{My blog mojo has been dormant, but not without worthy distractions. I have been spending a lot of time learning how to record video, how to edit video, and how to market video, and it has been a wildly different direction.}

I was brought to Les Voiles de St. Barths regatta to provide a different kind of product. The event had secured Nefertiti Productions, a French team, to create daily race videos and a regatta recap. My filming responsibilities were less defined, and it came with its advantages and disadvantages:

up, I went sailing three days out of four.
down, I went sailing three days out of four.

By sailing so much, the overall diversity of my material was low and I was unable to compile a top-to-bottom, start-to-finish story for the regatta’s conclusion. What I was able to get, though, was an insiders perspective from onboard the boats—and with the equipment I was using, think I did so in a way that very few people have had the opportunity to even attempt.

The next question, of course: do I edit all that footage or not?

Editing takes a ridiculous amount of time and effort, and in doing so you also run the risk of losing the authenticity of what was originally captured. The process of editing can make storyline development difficult, too; you’re chopping, changing, shortening, and re-ordering something pure. Perhaps most significantly—the addition of music can limit auditory impact.

So—which of the below do you prefer? The raw, 11-minute feed, straight from the camera? Or the finely polished, 4-minute brief?

{the edited version has been viewed over 17,000 times, while the uncut clip nearly half that, at 8,000 plays.}

View This Poll

Adventures are built around answering the unknown’s. There were so many questions leading up to the Bermuda Race this year for me. Genuine Risk was my third and final ride, and while I tend to believe things happen for a reason, that was stressful and somewhat hurtful. I’m trying to put my best foot forward and it often seems my profession and enthusiasm are a tough sell–no matter the ability.

I knew I needed to go, there was no question, and I needed to be on a big boat. Smaller boats have significant weight restrictions and less room for an extra body and camera equipment. But to do the Volvo you need experience, and experience that I desperately need. Not just sailing experience, I have plenty of that, but experience with gear offshore. Experience with handling equipment, editing, lighting and sound in those working environments. These are all things that bear no similarity to my previous life as a house-dwelling, bed-loving, steak-grilling sailing photographer and if I want to impress a team I will likely get one shot and the more practice I get before then the better. So I called a friend on Genuine Risk, made a proposal, and got the last-minute ticket to Bermuda.

I was unsure of a number of things. Genuine Risk is a boat that was more or less written off. It was slow, out of date, tired and abused after having sat on the hard for almost two years. What would the sails look like (some of them had been to the bottom of Lake Michigan)? What would the boat look like? What would the crew look like? It was a charter from Kings Point so I knew there would be a bunch of kids and a lot of people. Would anyone be in matching crew gear? Would we be competitive? I realized I was lucky to be going at all and I decided I was going to make the best of the situation and take the same level of passion into the Genuine Risk effort.

As we pulled into Bermuda on Monday morning it dawned on me how very wrong I was. 62 hours and 18 minutes after leaving Newport I looked back on an incredible race full of new friends, beautiful conditions, close competition, and a renewed sense of motivation. It was everything I wanted and more. Skipper and Bermuda resident Mark Watson should be thrilled after having led PUMA for most of the trip, eventually losing by 8 minutes on the water. For a boat full of people who have never sailed together things went extremely well. It was not without its hiccups but any boat of that size and complexity will. I was ecstatic at seeing the Kings Point “midshipmen” involved at such a young age. It reminds me how important it is to share sailing at this level with the younger generations. It needs to be accessible, promotable, exciting, and attainable, and the Kings Point sailing foundation has a really good feel for the importance of bringing kids into it the right way. That was awesome to witness first hand. They are all no doubt having a blast delivering the boat back right now, alone.

More than anything it was great to get out to sea and leave everything else behind. It’s a part of sailing so few people get to experience and I feel very fortunate to have done so. It only strengthened my conviction towards doing the next Volvo and it has become more than just a goal; in a lot of ways it is now a dream too.

Onboard STP65 "VANQUISH" during 2010 Block Island Race

Well, there has been a lot happening and, well, there has been absolutely nothing happening. ‘Tis a weird time here at Amory Ross Images. I have been doing my absolute best to learn video and the intricacies of Final Cut Pro while really trying to stay afloat; it has been a difficult combination. Am I a photographer? Am I videographer? Am I both? I am trying to best prepare myself for the job going forward and that probably includes both.

I’ve alluded to it before but my only goal right now is to do the Volvo Ocean Race as onboard media crewmember and if my time isn’t spent getting closer to that then I don’t think it worth it. It’s been difficult in a lot of ways but perhaps mostly so in the cold reality that sailing is not quite ready to embrace the modern age, and it’s something I truly cannot understand.

Here we find ourselves, in 2010, and it is beyond me as to how we can sit here and say “sailing is boring, sailing is lame, nobody watches it, nobody cares, we are doing a horrible job marketing it, nobody does anything to promote it,” yet we time and time again refuse to change that. It seems to be a lot of people “talking.” Who, other than Sailing Anarchy, is doing anything about it? While I am wholly against their model of making money without paying for their content, they are in fact out there doing what nobody else is even trying and it’s awesome to see.

Perhaps my enthusiasm for the sport is misguided, perhaps I am over-joyous at the notion that I might be able to have a hand in the sports’ artistic return to grace. I don’t know. All I know is I think I have some seriously awesome ideas and the capabilities to pull them off but I have no way of using them because nobody is willing to give me the opportunity.

At some point this has to change. By virtue of mandatory placement the Volvo Ocean Race has made serious strides. The Louis Vuitton World Series has onboard cameramen too, bravo. The MedCup and RC44 classes allow for a “guest;” that’s progress. We still have a long way to go though and whether I’ll be around when we get there–as an American–I just don’t know. I sure hope so!

I recently spent an afternoon with friend and Hobart sailing alum Andy Horton and crew James Lyne on Lake Champlain, Vermont. It was my very first crack at video and I learned an unbelievable amount. Enjoy!

Biting the bullet I finally caved and picked up a new Canon point-and-shoot called the S90 geared towards professional photogs like myself. Completely customizable and fully manual, it boasts a lot of the features I look for in high end SLRs and maintains a small pocket-worthy size.

While I can’t show photos from the past 11 days jaunting uninhabited Puerto Rican islands while chasing surf (assignment rules), I can show off a few of the S90′s airport captures. This little dude rocks and it goes to show that it’s not the camera that makes the picture… Get out there and shoot!

Unspoiled Islands

It’s off to the Spanish Virgin Islands tomorrow (Wednesday) for a surfing safari assignment from onboard a 48′ catamaran. No, I don’t know how to surf and no, I don’t love the notion of slow catamarans (realistically, how exciting can 0-degrees of heel get?). I do however seriously doubt either concern proves problematic…

For those that don’t yet know, the Spanish Virgin Islands are a little known oasis of Caribbean goodness stuck between Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Until recently (3 years ago?), the US Navy used them for extensive bombing practice. That practice is now over and the islands have been graciously opened to the public.

Apparently they are laden with ideal surf breaks and pristine beaches. I am excited to find out for myself!

(slow catamaran and all)

The decisive end to AC33 is settling in… The America’s Cup is back in good hands, wrestled from the grasps of a Swiss challenger headed by a man who knew no bounds. Outmatched at virtually every turn, it is clear that he (and the yacht club he represented) had nothing but their own interests at mind, ordering the Race Committee not to start Race 2 in Sunday’s very sailable conditions because they favored BMW Oracle Racing. It was a sad, sad turn of events. It was also a great, great day for right-minded sailing enthusiasts around the world as PRO Harold Bennett started the race anyways, recruiting a bystander and onboard cop to conduct the starting signals.

Much like you I sit wondering what’s next. I also have an opinion, but that’s not necessarily important. What’s important is that Larry Ellison, Russell Coutts, Mascalzone Latino and everyone who will have a part in the rebirth of sailings most important regatta will do it the right way.

As an enthusiast and a professional I am passionately dependant on the success of the America’s Cup. I thought it would be fun to jot down some of my own priorites below:

ONBOARD MEDIA

I would love to see the America’s Cup borrow a page from the Volvo Ocean Race and put a cameraman aboard each boat during the racing. As a sport we need to make the action more accessible and I can think of no better way to show it off than by putting a creative cameraman onboard; the gimbaled units just don’t capture all that much.

BOAT

Speed is exciting but as we saw in Valencia a week ago, too much can be a problem. The 33^rd America’s Cup was virtually impossible to enjoy unless sitting in front of a computer or TV screen. The speed at which the two multihulls were moving and the course size needed to accommodate for it made this America’s Cup a spectator/media nightmare. There has to be a balanced compromise.

I personally hope for a fast cutting-edge monohull in the 60-75 foot range. They should be fast enough to prove entertaining and difficult to sail, slow enough to encourage close match racing tactics and confined courses, making it easier for spectators and media to cover from on the water. I STRONGLY believe they should be able to sail in high winds, up to say 30 knots. It is part of sailing and if we’re to look at the success of the Volvo Ocean Race, big conditions make for dramatic images that get people excited. There is no reason the best sailors in the world should be limited by boats that cannot handle wind and waves. Smaller boats cost less and don’t require as much space for compound facilities too.

VENUE

Did I mention I live in Newport, Rhode Island?

In all honesty I don’t think the venue as important as the boat or regatta structure. Yes of course, I would love to see the America’s Cup come back to the US and Newport in particular. What better place to get the AC back on track than the one that held it for over 130 years? It enjoyed many of its largest successes in the waters off Newport, but the event has changed. Newport does offer a reliable summer seebreeze and a dedicated maritime following, but it is a relatively small market compared to the likes of San Francisco, San Diego, or Valencia. If the AC would be better served elsewhere I am all for it; the sustainability of the sport and the event is paramount.

REGATTA

I find this to be pretty straightforward: just go back to the way it was! “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”

There should be a defender-less challenger series of Louis Vuitton branding to earn the right to race the defender. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. And if you don’t like it, go race for something else. It has proven remarkably interesting for more than a century.

I think the Louis Vuitton “Acts” are great. The international regattas do a lot to showcase the boats and provide additional sponsor return and training. I do not think they should count towards the challenger selection series though, as there will surely be teams that cannot afford to go to them all. No sense handicapping them further.

–

The bottom line is that we really don’t have to worry. Whatever decisions are made will be undoubtedly better than the alternative, an alternative we fortunately never had to experience. I very much look forward to America’s Cup 34, whenever and wherever it might be!

Bring what on? Follow what action?

Boy am I glad I didn’t go to Valencia…

The truth is, I was very seriously considering it. Why? Because at the end of the day it is still the America’s Cup, the most storied event in our sports long history, and I really wanted to be there. To some extent I also felt the need to stay “on the circuit,” in case this thing turns around in a hurry. That is my job. There is always the potential that not being there might be worse than the alternative. I looked at tickets, hotels, accreditation requirements–almost pulled the trigger too.

It would have been a week (at least) of my own money, spent watching nothing happen while sitting in on press conferences. It would have been another week of my money in changed flights, re-booked hotels, and lost income back home. I have heard there are photographers who can’t even get on the water, destined to sit at the media center all day (I was told that up to 15 photographers have access to the course).

I ultimately decided it best not to go; I simply could not afford it. The official photographers in Gilles Martin-Raget (BOR) and Carlo Borlenghi (Alinghi), two of the absolute best, make their photos available for free and they are of the highest quality. Everyone else is more or less freelance. So why go? Why spend all that money… To be a tourist? I just don’t know.

In reality this AC should be thankful it’s getting so much press. Most, including myself, are looking forward to its conclusion. I know who I want to win and it’s the prospect of a return to normalcy that gets me excited.

I am a huge fan of quotations. They seem to put into words what my impossibly visual mind cannot write for itself. Ever since my college sailing coach began putting a quote-of-the-day on our daily practice notes I started writing them down. Everywhere. I currently have a “memo” section in my phone full of them. I see one I like and I quickly jot it down. Why? I’m not sure. Sometimes it’s good to run through them all, kind of a positive affirmation that there are other people out there trying to do what they love in the face of some good old-fashioned adversity. I came across this one the other day and found it particularly fitting given the current circumstances.

Take from it what you may, but in my present predicament it makes perfect sense. Famed boatbuilders are belly up, industry manufacturers are closing doors and tightening budgets, professional sailing is further still from my homeland America, media conscious sponsors are harder than ever to find, and the photography industry is seeing a rapid and dramatic transition enabling the rise of hobbyists around the world. Many well-established and experienced photographers are out of work. Some would say that the odds are not good, especially because I refuse to work for less. That’s a sizable storm.

In light of said sizable storm, I have taken advantage of the lull and moved back out to Jackson, Wyoming, for the winter. A healthy paycheck on skis, ample travel time for some in-the-works grand prix sailing, and a potentially huge chance to get my feet wet with a local video team all mean one thing: I have not given up on this business and the next Volvo Ocean Race as onboard media crew member is clearly in my sights.

Just learning to dance in the rain… (or, hopefully, a more frozen Wyoming variety!)