French Kiss 86

During the 1986-7 America's Cup Challenger Trials off Fremantle in Western Australia, there were many opportunities to shoot really nice pictures of the racing. I was lucky in having a helicopter at my disposal almost anytime I needed it and a pilot who I had trained - over many weeks and months - to get in the right position.

The problem for me, was that while I could easily capture some 'nice' images, I was not happy with what they represented. I wanted something that would really show the often close and ferocious racing between yachts.

As the weeks went by, it became apparent that the New York Yacht Club entry America II was on the verge of being eliminated from the series.

I wanted a picture of that boat either winning or losing the final fight to stay in the battle. The only way I could see the picture was through a big lens from a certain angle.

The aerial restrictions in place for over-flying the yachts were very tight and well controlled.

A few days before this match, my pilot and I went up for a practice run. I had sketched out what I was looking for. The pilot was enthusiastic, but did not think the positioning was practicable due to the over-flying restrictions, but he was willing to try.

I had chosen to use my Novoflex but this time fitted with a 600mm lens. Imagine, this tool is almost one meter in length. It has two pistol grips - one for focusing - and from the open cockpit of our helicopter, very difficult to handle and manipulate with the wind-buffeting and aircraft vibration.

The lens was attached to a Nikon F3 with a motor-drive as well as the extra chest-pod bracket for the lens. When fitted-up, it looks like a rocket launcher.

On the practice day, I figured out a way to jam the end of the lens between my boots, which were dangling out of the aircraft, and using the pod against my shoulder, I could just about hold the whole contraption steady while looking through the viewfinder and sort of aiming it like a rifle. I had to fix focus before any shooting from just the right height and lock-it with the special screw. There was just no way to look through the viewfinder and attempt to adjust focus when the moment came.

Practice day was a failure; there was very little wind and my pilot was way off when it came to positioning the aircraft. I think he was quite nervous of air-traffic controllers who had given us a telling-off on one or two previous occasions and threatened to withdraw permission to fly over the course.

In a de-brief, my pilot and I discussed alternatives and came up with a 'go high, dive fast and quick pull-up at the target position.'.

It was a tactical manoeuvre to avoid trouble with air-traffic control as at all times the aircraft would in effect, be outside the minimum radial and distance-off requirements. It did mean however, that the aircraft position would have to be exact relative to the racing yachts - considering the very narrow angle of view of my lens - and much would depend on weather conditions.

The idea of a quick pull-up would put the aircraft in a position of near zero g-force for a few seconds; enough time I hoped, to line-up the camera and lens and squeeze off a few frames.

When the day came, it was bright and very breezy over the Indian Ocean with big rolling seas. French Kiss and America II got into a real neck and neck tussle on one down-wind leg. We chased them and tried a couple of times to get in position. On the third go, it worked.

I remember feeling the g-force as we pulled out of that dive from about 2000 feet, coming in to the target space at just under 500ft (the limit!) at 120 knots + and then getting straight up the other side out of the 'hole'. I still don't really know how I managed to keep that monster of a lens on target; my neck was being twisted by the buffeting as we went down. But there it is. A few frames that worked and one of them won The Kodachrome Cup for the best picture of that year's America's Cup competition announced at a gala dinner in New York Yacht Club the following year.