Spent the day sorting through photographs I took at the above regatta which was held from a nearby marina last weekend.
Their media support was not as slick as it had been in previous years. A month or so ago I mailed their media contact for information on registration and had the benefit of no reply. A second mail elicited a similar lack of interest. So, based on their web site which advised that registration would happen from 1000 onwards last Thursday, I duly turned up at 1300 to register. The words “media”, “press” and “photographer” got me nothing but embarrassed smiles. After some pushing, phone calls were made and a scapegoat was found to tell me that the people dealing with the media would not be arriving until “later.”
So I came back “later” and finally met someone who gave me a free hat and told me that the press boat would be leaving at 1030 the next morning. I duly arrived at 1015 to see the press boat leaving the harbour without me. They had changed the time but neglected to call and tell me. A very nice harbour master type chap got on the radio and called the press boat back to the jetty to collect me; much to the chagrin of those already on board. Tough.
After that, it was a good day, although we had to change boat a couple of times which was a little more exciting than I would have wished with several thousand dollars of camera gear dangling above the ocean.
The next day I arrived early to catch the boat, which obliged by leaving late; and this time, because it was a weekend, we were accompanied by various hangers-on who clearly were not press and were just along for the free food and the ride. Indeed, they were tucking into the free food before we had even left the harbour; and then most of them were seeing the free food again as they projectile vomited over the side into a very choppy sea. So the journey had to be curtailed and we headed back to port on a sick-stained vessel full of rather unhappy passengers. At this point I gave up, better luck next year perhaps.
