DN World Gold Cup Championship 2015, Kingston Ontario

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DN World Gold Cup Championship 2015, Kingston Ontario
© Réjean Lemay, all rights reserved (except music)
On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in late January 2015, I stumbled upon the International World Cup for DN Ice Yachting being unexpectedly held in my hometown of Kingston, Ontario. At first I was upset at the local media and tourism bureau for not publicizing the event in advance. However, it was quickly pointed out to me that Kingston became the host city because it had been fortunate enough to have nearly perfect ice conditions for the regatta whereas the other contending venues in Eastern USA had not been dealt a good hand from Mother Nature.

The DN ice boaters are nomads chasing the elusive perfect ice and wind conditions for their craft. They will travel long distances at a moment’s notice to meet venues that are dictated by sometime ephemeral ice and weather conditions to practice and compete in their winter sports.

I took a real liking to the experience and went back for many hours over the course of the following three days with cameras in hand to capture the essence of the International Regatta in both video and still images.

I compiled and edited the material to produce this video which I trust will rekindle the vibes and spirit of the Kingston DN championship in those who participated and volunteered as well as to contributing to making the sport known to a larger audience. In passing I also wanted to highlight Kingston as an attractive and welcoming venue for such events.

As an amateur videographer with limited technical means, I certainly was not fully prepared for snapping pictures and taping videos in the whipping wind and bitter cold offered by the vast expense of frozen Lake Ontario. I certainly did not expect the long waits in between races that were taken in stride by the participants which were the prelude to quick bursts of racing activities that left me little time and opportunities to collect video footage of quality.

Video tracking of specific often distanced and fast moving ice boats with extended camera zoom was problematic as my weighed tripods and I could not always hold still in the wind sweeping the large expense of frozen water. So, I apologize for some of the shaking in the video that could not be corrected in post-production.

My extremities got cold from standing in the open and my fingers painfully frozen from operating the cameras bare hand even for short periods. I believe my metabolism slowed down from exposure, which was a good thing considering the number of hours I spent quite a distance off shore. Nonetheless, I was warmed by the convivial atmosphere enveloping the on-ice event. My experience was probably akin to that experienced by the race officials and volunteers who were instrumental in making the Kingston regatta not only possible but also the success it was. You may pause the video to read sail numbers clearly.

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