Camera & Americas Cup Challenge

[Cnd_Cruiser]

Hi I have Olympus DSLR and will be doing the Americas Cup excursion in a few weeks. Should I take my camera (DW will be looking after it) or am I asking for trouble?

[pierces]

Take a look at the Tenba rain covers:

http://www.amazon.com/Tenba-RC9-Waterproof-Cameras-28-80mm/dp/B00009UT98

 

I used one on a rainy whale-watching trip in Alaska and not a drop got on my Maxxum.

 

Beyond that an AquaPac case would be the next step up (for splash resistance, never submerge with one!):

 

http://www.amazon.com/Aquapac-SLR-Camera-Case-Marine/dp/B000G01UL2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1201476914&sr=1-2

 

Dave

[last_mango]

You can take it - you will be able to take pictures before you get started and after the race is over, but not during so getting wet isn't really a concern. While you are practicing and actually doing the race, the crew puts all bags and cameras in a hold. Mine stayed dry in its case in my backpack in the hold, and I never got wet anyway.

[Cnd_Cruiser]

Thanks for the quick answer.

[pierces]

You can take it - you will be able to take pictures before you get started and after the race is over, but not during so getting wet isn't really a concern. While you are practicing and actually doing the race, the crew puts all bags and cameras in a hold. Mine stayed dry in its case in my backpack in the hold, and I never got wet anyway.

 

 

Thanks for that bit of info!

 

I'll not be wasting an excursion on that one.

 

No pics...no me!:rolleyes:

 

Dave

[snowbird1]

Thanks for that bit of info!

 

I'll not be wasting an excursion on that one.

 

No pics...no me!:rolleyes:

 

Dave

 

Dave, you can take pictures but the best time is before or after the actual race. Trust me, during the race you will be very busy anyway trying to win. There are some opportunities at the end to get some pictures and at the beginning. As for me I would not take my DSLR on the boat, but I would and have taken a smaller camera.

 

The excursion is really a lot of fun especially for the winners and I have been twice.

[pierces]

Dave, you can take pictures but the best time is before or after the actual race. Trust me, during the race you will be very busy anyway trying to win. There are some opportunities at the end to get some pictures and at the beginning. As for me I would not take my DSLR on the boat, but I would and have taken a smaller camera.

 

The excursion is really a lot of fun especially for the winners and I have been twice.

 

But the interesting shots would be taken at speed during the action.

 

Besides, I don't go on a cruise to be conscripted as a deck hand.:D

 

Dave

[websailor]

We went on the Americas Cup Regatta in St Maarten. Like the other folks said, just before and after the racing part, you can take pictures. During the racing, everyone on our boat was busy (especially since my 80 year old Mom was chosen to be the Captain of the other boat, and she DID NOT :mad: pick us to be on her crew, so we had a strong interest in beating them :eek:....which we did! :D), so you don't take pictures.

 

Afterwards, you can get some great pictures.

 

In the link in my signature for 2005 RCCL Adventure of the Seas , there are a set of pictures for this excursion (look for the America's Cup Yacht Racing link in the website). You can see how close most of the shots I took with my Olympus C-750 were. These were taken while sailing back to the harbor - they let people take the helm and have some fun time sailing.

 

I even got to do a bit of tacking - not as quickly as during the race, but still fun!

 

If I had a DSLR and a smaller (but good) camera, I'd opt for the smaller one, but not for any great reason other than I'd think it would be easy to use and I'd be less worried about it (especially if I had more days of vacation to go).

 

I do really wish I had a camera when we tried to raise the mainsail - one of the crew had the mainsheet wrapped around a halyard....the rest of the crew kidded him mercilessly (great faces pictures) and then our competitor sailed close by us, hurling huge insults, which we richly deserved at that point!

 

Later, after we won the race, we got back at them by dashing a wave splash into their boat......everyone had a ball!:D

[04cruises]

Do they allow waterproof cameras during the racing part?

[last_mango]

Do they allow waterproof cameras during the racing part?

 

Yes, but if you have even a moderately active job, you won't have time to take pictures. If your camera has a wrist strap, you might be able to make it work if you volunteer to man the beer cooler or be time keeper. Or if your excursion is really full, you could volunteer to not have a job.

 

There is a chase boat that takes action photographs for you, and you can buy the picture afterward.

[pierces]

...There is a chase boat that takes action photographs for you, and you can buy the picture afterward.

 

 

A-HA! :D

 

Just like the Snuba excursions the don't allow your own camera!

 

I had some hope with the "no job" comment, but if there's a potential for lost revenue, they will enforce the rule to the death!

 

Oh, well...

 

Dave

[last_mango]

A-HA! :D

 

Just like the Snuba excursions the don't allow your own camera!

 

I had some hope with the "no job" comment, but if there's a potential for lost revenue, they will enforce the rule to the death!

 

Oh, well...

 

Dave

 

No, they only enforce the rule for purses/bags/backpacks - anything that could be tripped on or cause an accident. They want you to put your cameras in the hold so they don't get broken, wet, or lost overboard. Our excursion was full (18 people?) and many didn't have a job. A French guy sat next to me with a disposable camera and took pictures, but I thought he was going to go overboard a time or two since he couldn't hang on when we were tacking. I doubt his pictures came out great. But you can never get the kind of picture the chase boat takes, because you won't be in it. :rolleyes:

 

How do you ever enjoy your excursions if you can't cut loose from the camera for a few minutes (and apparently can't reign in the paranoia about revenue motives)? Baffling. You've talked yourself out of one of the best excursions in the Caribbean. I hope others don't do the same after reading your comments, because it's a great experience.

[pierces]

How do you ever enjoy your excursions if you can't cut loose from the camera for a few minutes

 

I choose my excursions precisely so I can take photos. I've been photographing things and places since I was about 10 years old and it has been a source of relaxation and enjoyment for me most of my life. Not "cutting loose" from a camera is a choice, not a mental health issue.

 

(and apparently can't reign in the paranoia about revenue motives)?

 

Paranoia? It's only paranoia if they aren't out to get you! If you are a good enough armchair psychoanalyst to assess my mental state from a single comment, you must already know that!:D

 

I am merely of the opinion that one should have the option of do-it-yourself or hire out. On the ship, they take posed photos with set-ups and lighting and have every right to charge for them. I would consider it tacky if someone were to ask the photographer to step aside or use their camera so they could take their own picture (seen it done!) On shore and on excursions, you are most often outside and, with a few exceptions, free to take pictures. If an excursion or a destination specifically disallows photos, it's off my list. Personal preference.

 

I have no objection to a company making a profit. Revenue motives keep our country running! Some just leave a better impression on the revenue source. Selling pharmaceuticals at a high profit so you can do R&D on newer, more effective products has a "revenue motive". Removing the drinking fountains from a ballpark to boost sales of high-priced beverages also has a "revenue motive". I can accept the logic of the first, but would have issues with the second.

 

Baffling. You've talked yourself out of one of the best excursions in the Caribbean.

 

Since the merits of excursions are subjective to the individual (last time I checked, anyway...though, the vehemence of your post and the harsh assessment of my mental state suggests otherwise!;) )...it boils down to this for me: I like ships, not boats. Great excursion for you, marginal for me.

 

If everybody liked the same thing, there would only be one excursion.

 

I hope others don't do the same after reading your comments, because it's a great experience.

 

If someone who is interested in the thrill of competitive sailing rejects this excursion because of one opinion from a non-boating photographer, maybe they weren't all that interested in the first place.

 

But you can never get the kind of picture the chase boat takes, because you won't be in it.

 

The best photos I've ever seen (not just ones I took) don't have me in them! I prefer to share what I saw, not how others saw me! :D

 

While the chase boat is invaluable for participant photos, it is incapable of the perspective in the borrowed photo below, which is more like what I would want:

 

 

 

Happy shooting...or sailing! It's up to you.

 

Dave