Team Brunel in the mid-Atlantic / Volvo Ocean Race Leg 9,…

Tuesday, January 7th, 2020

Team Brunel in the mid-Atlantic / Volvo Ocean Race Leg 9, 2018-05-25

Helm: Kyle Langford
Windspeed: Gusting to 30 knots
Boatspeed: 25 knots
Drone operator: Sam Greenfield

I gif’d this from the Season’s Greetings from The Ocean Race! video that came out on Christmas Eve. But if you like it you should totally check out the original raw-content video uploaded by Sam:

My partial transcript/commentary, entered as I was first watching the video, from my obligatory obsessive spreadsheet:

Sam: It’s blowing 30 knots outside, and we’re going 30 knots, so we’re gonna try to launch the Phantom Pro in these conditions. He launches the drone. Amazing footage of Brunel surfing in 30 knot winds from the drone. Major stuff of the bow. Title (as the picture goes wobbly): Finally the camera gimbal starts shorting out from salt and moisture. Drone comes in for the recovery, but the crewmember with a chest camera waiting to catch it misses it and it goes back aft toward Kyle, who makes a one-handed catch of it while continuing to HELM THE BOAT WITH HIS OTHER HAND. Thank you and good night.

Extra fun: Here’s a screenshot of the live tracker from that day showing the weather system they were riding:

image

Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/190130923966.

In the last edition of the race Sam Greenfield was the first…

Friday, May 25th, 2018

In the last edition of the race Sam Greenfield was the first person to fly a drone from a racing sailboat in the middle of the ocean. A few hours ago he uploaded this footage from the North Atlantic: The first time someone’s flown a drone from an ocean racer surfing in gale conditions.

It is to boggle. 😀

(Also, nice one-handed catch by Kyle WHILE CONTINUING TO DRIVE THE BOAT.)

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/174263469456.