sailing trip

[louisekennedy]

Am sailing from Bermuda to BVI in November, so plan to be on a sail boat for about 10 days. I will have my

d200 with me. I will likely leave my 17 - 55, only because it's too expensive a lens to lose in case we

capsize, or get hit by a rogue wave. So will likely pack the 18 - 200, and a 12 - 24. Neither are fast, but I

will have to live with that. Am I missing a must have lens? No room for a tripod either.

 

Also, I need to find a marine bag for cameras. Has anyone had any good luck with the EWA marine bags?

Not sure how they work, or if they work with twist zooms as opposed to push pull zooms. ARe there other

marine bags, or waterproof bags. I will not taking the camera underwater.

[raysgallery]

I don't understand why worry about the lens and not the D200.

 

So say a Pelican Box is to much money too, then I would go with most any Canoe or Kayak waterproof bad. I have canoed for 30+ years. Canoeist trust these bags with their lives (dry clothes) in the winter, so I think they would be OK for the 17-55.

 

I have been on sailboats before. If you don't have time to put your 17-55 in one of these bags,(15 seconds at most) then the lens is going to be the least of your worries.

 

Ray

[edward_levert]

Unless you are sailing in a very small boat, I wouldn't worry about capsizing or such. I sailed from Charleston to Bermuda this past May on a 38' boat and took my N75 (only "real" Nikon I own) and my 50/1.8 and 24-85/3.5-4.5. Tripods won't do any work as the boat is always moving. Also make sure you bring enough batteries or have a way to charge them on the boat.

 

If you have any faster primes/zooms, I would recommend that you take them. My 50/1.8, which takes up no space, was used at night to get some nice pictures of the moon reflecting off the water and through the sails and night shots of the crew. I was able to take the with just the ambient light from the stars and moon.

 

Unless it is rough out, the boat should be dry enough to use your D200 without anything for protection (I had nothing for my N75). But definitely find a way to take pictures in the elements (ie big waves or rain/storms). I took my Nikonos with and went through a few rolls as we crossed through the Gulf Stream and captured some great moments. A waterproof disposable or two may be an idea if you can't find a safe way to protect your D200.

 

Have a great trip!

 

 

Ed<div></div>

[delros]

www.ewa-marine.com their range of water proof bags are a great way to protected you camera,i used one for about two years.got some great underwater slides.if you do happen to drop it overboared,it will float.

[hans_janssen]

Get a good insurance.

[victor_ho2]

There are a variety of waterproof bags offered by Eastern Mountain Sports. They come in small, medium, large. I saw them in the store locally but I'm sure that you can find it online as well. The prices were quite reasonable. No purchase for me until I get that kayak, that I've been eying at LL Bean.

 

And also:

 

Hurricane Season in the Caribbean

From Teresa Plowright,

 

From May to late December, prices for Caribbean vacations drop, and the bargains get so tempting one almost forgets the H-word.

 

When is Hurricane Season?

 

Officially, hurricane season stretches from June 1st to November 30th, and hits not only the Caribbean islands but also parts of Mexico, Florida and the Texas coast. Within that time frame, August to October are peak months.

 

http://travelwithkids.about.com/od/caribbeanfamilyvacations/a/caribhurricane.htm

[kayak203]

The weather could be fine with occaisonal (salt) spray, to an all out gale with driving rain and tumbly seas. Cool Temperatures possible, so maintain your batteries. I did a similar trip and a friend was using a film SLR with a simple fixed lens through spray and all. <br><br> I like my 18-200mm on a boat, but I'm not sure it will extend inside the bag you mentioned. That bag is expensive and clunky for what you're looking for. I might prefer a cheap small 24mm for when the going gets tough, or a weatherproof point and shoot. Bring some desicant and a pelican box.<div></div>

[ian_white2]

My vote is for the 12-24. In a small boat you are very close to everything and there is essentially no room to use medium or long lenses.

In fact teles are only used at dock on the deck candy sunbathing on neighbouring boats.

 

Take a look at the attached pic. My boat is 33ft long with a 10'6" beam. For this pic I had to hang outside the boat at the stern grasping on to the backstay and use a 14mm lens. Your boat will probably have a bigger beam but not much more than 13' so you can see the problem.

 

Pics of waves get boring after the first day. Also the boat will be in constant motion so high shutter speeds are necessary. People and equipment (spinnakers and crew with bright clothing/foul weather clothing) make the best shots.

 

You say 10 days -- that is probably 4-5 on a single passage then 5 moving between anchorages/slips in quiet marinas. Power will be a problem so take several batteries for the camera. Boat generators are often not very well controlled in their voltage so take a charger but try not to use it.

 

Neck strap for the camera and tie down/neck strap for the carrying bag. For many years I have used a dirt cheap vinyl bag bought from a camping goods store. An alternative which has been used in caves and mines in very wet conditions is a military style ammunition box. These are steel with a waterproof seal. Wrap the camera in a towel and it will be fine, although the hard surfaces are not very boat friendly.

 

Take alcohol wipes and use them frequently to remove the salt mist, then a dry cloth.

 

Have fun.

 

Ian<div></div>

[louisekennedy]

Thanks for all the help. Boat is a 55' sail boat.

 

Of course I worry about the camera, but at some point I have to say, why did I buy it to

leave it behind when I'm on an adventure, plus the d200 stands up to quite a bit. the 17 -

55 is also quite heavy, and the 12 - 24, while as heavy, is wider which will be helpful to

get wide shots while on the boat. I have both the 24 mm and at 50/ 1.4, so I might just

slip the 50 in a bag, good idea!

 

We did a trip earlier this year sailing around the Grenadines, and I found I used the 18 -

200 and 12 - 24 the most. But the weather conditions were glorious and there was no

worry about any weather concerns. I didn't even use a bag.

 

There will be a fair bit of sailing traffic that week, all headed down from NE, stopping off in

Bermuda and then heading down to the islands, so there will be an opportunity for shots

of other boats. but the bad weather photos are the shots that will be likely the most

interesting. And since we will have two days in Bermuda I naturally want to take shots of

all the colors there.

 

extra batteries, good idea. alcohol wipes, good idea. Hadn't thought about silica gel,

thanks for that tip! A pelican box might be overkill, and I have to think about space saving

bags. So some plastic bag with a strap. I'm thinking about those EWA but will look at EMS

as I hadn't thought of looking there. Thanks for that.