About
Neil Jones sailing Imogene,
Photo, Art Specter
My first sailing adventure began when I bought a small used sailboat, strapped it to the top of my Chevy Nova, and drove a few miles outside Little Rock to Lake Maumelle. The previous owner had given me an introductory brochure covering how to rig the boat and a few sentences on boating safety. Without realizing I was a total beginner, he assured me the brochure would teach me everything I needed to know to get started.
I remember standing in the marina parking lot with the brochure in hand, trying to push all this new sailing stuff into my head. Not to be intimidated and restless to get on with it, I threw the brochure in the back of the car and pushed the boat away from shore. After all, how hard could sailing be? For the rest of the afternoon, I provided the guys hanging around the docks with a lot of free entertainment. There were plenty of crashes, dunks, and silly blunders, but I eventually got the hang of it. Feeling a bit proud of myself, I finally managed to zig-zag around the lake and get back to shore without capsizing. My first sailing adventure wasn't pretty, but I was hooked!
Little did I know that this experience would lead to over 40 years of sailing enjoyment. I have owned and sailed many boats during that time, raced at local sailing clubs and national regattas, and cruised with family and friends in the Florida Keys, Bahamas, and the Caribbean. After retirement, I found myself back on Lake Maumelle sailing a gaff-rigged catboat that I hauled home from Maryland and spent a better part of two years rebuilding. One lazy Sunday afternoon, I took a few pictures of a regatta hosted by the Grande Maumelle Sailing Club. I had so much fun capturing the action and started to think about using photography to tell the story of sailing on the lake.
When photographing sailing, I focus on the dynamic connection between boats and people. While images of beautiful boats alone can become repetitive, capturing the energy and joy of people sailing them brings the photos to life. One of my most significant challenges is photographing racing sailboats and their skippers and crew. Taking a sharp, clear image of a fast-moving target from a distance on my boat is no easy task. Conditions on the water constantly shift, and racing boats respond quickly to changes in wind direction, wind speed, and other boats' positions. Like the skipper navigating the course, I must anticipate these changes to capture the perfect shot.
I developed this space to post and share images I captured on Lake Maumelle. Hopefully, the photographs displayed here will kindle the same joy and excitement of sailing that I have felt since my first sailing adventure.
Neil Jones taking photos on Lake Maumelle
Photo, Cynthia Carlisi