REGATTA : HOTEL CALIFORNIA TOO
Les Voiles de Saint Barth (French West Indies)
In this April morning, I was starting to get slightly seasick shooting the sailing boats of Les Voiles de Saint-Barth, a famous regatta in the French Caribbean. Telelens and strong swell don’t mix well, and when you notice it’s normally too late.
The sea was rocking our VIP Press boat since a while, the horizon was getting kind of ink blue.. But then a ray of sun burst out through the clouds and Hotel California Too (HCT) appeared suddenly, seemingly happy to play with the waves and the wind and, incidentally, to show off in front of the photographers.
Wave surfing
HCT (why did they call it that way?!) is certainly not the most advanced sailing boat in the world (forget carbon tech and computers) nor its crew is the most disciplined and flashiest of the circuit. But they looked very cool and seeing HCT jump through and surf over the 3 meters high waves was a blast! My love for regattas certainly started there.
Regatta shooting
If you happen to sail or have sailed with Hotel California Too, to know its crew or simply be aware where and when the boat is going to sail in the next months (if it is still afloat!), just let me know.
And wherever it is, I’ll go for another shoot (without forgetting anti-seasickness pills)!