Our black Friday game was a nail biter until the end. Both teams just kept on scoring and ECU settled it with a fumble recovery in the 2nd OT. Great game and way to end the regular season at home. Now we’re hoping UAB can pull out a win against UCF so we can go to the Conference USA Championship.
Recalling the many cameras I’ve had over the years.
Having had iphones for a few years, I’ve finally purchased my first Mac …. a MacBook Air.
I finished my sailing season off on Sunday with the FBYC Laser Frostbite Regatta. We had 9 boats out in some light North and Westerly winds for 5 races. It was fun close racing on a short course. I won the last 3 races to win the day by just 2 points.
That makes for 55 days of sailing this year, one more than last year. I’m looking forward to some time off and I’ll be planning next year soon!
We had a bit of an abbreviated tailgate with a few of us having other committements and nobody spending the night. Not to mention the noon kick off made it an early day for all of us. We made the most of it and still had a good time. And best of all ECU had a convincing win.
I’ve got a Netgear (JGS516) gigabit switch in a closet just off my kitchen near the family room. Even with the door closed the fan noise it audible even above the refrigerator that is just a few feet away. Quite distracting when trying to watch a movie or have a quiet meal in the kitchen. So I did a little project to reduce the noise.
The switch uses a 5v 40mm x 40mm x 20mm fan. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if quiet 5v fans are made this size, so I ended up getting a 12v fan of this size Scythe Mini Kaze 2, Quiet 40mm Fan, 3500RPM, Single Pack. To get a 12v power source I pulled apart a cell phone charger, fed the wire through the vent opening and spliced it together.
With the fan running full speed, it still wasn’t quiet enough, so I got a Manual 12V DC Variable Speed Controller 4 pin Molex to Dual 3 pin Connector so I could turn it down. With the fan on the lowest setting the sound is barely audible in the closet let alone with the door closed and there’s just enough air flow to be sure the barely loaded 16 port switch doesn’t get too hot. And finally, I can very easily pull the mod out and return it to it’s original configuration.
Before:
After with the speed controller in the back right corner:
Speed Controller | Vent Wiring |
This article also appeared in the Fall 2012 Edition of The Laser Sailor and is now featured here as well. It was written with help from Kyle Martin.
Sport cameras are a relatively new breed of cameras that are compact, waterproof, durable and can be easily mounted on all kinds of surfaces. This makes them great for boats and sailing and especially the Laser. The footage from these cameras is great as a training aid, as a keepsake of your sailing and as a way to share sailing with friends and family – just don’t bore them with 20 minutes of you sailing upwind with nothing happening. Not only do most of these cameras do video, but they can also be used for time lapse photography either to watch the whole series, or just to pick key photos of maneuvers , scenery or technique.
Disclaimer: While great for training and pleasure sailing, cameras are not legal equipment for racing on a Laser.
There are several different brands of cameras on the market each with their own strengths, weaknesses, price points, features etc. Kyle and I both use the GoPro Hero2 cameras, but any of these cameras could be mounted in the shots below.
| Bow Pro: Easy to set and forget, sees a great scene into the boat and all of the activity in the cockpit Con: Often submerged leaving wet spots on lens, risk of snagging others mainsheet Tip: Use a tripod mount on the bow eye for the most secure attachment. How-to Video |
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| Mast Facing Forward Tip: For best results, angle slightly off center to port. This ‘looks’ ahead around a mark or down the line on a start. Pro: Shows boats ahead of you Con: Boring video if you are in front How-to: Go Pro Mast Mount |
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| Side Mast Facing Aft Tip: To mount use a roll-cage mount with extra long screws Pro: Similar scene as the bow, but from a higher elevation. Con: Only works upwind |
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| Masthead Pro: Wide view shows boats around and position in cockpit Con: Unsteady in waves, weight aloft |
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| Mid-Mast Pro: Closer view of cockpit than masthead Con: Good video one tack, ok video other tack How-to Video |
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| Side of Boat Tip: Use a suction mount on the smooth hull surface. Pro: Interesting angles Con: more likely to be underwater, greater risk of getting banged against something |
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| Chest Pro: Great shots of hand-over-hand activity in the cockpit, putting the viewer in your seat Con: easy to obstruct the view with hands or bang camera with tiller extension and hiking out shows all sky |
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| Head Pro: Nice point-of-view shots Con: Scene changes fast as the wearer quickly looks around the boat to sail |
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| Boom Facing Starboard Tip: Wrist mount fits boom perfectly Pro: Unobstructed rear view downwind Con: Completely obstructed view on port tack by sail |
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| End of Boom Facing Forward Tip: Use roll cage mount Pro: Shows sailor in cockpit and what’s ahead when sailing upwind |
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| Stern Facing Forward Pro: Shows sailor plus what’s ahead Con: Slight risk of snagging your mainsheet Pro: Shows sailor in cockpit and what’s ahead when sailing upwind |
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| Side of Dolly Pro: Can be used right-side up, or down |
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Jon Deutsch
Races Lasers, PHRF boats and anything else he can find to race and usually has a video camera running. Check out his YouTube channel.
Kyle Martin
Races Lasers and makes a variety of tips and tricks videos on how to make the most of GoPro Cameras. Check out his tips on his YouTube channel.
Other YouTubers posting Laser footage:
laserinternational, ClaySails, DCSSInstructors, Districttwelvelaser, ericjpetersen1, GRSALaser, jondeusch5, kylemartin101, laserd8, LaserPerformance, LaserTrainingCenter, lightningfleet192, nalsalam, paigesailor, prsalaser, robsuhay, rwbeigel, SailProCameras, sdalin27, syelland100, ussailing2, wjsymes, xdlaser, zorgetbetty, 5FishBoy5, raffak1, GreatDaneLaser, pgihockey13, sailingshack, lasertouring, jonemmettsailing, eshedsailing
Video highlights of the 31st Chesapeake Bay Laser Masters Championship at Fishing Bay Yacht Club October 13-14.
