Motion GIFs of the Boats in Action
This year, the course was changed due to rough sea conditions.
Instead of sailing from Zamami Island to Naha, Okinawa the race was held in the Keramas.
The sea was relatively calm, close to the islands.
It was a beautiful, sunny day.
For awhile, it had me wondering. Why not sail to Naha ?
As you probably noticed, I'm bouncing around on a fishing boat.
Each team had an escort boat, somewhere nearby, for safety.
Peeking through a camera viewfinder, I'm busy, looking for the Umimaru team.
With 30-40 boats racing, it would take some time to find them.
I take advantage of he light to shoot different types of the traditional wooden boats.
A few, had outriggers and some had, two sails.
The weather, seemed perfect, to me.
And, I was a little bit disappointed, that the race to Okinawa was cancelled.
Leaving the Kerama Islands
We rode a commercial fishing boat back to Naha, Okinawa.
Just a few minutes away from Zamami Island, I learned, why the race was cancelled.
The swells, in the ocean, made waves a few meters high.
They would have swallowed any one of the sailing sabani boats.
A few times, I thought our boat was going to capsize.
But, we had a captain who knew how to handle the seas and, I thanked him for the ride.
BONUS: FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOWED THIS FAR
On the ferry, going to Zamami Jima some gals, asked the age of this old cameraman.
So, one of the sabani dudes told them.
"Mike, he's a Super Grandpa, about 90 years old or, so."
HAH !
I won't be 90 for another 13 birthdays or, so.
Okinawa. I couldn't think of any place, on earth, I'd rather live.
No comments:
Post a Comment