FLY PAST

This is the last day of our wee holiday in the Lakes so, after yet another hearty breakfast, we decided to visit the Bassenthwaite Sailing Club just across the road from our B&B. There was lots going on as the sailors were busy getting their boats ready for the last day of their week long regatta. This was a great photo opportunity and we both made the most of it first with the 24-70 then the 70-200 with the tele convertor. Memories came flooding back of my teenage days when I sailed dinghies three times a week. I felt right at home in among boats with a camera round my neck - heaven! One poor chap seemed to be running late and was getting himself and crew in quite a pickle. He was rigging a Flying Fifteen tied up to the end of the floating pontoon I was standing on. Once he was eventually ready, I offered to cast him off and gave him a good push off the pontoon. Unfortunately, the inexperienced helmsman lost control, allowed the mainsail to fill and came heading straight back to the pontoon. The bow bumped into the pontoon, denting it in the process. Fortunately there wasn't any visible damage to the boat. I pushed them back off again and this time he sailed over a buoyed rope and snagged it on the keel. It freed but then he caught it on the rudder. I shouted that he'd snagged the rope and he lifted the rudder to clear it. He was now heading for the reeds just off shore so I shouted to him to bear off and he responded correctly. I then shouted to him to gybe to clear the reeds, which he did and eventually he got safely away from the shore. I shouted "Good luck!" and hoped he would make it round the course and back safely.

We then drove about a mile round the corner to the head of Lake Bassenthwaite looking for a photo location looking down the water. Unfortunately we would have been shooting straight into the light so it was a non starter. However, I met another photographer who was looking for kingfishers he'd spotted and photographed here the other day. As we were chatting, I spotted a heron and it turns out they have a nest nearby. I was heading back to the car when I met Weemo coming towards me with her camera. We changed lenses and went hunting for kingfishers and herons. No kingfishers I'm afraid but I did get a shot of this heron flying past.