Ace Pro

Two distinct advantages of the Ace Pro are its long recording time and a long-lasting battery. Together, these allow longer recordings to be made, which is ideal for a boat race. 

Downwind sailing

Having spent ages sailing upstream and watching all the other boats disappear into the distance, turning at the mark and coming back downstream and downwind, we could keep up with the fast Phantoms.
 

The return of the Black Pig

 The Upper Thames Sailing Club Relay Race. The Race is on to recruit the crew and get my new uniform ready in time. My wife is working on a 1800s Royal Navy uniform, complete with hat, vest, breeches, waistcoat, and this frock coat, which is nearing completion for the 21st of June.

Last year the crew of the Black Pig came in an excellent third place.

This year, with better uniforms, we will do better.

Arpeggios

 Creating a rhythm using several different arpeggiators on the Wersi Vision system. With this, we can have different instruments playing different rhythms together to create an interesting rhythm section.

Sailing

 Racing in the medium winds at the Upper Thames Sailing Club

Paul Driving Whaly Coyote

Paul driving Whaly Coyote as a safety boat and supporting some UTSC sailors out on the River Thames this morning.  I was in the bow taking photos.
 

Macro Lens

 Get up close and personal!  A macro lens lets you explore the hidden world of tiny details — from insect eyes to circuit board traces. Perfect for science, art, and sparking curiosity of what is that? #MacroPhotography #ScienceEducation #CloseUpMagic

Document Scanner

 The new Czur ET-26 Document Scanner. We have numerous documents to scan in, and this should prove a valuable asset to the company. The initial test demonstrated the scanner's speed compared to a traditional scanner and its ability to handle books effectively.

Making a backing track for the Wersi

 Attempting to create a backing track for the Wersi organ using Ableton, VCV synthesiser, and controlled by a SL61 Mark 3 Keyboard. Although the Wersi is very versatile, there are some things better done outside the Wersi environment.

Endoscope Camera

Occasionally, the most useful camera is the endoscope. In biological dissections, we sometimes use it to examine the interior of an organ, such as the heart, before making any incisions. This allows students to see how the parts fit together and where they are located.
 

Time to fit in the filming

 Trying to squeeze in some more filming whilst on a tight schedule of teaching, exam prep and all the other things that life seems to put in front of time to film.

Learning a new Resolve

 We are having to learn all the new features of DaVinci Resolve 20. Some of the new features are great, but it takes time to learn them and put them into a video. My son loves the Multitext feature.

close-ups

 Setting the camera up with the We-macro stand to take some close-ups of some insects. Using this setup we can achieve a large depth of field to create much better images. The test for today is to look at the feet of insects to see why they can hold onto glass.

Camera Boat

 Using the camera boat to get some action shots of the A-Raters from the River. The drop-down front allows the camera to get right down to the water level, which creates more realistic action shots of the boats as they pass around the mark.

Out in the boat

Having Claudia as our Helm out in the Whaly taking photographs of the boat in the windy conditions. It was a challenge for Claudia in her first trip in the Whaly - acting more like a sail than a boat.
 

Backing tracks

 

More videos being worked on means more backing tracks need to be recorded. Creating original scores that match the video is challenging and time-consuming. It's something that the AI can't do well at present.

Access

 New Pavement creates a few problems with getting the students here today. The workmen are very helpful, so we should manage ok.

working on Sailwave

This is Paul, and I sailing Sailwave in the clubhouse, working out the scores for Bourne End Week . We did manage to get out in the Camera Boat and on the bank taking some 8000 photographs and hrs of video footage recording each of the 36 Races.
 

Bourne End Week

 Getting ready for a big Sailing Event - Bourne End Week, when many of the Thames A-Raters gather together near Marlow to compete for the oldest River Racing Cup - the Queens cup. These A-Raters are the fastest sailing boats on the River Thames and a sight to see.

Cost of replacement cartridges

I can print posters and photos up to A1 size. I haven't replaced the cartridges in a while, and I've noticed that each cartridge now costs about £250. There are 12 different cartridges that I will need to replace over the next few months.

Admin

 Printing out named event tickets on different coloured paper and then sorting them out and putting into envelopes. Admin is sometimes so much fun!

Pursuit Race

In the Pursuit Race. You may just spot the sailing boats in the extreme distance. We weren't chasing them they had overtaken us. We finished a lap down and in last place by a very significant distance.
 

ChatGPT Deep Research

ChatGPT Deep Research: We used the full power of the Internet to gather all the possible information on the A-Rater boats and compile it into a useful reference document. The time taken was 14 minutes, but the time saved was hours—maybe days.

Filming

 I'm out in the Camera Boat on the River Thames, capturing some action as the sailing boats go by. The electric motor cuts down on the noise, so we really only hear the noise of the boat moving through the water.

Portrait

 Focusing too much on the subject and not enough on the backdrop and you notice that the green screen was not entirely flat. The lighting was good for the girl but not so good on the backdrop.

Wedding Season

 The Wedding season is in full swing and couples look for either very traditional photographs or something completely different.​

Positioning Cameras in boats

Placing cameras in boats relies more on where you can put the camera rather than the shot you might like. Using suction fittings and physically tying the camera to the boat in case of a capsize is essential. We use the 360 camera on the boom and others fore and aft.

 

Unexpected Safety Boat duty.

 This was an unexpected Safety Boat duty. One of the boats capsized, and although a safety boat was there to help, the Officer of the day decided to dispatch another boat to aid with the boat and crew's recovery, and I was available.

Getting the picture

 Trying to get the photo of the sailing boat, sailing in front of the Upper Thames Sailing Club

Getting the shot

Trying to be in the right place at the right time — and actually getting the shot you need. It’s part planning, part instinct, and a lot of luck.

Practical Exams Completed

 That's all the A-Level Practical exams done for this season of exams. Completed the Physics, Chemistry and the Biology Practical Examinations for the students. Good luck with the theory papers.

Halo

 

No rain, bright sunshine, with a cloud near the sun, sailing at Bourne End, Bucks - produced not a true rainbow but a halo. This is ice in the upper atmosphere refracting #loveukweather @metoffice @StormHour

FPOV

 I'm working on a first-person POV. The camera works well, apart from my son's height. As he walks around, we get a slightly different POV compared with what I am used to.

Not so good in the wind

 

The wind was all over the place, bouncing off the houses, coming in all directions and gusting, so we only managed one lap, then I learnt how to used the Sailwave program so that I can score the races for the sailing club, and spent time hunting mayflies.

Photographing A-Raters

 

The A-Raters are probably the fastest River boats in the world. Several are based at the Upper Thames Sailing Club, giving me an excellent opportunity to get some photographs of these magnificent boats out on the water.​

Macro Photography

 The weather is good, and spring is here, with all the plants coming out attracting insects, so it's time to get out the 100mm Macro lens and capture a few pictures of insects.

Piano

Getting a good piano sound for background music is essential. The sound is very versatile, from loud Boogie Woogie to sad reflections. It fits most soundtracks and is the sort of thing that the audience doesn't notice.
 

Portrait or Landscape

Do I film in Portrait, Landscape, or Square, or do I have to do all three? With all the different Social Media platforms, all the different formats are needed. The Canon R5C does have guide marks, and if I can keep all the action inside these, then I only have to film once.
 

Visit to Marlow

 

The safety boat wasn’t needed because of the light winds, so we had a trip up to the lock at Marlow. It was a nice sunny and warm day, so Paul, my son, at the Helm tried to work on his tan on his legs.

UTSC at Maltmans School

The Upper Thames Sailing Club went to the Maltmans school in Gerrards Cross for their sports activities in the area exhibition. Next time we will take a club boat with us and a jar of sweets. Paul and Ros showed off what the club can offer.