens, a lightweight
bag, and a few extras, I've got a kit that is light, small, and
capable. I'd eventually like to get a few prime lenses (one each for
general use & low light, portraits, and wide-angle), but I think
what I have right now will work just fine for a while. And even when I
do eventually snag a few prime lenses, I'm such a fan of keeping my bag
light that I'll likely only ever bring two lenses with me at a time: one
on the camera and one spare.<br />
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Here are some specific things about the D3100 that I like and dislike.</div>
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<b>PROS:</b></div>
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Size/Weight: I didn't realize it when I bought it, but the
D3100 is one of the smallest and lightest DSLRs available. It's not much
bigger (sans lens) than many mirrorless cameras. This makes it ideal
for travel use and lugging around all day.</div>
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Ergonomics: I can snap pictures, switch modes, and make
some basic adjustments with just my right hand. This is very useful on a
boat when I'm often using my other hand to hold on to said boat. Nikon's
higher-end cameras all have their mode dials on the opposite side of the
camera so they require two hands. I added a hand strap for extra
security when shooting one-handed.</div>
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Capacity: The D3100 has an older, lower-resolution 14MP sensor. It's
immediate successor, the D3200, and several other Nikons released
around the same time, have 24MP sensors. Unless you are using top-grade
professional lenses, digitally zooming your pictures, or blowing prints
of your pictures to several feet or larger, 14MP is plenty. I save all
of my pictures as full-resolution JPEGS and RAW files, and between the
smaller file size of the older sensor and the recently available 64Gb SD
cards I have never even come close to running out of space. My whole
week in the BVI only took up a little over 5Gb.</div>
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Cost: You can find refurbished models with a standard
18-55mm kit lens for under $300. New ones can still be had for under
$400. That's hard to beat.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>CONS:</b></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Speed: Powering up and taking single shots seems quick
enough, but in continuous shooting mode the D3100 really struggles at
about 3 frames per second. This isn't really quick enough to get an
action sequence. You can increase this by not saving the RAW file and
opting for smaller JPEGs, but not much or for long.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Viewfinder: I like that the viewfinder isn't cluttered (all
you see are your image and 11 small auto-focus points), but shooting on
my GS4m and GoPro definitely spoiled me to using grid lines to compose
my shots. I've tried to use the AF points to help with shot composition
and horizon leveling, but it doesn't seem to be as effective.
Fortunately, it's easy enough to digitally rotate images in
post-processing. (Note: gridlines are available if you shoot using the
LCD screen, but the disadvantages of doing that far outweigh the
benefits of the gridlines.)</div>
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<br /></div>
Availability: The D3100 has been discontinued by Nikon, so
they're not always available new or used. Fortunately, the D3200 is
still in the lineup and it has many of the same advantages, especially
if you save your images at less-than-maximum resolution, but it does
cost more.<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* For reference, I typically sail on boats 40ft in length or less. </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">**I wouldn't really call this a sacrifice, but I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't shiny and red like in the Amazon listing. At this price though, I'm not going to complain.</span></i>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-90911968554272060282016-01-15T15:40:00.002+00:002016-05-25T14:28:09.036+01:00Review: SailCheckerI didn't start Nautography with the intention of reviewing businesses related to my sailing experiences, but after my recent experience with <a href="http://sailchecker.com/">SailChecker</a>, I feel compelled to change that.<br />
<br />
SailChecker is a yacht chartering service based in the UK that I have heard good things about, so it seemed natural to give them a go when booking our upcoming sailing trip to the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Virgin_Islands">BVI</a>. After putting in inquiries with several charter services, SailChecker got back to me with an offer that was seemingly too good to be true: a week in early April on a 2006 <a href="http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=7290">Dufour 385 Grand Large</a> for $2,000 US.<br />
<br />
That price is <i>not </i>a typo.<br />
<br />
The other offers we had gotten were closer to the $3,800 US range for older, less well-built boats. Needless to say, Sara & I jumped on the opportunity as that price was far less than we were expecting to pay. <br />
<br />
The old saying goes that if something seems too good to be true then it probably is. Alas, this was the case with our offer from SailChecker. I received an e-mail from Chris Lait, the CEO of SailChecker, apologizing profusely and explaining to me that the offer had been generated as a result of a technical glitch in one of their databases and extending me another offer. Admittedly, Sara & I were both torn about proceeding with SailChecker at this point: despite their good reputation in sailing circles, their first impression with us had not been all that impressive.<br />
<br />
Then, something rather unexpected happened. I got a phone call from Chris. He explained to me the situation in more depth and said that he was willing to work with me to get us on a boat. We talked for a while and I told him specifically what we were looking for and he said he was certain he could help us. That phone call, not from the employee who had made a mistake, but from the CEO of the company, changed my mind. It spoke volumes about his professionalism and the lengths to which SailChecker would be willing to go to meet our needs.<br />
<br />
We exchanged e-mails over the next few days (including negotiating a refund policy that we had been offered from another company) and finally settled on an offer. In the end, we got a much newer Dufour, a 2015 <a href="http://www.dufour-yachts.com/en/yachts/grand-large/382">Dufour 382 Grand Large</a>, for a price that, while understandably higher than the initial offer, was still less that the offers we had gotten from other companies for older boats. Although we're still a few months out from the trip, everything since that initial database error has been smooth sailing and I suspect it will remain that way.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4E_GWjbXBrN-BbQZRoJNNeu348IgIJ5k3DIN7uO0NYLKTMrK16o_Iuye0IUEn7iSxqOndNOFDPFfllhIVRciPbhCXB9AhO6mnab9kC2RYwzAEYhLRghOPijUQbLjavIW36vbFceMyUAA/s1600/387_medium.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4E_GWjbXBrN-BbQZRoJNNeu348IgIJ5k3DIN7uO0NYLKTMrK16o_Iuye0IUEn7iSxqOndNOFDPFfllhIVRciPbhCXB9AhO6mnab9kC2RYwzAEYhLRghOPijUQbLjavIW36vbFceMyUAA/s640/387_medium.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dufour 382 Grand Large, stock image</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE: </b><br />
<br />
On March 21st, less than two weeks before our charter was scheduled
to start, I came across a booking mistake that could very well have
jeopardized our trip. Since I caught the error in advance, we were able
to make the necessary adjustments and instead of a potentially ruined
trip we were only inconvenienced. <br />
<br />
I realize that this situation was
caused by an error that is probably very rare. However, it is the second such rare error that I have
experienced while booking the <i>same trip</i> with SailChecker. Both
times they compensated me for the errors, and that compensation was fair
and much appreciated. Although I still think very highly of SailChecker's staff because of the lengths they went to in order to do
right by me, I will likely not be using SailChecker's services
again in the future because, quite frankly, third chances are not
something I grant lightly.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-65804078658973357402015-12-29T20:43:00.002+00:002015-12-29T20:43:56.439+00:00Dinghy Salvage ArtistSomething I'm rather fond of doing with my daughter Abby is wandering around to a few "beaches" in Annapolis in search of, well, stuff. Driftwood, shells, and various bits of flotsam are our usual haul. But one recent Saturday we came across something a bit bigger.<br />
<br />
We pulled up to the <a href="http://www.annapolislandscapearchitects.com/projects/local/ellen-moyer/">Ellen O. Moyer Nature Park at Back Creek</a>, which has a little cove off of Back Creek where things tend to wash up, near dusk. There's less driftwood and more trash this far up the creek, but it's still fun to check. But this time what we found wasn't trash, it was a derelict dinghy. It was half-deflated, only barely floating, and judging from the amount of accumulated dirt and grime had been adrift for some time. It still had a painter* that was within reach of the shore, so I pulled it in out of the water.<br />
<br />
My immediate concern was to prevent it from becoming a hazard to navigation, but there wasn't anything sufficiently heavy to anchor it. Given enough time I likely could have improvised something, but since it was going to be getting dark soon I had to settle for pulling it ashore and hoping that the tide didn't carry it out of the cove. My other concern was seeing if I could identify who the owner was and possibly returning their lost dink to them, so I took several pictures of the craft, including its Maryland registration number, while I still had light.<br />
<br />
The next morning, I returned to the cove with some equipment in order to properly secure the wayward dinghy until I could identify its owner. As I had suspected it would, the tide had shifted its position but fortunately it hadn't gone far. Now it was on the opposite side of the cove very near to the A-dock of <a href="http://portannapolis.com/">Port Annapolis Marina</a>. With a little effort (and only a slight bit of cold water down the top of one waterproof boot), I managed to get the dinghy ashore and properly secured so that it wouldn't drift out into the creek and become a nuisance.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/-9KfeLHrmQ/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Nautography (@nautography)</a> on <time datetime="2015-12-06T15:38:48+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 6, 2015 at 7:38am PST</time></div>
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</blockquote>
<br />
On Monday, I contacted the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to inform them of the situation and ask for assistance with contacting the owner. Shortly thereafter, the owner called me directly to confirm the condition and location of the dinghy.<br />
<br />
I guess now I can add Amateur Dinghy Salvage Artist to my resume right beside <a href="http://blog.nautography.com/2015/05/in-over-my-head.html">Amateur Salvage Diver</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>*In nautical terms, a painter is a long bow line attached to a dinghy or other small craft. There were no paint-brush-wielding people attached to the dinghy. </i></span><br />
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-77451814472663606422015-12-28T19:10:00.000+00:002015-12-28T19:10:17.629+00:00LandlockedAs is wont to happen to a sailor who doesn't own their own boat, I have spent most of the latter half of 2015 on dry land. I've still been posting photos on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nautography/">Instagram</a>, learning how to turn driftwood into something resembling art, and I even had a random dinghy salvage adventure that almost got its own post (and probably should have now that I think about it), but I haven't actually been sailing or doing much sailing-related stuff*. Such a pity.<br />
<br />
Well, fortunately that will be changing in the near future. I'm in the process of booking a charter sailing trip in the BVI for Sara & myself and her mom Cathy for this coming April. I've been taking notes as I go along and plan on 'blogging the entire process from booking, through travel preparations, and the trip itself. The Annapolis racing circuit should also be getting back into gear around that point, so I'm looking forward to a very eventful 2016.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>*Note to self: I posted back in July about having time to process a bunch of pictures and videos. July. Half a year ago. I must remedy this.... </i></span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-83528604306844369122015-08-05T00:47:00.000+01:002015-08-05T00:47:29.988+01:00Sailing BlindI am below deck in the cabin of a gently rocking sailboat. On the table in front of me is a chart, an array of plotting tools, a calculator, and a stopwatch. My only information regarding the outside world is coming to me via the companionway from our helmsman, Andy. He reads me off our speed, heading, and depth sounder readings intermittently and lets me know if he can see anything within 100 yards or so in the water. On deck, assisting Andy in keeping watch, is Mark.<br />
<br />
My task is simple: navigate a 37' sailboat up the South River without grounding us using only a 100 yard sphere of information from the outside world, a chart, some basic tools, and my skill as a navigator.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMcQym4nqFz3CxrOYn2CKPuBIPHA_QAJiPahtBF1VDiIUIBqEAc6bddOCjExANZr-PS85Fyr3HdJVwW8x7iIVC9PXmXGuNvxLym9qysFER2Ulbq_QydrYxkgTDOzOZe5f8YiWz1p65jk/s1600/South_River.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMcQym4nqFz3CxrOYn2CKPuBIPHA_QAJiPahtBF1VDiIUIBqEAc6bddOCjExANZr-PS85Fyr3HdJVwW8x7iIVC9PXmXGuNvxLym9qysFER2Ulbq_QydrYxkgTDOzOZe5f8YiWz1p65jk/s1600/South_River.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of NOAA</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
At the beginning of this exercise, the Fl (2+1) R 6s* buoy off of Saunders Point was directly off of our port beam and we were in 18 feet of water. Our boat draws about 6 feet of water, so my goal is to keep us in waters deeper than 10 feet; this not only allows me some margin of error, it also allows me to roughly follow the 12-foot depth contour on the chart if need be. I spend a moment looking at the chart and devise a plan. I need visible landmarks to verify our position, so I decide to plot a course that takes us close to navigational markers as we move up the river.<br />
<br />
My first waypoint is the #4 red buoy (Fl R 2.5s), which is to our north near the mouth of the river. The water shallows up very quickly beyond the buoy so to allow for some margin of error I plot our course to pass slightly west of the buoy. According to my calculations, it should take about 9 minutes until the buoy is visible.<br />
<br />
With our course plotted and the instructions relayed to Andy, all I can do is wait. To help pass the time, I inquire occasionally as to our depth but in this region the bottom is relatively flat so it varies little as we progress. 9 minutes come and go and there is still no sign of the buoy. My heart starts beating a little bit faster and I quickly review my calculations. Had I forgotten something? Were we off course?<br />
<br />
Before I start to doubt myself too much, Andy yells down to me that he sees the buoy just off of our starboard bow, right where it should be. I make a quick mental note of the extra time it took; was that due to tidal currents, which I hadn't accounted for, or was it just an error in estimating our initial position? But those matters would have to wait because I needed to relay our next leg to Andy, which takes us northwest straight to the #5 green buoy off of Turkey Point.<br />
<br />
There is a shallow bar between our current position off of red #4 and the next waypoint. My first instinct is to plot a course around the bar, but instead I plot a course right over it. Placing faith in our depth sounder and the quick reflexes of our helmsman I decide to use the bar as a way of establishing our position. We are only making about 5 knots through the water, so once our depth sounder reads 10 feet Andy can simply turn us to starboard to clear the bar. After we round the bar we'll have a reasonably good fix on our position.<br />
<br />
At least, that's my plan. <br />
<br />
Andy steers his course to the Turkey Point buoy, and I wait. After a few minutes, the water beneath us starts shallowing up.<br />
<br />
14 feet.<br />
<br />
12 feet.<br />
<br />
10 feet. As per my instructions, Andy turns us 10 degrees to starboard to clear the bar. <br />
<br />
9 feet. I have Andy turn us another 10 degrees.<br />
<br />
8 feet. I have Andy turn us another 10 degrees, and I start to wonder if my plan to use the bar as a fix was too bold of a move. If we are further south on the bar than I planned we would have to make a much larger course correction than I had allowed for.<br />
<br />
8 feet.<br />
<br />
9 feet.<br />
<br />
10 feet.<br />
<br />
12 feet. I have Andy begin to turn us to port to resume our course to the Turkey Point buoy and breathe a quiet sigh of relief. My plan had worked, we were back on course, and I now had a much better fix on our location.<br />
<br />
This goes on for another several legs and we make it about halfway from the mouth of the river to the bridge at Edgewater. Over time, Andy & I fall into a steady rhythm and sailing the boat blind seems almost natural. My calculations get more and more accurate so that we hit our last waypoint almost exactly when I think we should. At this point, Mark comes back the cockpit from his position on the bow and congratulates both of us on a job well done.<br />
<br />
It's not actually foggy out; it's a perfectly clear day and Mark & Andy both had well over a mile of visibility and access to a GPS chartplotter in the cockpit. Mark isn't just a crew member keeping watch, he's a <a href="http://www.rya.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx">Royal Yachting Association</a> sailing instructor and Andy & I are his students. This whole experience had been a teaching exercise meant to simulate sailing under poor visibility conditions with limited outside information. I can't speak for Andy's experience on the helm, but this certainly increased my confidence as a navigator.<br />
<br />
If you are a sailor and ever have occasion to try blind navigation under good visibility conditions, I highly suggest that you try it. It is a bit stressful, but also very rewarding. <br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*This is nautical chart lingo for a buoy with a flashing red light that repeats a 2 + 1 flash pattern every 6 seconds.</span></i><br />
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-65972476045328852902015-07-31T22:23:00.001+01:002015-07-31T22:23:34.052+01:00No Moss Gathering HereI realized today that it's been almost a month since I published a post. In my defense, this has certainly not been due to lack of interest, instead it has been due to a decided lack of down time. Since my last post I have:<br />
<br />
1. Turned 40 and celebrated appropriately.<br />
2. Done an overnight distance race on the Chesapeake (The Race to Solomons) and the return sail back to Annapolis.<br />
3. Spent a week on a boat on the Chesapeake (including three separate races) earning my RYA Day Skipper practical certification.<br />
4. Spent a week in Pensacola (my second this summer), including a short trip to New Orleans (my first time there ever).<br />
5. Chartered my first sailboat less than a week after being properly qualified to do so.<br />
6. Managed, somehow, to squeeze in some work and sleep.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bfsV2zVjVatLhbq0Kp_RTbGPeUQYDzmfpqchGRrWUCchiJpQm_93aldiqIGeEenJTE0c0qTP5n5qajbw8-uXF1Op5vLfII7c0QJFGuCTYbxxnq1JUhfWeUUAzQnKL_fdCAASUKS0gYA/s1600/11825609_544470265691266_1431804460609935609_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bfsV2zVjVatLhbq0Kp_RTbGPeUQYDzmfpqchGRrWUCchiJpQm_93aldiqIGeEenJTE0c0qTP5n5qajbw8-uXF1Op5vLfII7c0QJFGuCTYbxxnq1JUhfWeUUAzQnKL_fdCAASUKS0gYA/s400/11825609_544470265691266_1431804460609935609_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the helm of my very first sailboat charter. Note the massive grin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I have a lot of pictures and video footage to process and post, along
with stories to write up. Fortunately, I have no special travel or
sailing plans for August so I'm hoping to use the time to play
catch-up. <br />
<br />
No rest for the Nautographer.... Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-45674933701567995072015-07-01T16:59:00.000+01:002015-07-01T16:59:26.801+01:00Is The Princess Bride The Best Sailing Movie Ever?<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_Bride_%28film%29"><i>The Princess Bride</i></a> is one of my all-time favorite movies, and I have yet to meet anyone who has seen it and not at least liked it. Most folks I've talked to about it love it just like I do. I grew up watching it and was mesmerized by the story, the adventure, the swordplay, and the witty interludes between Peter Falk and Fred Savage.<br />
<br />
But upon further reflection, I've also realized that it may also secretly be one of the best <i>sailing</i> movies of all time. How so? Just look at the plot in summary form:<br />
<br />
1. Boy finds girl<br />
2. Boy goes sailing<br />
3. Boy gets lost at sea<br />
4. Boy becomes a pirate<br />
5. Boy finds girl again<br />
6. Boy saves girl <br />
7. They live happily ever after<br />
<br />
Tell me that there isn't a sailor out there who hasn't dreamed of living this out at least once? Finding true love, going off to sail the world, coming back to said true love and living happily ever after? The only thing that would be better is if the true love came along with you to share in your adventures, but I think that would have made for a less compelling movie.<br />
<br />
I'd say that makes for a great sailing movie, even if only in an abstract sense. If I ever buy a boat, I'll almost certainly keep a copy on board to watch after a tough day storming the castle.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3461585595792532619.post-60730698631075139632015-06-23T13:29:00.001+01:002015-06-23T13:29:46.704+01:00Things I (Re)Learned Sailing To MaineMy trip sailing from Newport to Maine was fantastic, but it was also educational. I learned a lot, and also got some old lessons refreshed or reinforced. In no particular order, here is a sample of what I (re)learned.<br />
<br />
<b>1. Clothing is critical.</b> On land, I'm a huge fan of cotton clothes. They're soft, comfortable, inexpensive, stretch just enough, and can be pretty durable. However, they have one critical shortfall that makes them far less ideal when on a boat: they hold onto moisture like a sponge. Once cotton gets wet, it stays wet for a long time. And since everything gets wet on a boat on a long passage, this means that if you wear cotton you'll likely be wet all the time. I switched over to various microfiber/polyester/spandex for sailing blends before this trip, and I was quite satisfied. (And dry) But even with quick-drying, moisture-wicking, breathable poly-blends, after 24 hours of wearing the same clothes, especially if you're moving around on deck a lot or otherwise working up a sweat, you'll start getting a little raw in spots. After we arrived in Provincetown, I definitely started noticing this so I picked up some baby powder while we were ashore and, after judicious application to the affected areas, had no more chafing problems. I plan to pack baby powder on overnight passages from now on. And finally, dress in layers. You want to wear the minimal amount of clothing necessary to keep you warm and dry because being hot and sweaty under a too-heavy winter coat will serve you almost as poorly as being cold and wet under a too-light windbreaker. My primary foul weather jacket is windproof and waterproof, thin enough to not be hot in warm weather, but big enough for me to layer up to keep warm if need be. A great combination in my (limited but still growing) experience.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Every boat owner should buy a GoPro and a good, sturdy selfie-stick.</b> No, I'm not assuming that all boat owners are vain, selfie-obsessed millennials. Being able to jam a GoPro under water and look at the hull while still on board, or even at dock, makes diagnosing potential problems below the waterline a far easier task. This is especially true if you're in New England without a wetsuit and the water is only 50-ish degrees. Even if you're in the tropics and would love to take a swim in the warm water, you still don't want to go swimming in marina water if you can help it because many places don't bother with holding tanks for their heads. (Yes, they pump their poo straight into the water. Yuck.) In addition, if you need to get a look at something on the other side of that transmission or just beyond where you can reach your head in a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarette">lazarette</a>, a GoPro could be very handy as well. Oh, and it's great for taking video and pictures of you actually sailing as well.<br />
<br />
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<b>3. You can't do it all, so do what you can.</b> On this trip, I was by far the least experienced sailor of the three people aboard. I knew it and they knew it. I didn't try to do anything that was beyond my abilities, and they didn't ask anything of me that I couldn't handle. This meant that I ended up with a lot of seemingly menial tasks like repeatedly stowing and unstowing all of my gear in my berth, tidying up lines when they weren't in use, and crawling around the lazarette to the very stern to inspect some bolts for tightness and leaks. Note, I said "seemingly menial" because in reality each of those tasks was important. My bunk was in the central part of the main salon, so if I hadn't regularly stowed my gear, it would have been all over the place getting in the way and possibly getting damaged. Same with tidying the lines; if we had needed to reef sail in a hurry and our lines had been a tumbled mess, that could have been tragic. And those bolts? They were holding the rudder on and after sailing through rough conditions before arriving in Newport, Beth wanted to be <i>absolutely</i> certain that they were on solidly. By taking care of the little stuff, I freed up Beth and Michael to handle the big stuff. Stuff like plotting our course, navigating us through a few tricky channels, and comforting me as I hurled my guts out over the rail shortly after leaving Newport*. Yeah, that happened.<br />
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<b>4. Sleep when you can.</b> When doing overnight sails, you need to set up a watch schedule in advance and stick to it as best you can. For this trip, we settled on 3-hour watches. In anticipation of my watch the night after departing Provincetown, I took a short nap during the day once we were underway. As this was the first night sail for "the new guy", Beth and Michael kindly agreed to stay up with my on my watch from 9-midnight; Beth stayed up for the first half as she was just coming off watch and Michael the second half as he was on after me. After my watch, Beth was still sleeping and the visibility had deteriorated considerably so I stayed up with Michael to serve as a second set of eyes to watch the fog and our sails. I would snooze for 10-15 minutes in the cockpit, poke my head up and look around, check with Michael for anything unusual, then close my eyes again. The nap I had taken earlier proved invaluable at this point. When Beth came on at 3, Michael stayed up with her and I went below to sleep for a few hours. After all was said and done, I had slept about the same amount as I would have in the same period on land, just broken up into multiple smaller segments, so when we arrived in Camden I was wide awake.<br />
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<b>5. Modesty on cruising boats isn't really a thing.</b> While some newer boats in the 30-40 foot range will have two or even three enclosed cabins, most older cruising boats that size only have one, and it's usually the V-berth at the head of the boat. Solstice (A <a href="http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=1826">Tartan 37</a>) falls into this latter category with an enclosed V-berth forward, three <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berth_%28sleeping%29#Beds_in_boats_or_ships">berths</a> in the main cabin, and a double berth (technically a double, but the smallest double I've ever seen) at the port quarter behind the nav station. As the skipper and owner, Beth claimed the enclosed berth forward. Michael took the quarter berth behind the nav station, and I claimed the "pilot's berth" amidships starboard. While my berth was surprisingly comfortable given its small size, it afforded me zero privacy, and neither did Michael's. Changing in the head, while possible, was complicated by its cramped size, especially in rolling seas. Fortunately, while underway there where usually two of us on deck so whoever was below would have the salon to themselves. In spite of this, I'm pretty sure we all saw each other in our skivvies at one point or another, and nobody seemed to mind. We're all grownups, right?<br />
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<b>6. Every serious sailor needs a good head lamp.</b> Preferably one with both a red night light and a white spotlight. If you're busy sailing a boat, chances are that you're using both hands for something so having a hands-free source of light in dark environments becomes essential. But a good head lamp is just as useful in the less obvious situations, like when you're hanging upside down in the lazarette trying to grab something at the bottom or reaching around to the side of the engine to check fluid levels. <br />
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<b>7. Foulies aren't just for foul weather.</b> A good set of foul weather gear is essential for any sailor for obvious reasons: you can't control the weather and sometimes you it will be cold and rainy. But, in addition to that, foulies are great to wear if you're cleaning the topsides and hosing things off zealously, and if you're feeling the urge to identify yourself as a sailor when you go ashore wearing your foul weather jacket is a sure-fire way to do it.<br />
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There is much, much more that I learned that I can't really condense into text, but this was a pretty good summary. I hope you enjoyed reading about it because I certainly enjoyed living it. <br />
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* I am 85% convinced that this was the result of me drinking coffee that morning and not purely sea-sickness, but the only way I'll know is to go out again....</span></i><br />
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02186296729309394924noreply@blogger.com1