Are you still bobbing around or sailing already? Easygoing square metre boats answer this question in their way. These beautiful light air windmills make something out of nearly nothing. Around thirty boats, from classic 15 square metre boats to a modern cruising 55 are sailing the Slim & Tender Race (Schlank & Rank Regatta) off Fehmarn at the german coast of the baltic sea in midsummer conditions.

Heses duck technique

Soeren Hese, a professional yachting fotographer from Berlin is in dire straits in this glaringly bright summer day. He makes the best of the visually boring light air conditions. Hese holds his camera in the trough aside the escort boat, choosing the duck perspective. “You have to be close to the object so that the yachts remain reasonably visible on the wide-angle photos. This requires some skill of the boat driver. The camera is held close to the water for a series of photos without being controlled by the viewfinder or monitor. “The picture idea is roughly planned and you only see the result later,” reports Hese.

Texture of the sea

The second photo shows that sailing happens on a surface where wind creates friction on the water. It looks as if the boats are somewhere in a powerful Atlantic swell. Hese shows the sea with it’s eddies, air bubbles and reflections. The effect of the wide-angle lens or even shorter focal lenght presents the water as sharp as the boats behind. The duck perspective shows something we usually can’t see, providing a previously unknown motive.

The third picture shows the same situation with tucked Spinnaker leeches to make the most of the breeze.

The biannual Slim and Tender race

Since 2009, Schlank & Rank has been sailed every two years on the first weekend in July at Lemkenhafen. There are two races on Saturday this year, next time on July 8th 23, followed by open end chatting in the evening and celebrating.

The regatta has already been photographed by Michael Amme, Nico Krauss, Ulf Sommerwerck and Wulf Hansen. Participants get lasting memories, and unseen views of the texture of the sea, even if the waves in the Fehmarnsund are not as high as in the Gulf Stream. Although the lens artist and his driver improved the real sea state a little, the duck perspective of bubbling green water helps the sailor through the hardship of dark and cold winter months.

Thanks to Soeren Hese for his insights and Thomas Rieckborn, the photo boat driver of Segler Verein Lemkenhafen for bold maneuvers to make it possible.

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