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Album 2 - Day 8 of the 2007 Thundercat World Championships - Surf Racing on South Bay in Scarborough, England.
This selection of photographs are from Friday 8th June (Day 8) - Surf Racing on South Bay. I took plenty of shots as the sun was almost shining, so these photos are spread over 2 albums.
The event was shifted at the last minute to be fully hosted in Scarboroughs South Bay, after activists forced Castle Howard to abandon the event amid fears over environmental impact. Practice Races and events took place over the 10 days from June 1st - June 10th 2007.
Thundercat Racing in South Bay Day 8, Scarborough 2007.
The light on day 8 was misty, but with sunshine breaking through over lunchtime, this was later replaced by a fairly thick fog! Most of these photographs were taken with exposures around 1/500 - 1/1500 th of a second, using an effective film speed rating of 200 ISO. Because of the proximity to the action the full extent of my 100-400mm zoom lens was put into action.
Much more information about Thundercat Racing is on the official UK Thundercat Website
Details about the Worlds in Scarborough, see the Official Thundercat World Championship Website
I would recommend a range of lenses (or a super zoom) to capture the action and the atmosphere, ranging from wide angle up to 500mm (or the longest you have available). When its overcast a tripod would make sense, but it can limit your ability to react to high action situations.
Sand and cameras really don't mix, so you need to protect the camera as much as possible and avoid interchanging lenses in the open, keep cleaning throughout the day! The intermittent sunshine and clouds meant faster shutter speeds were attainable, but still the highest quality ISO 100 eluded me for each of the 5 days that I managed to attend the Worlds.
