[Leica] Moffett Cup 2007

[Jim at hemenway.com (Jim Hemenway)]

Richard:

These are great photos... I love 'em all, but love the schooners the most.

Well done!

Jim

?Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that 
you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. 
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. 
Explore. Dream. Discover.?

   Mark Twain



Richard Taylor wrote:

> Last Saturday I was navigator and winch grinder on a 38' ketch in the  
> 30th annual Moffett Cup race on Vineyard Sound (Cape Cod,  
> Massachusetts).  The wind was honking:  a good 20-25 knots at the  start 
> and increasing over the afternoon to 30-plus.  As usual, the  race 
> brought out a wide range of boats from hundred-year-old  schooners, 
> recently built woodies that look like they are from an  earlier era, and 
> powerful modern sloops.
> 
> Here are six shots I took during the race with my D40x and Nikkor  
> 55-200 VR Zoom.  All at 1/2000s and f5.6, ISO 400, VR off.
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/main.php?g2_itemId=99214
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/3cfwze
> 
> 1.  Malabar II Underway - These large, heavy, schooners don't need to  
> reef in these conditions.  Malabar II was marching on this close reach.
> 
> 2.  Schooner Juno - Juno, a gorgeous sight with all sails flying,  heads 
> for the Falmouth entrance buoy after rounding the first mark.
> 
> 3.  Knockdown - With her boom in the water, this cat could have been  in 
> serious trouble if the wind puffed while she was over like this.   As it 
> was, she righted promptly and continued with the race.
> 
> 4.  Swallows and Amazons - This relatively new cat was built on the  
> Vineyard of wood in the last decade, I believe.  Here she is roaring  
> towards the leeward mark in 25-30 knots with the crew looking  
> remarkably dry and comfortable despite being in such a small boat in  
> such a big wind.
> 
> 5.  Photog at Work - This is Louise Gould, a Cape photographer.  It's  
> pretty obvious what equipment she prefers.  She didn't have any of  her 
> Moffett 2007 photos up when I checked this morning (I was hoping  to 
> find a shot of Sea Queen, the boat I was on), but may have later.   Her 
> URL is
> 
> http://www.louisegould.com
> 
> if you'd like to check out her work.
> 
> 6.  Reaching for East Chop - The final long leg of the race took us  
> back to Vineyard Haven in 30 knots of breeze and large seas.  Here  are 
> four sloops, all larger than us - a good sign for our finish  position, 
> working their way home.
> 
> 7.  J-24 - One of the smaller boats in the race, this J-24 needed to  be 
> worked hard to stay competitive.  These guys were doing their bit  on 
> the rail on the weather leg back to Falmouth.  Been there, done  that, 
> don't need to be cold, wet and aching any more.
> 
> 8.  On the Run... - Two cats of different vintage make a pretty sight  
> in the heavy air, on the run to Succonnesset Shoal.
> 
> We finished 13th out of 60 starters, a respectable finish in this crowd.
> 
> Comments welcome as always.
> 
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Dick
> 
> 
> 
> 
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