Racing on Galveston Bay

Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
We sailed in Rum Race #7 last Saturday. Finished right in the middle of our class. Average winds, not many close crosses, just got closer than I like to the tower that’s the second mark, got inside and windward of another boat, but we were fine. There weren't any big, exciting jibes for @BlowMeAway.
It doesn’t always go well for boats when you get too close to these large, fixed steel structures on the bay. This photo is from a race back in the spring.
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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Main I wish I had the time and aptitude to make videos like you do. These are always fun to watch.

Great job getting the crew to hike out over the rail. I can see the improvement on your boat with that week over week.

Thought - get used to talking to your crew/drivers in relation to the wind. Tell the driver to come UP, or come DOWN. They will know better what you're thinking tactically, and crew will immediately know if they need to trim or ease to match. Worse case, at least use port or starboard, and not right or left! ;^)
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,039
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
Thanks for the updates, I too like the videos a lot!

Any chance @Bill19233 you could provide some details on the setup you use to mount and move the camera around? I'd like to pick up something that works like what you are using for our fall race series.
 
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Jan 22, 2008
763
Hunter 340 Baytown TX
Main I wish I had the time and aptitude to make videos like you do. These are always fun to watch.
There's one more Rum Race this year you can try to make on the seventh, need a tactician. We're with three other boats within two points of each other for series class second.

I'm glad you like the videos. They're starting to all look the same to me, though. I've got to come up with some new angles or graphics or split screens or something. I really need a good "follow me" drone. It only takes me a couple hours to put a 6 or 7 minute video together. I use an old video as a template and just switch clips and sound, and hope I edit all the text spots with the right date or whatever before I upload them.

@JRT I use Drift brand POV action cameras, I've got six. Some old, some new. I've been telling family for years that don't know what to get me for father's day or birthday or whatever to get me another one, about $130 for the latest model. If you look at the split screen scene in the video, you'll see two pointing forward, one on the starboard arch riser and another on a home made strut off the port pushpit. And two pointing aft, one on top the sea hood/ instrument pod and one on the starboard mast strut. I just turn them on and push record before I leave the dock. I've lost a couple to the bay when a line has caught them and when the strut got "removed" by another boat in pre start maneuvers in Icicle #4 this year, at 1:06 in the video.


I have put a camera on the mainsail headboard pointing down, I'm going to try pointing it aft next race. Still trying to come up with a cheap gimballed mount for the camera on the aft strut. Drift cameras have rotating lenses, so I'll turn the lenses to level the horizon when I can. I use PowerDirector video editor, has to be pretty easy if I can use it. I try to get some panning clips with my cell phone, too when I have a free hand.
 
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