Sardinia in October (with vids)

[scubaman]

As many on here, I've been following Hurricane's excellent Sardinia thread throughout the summer and enjoyed the amazing pics and stories of adventures in and around Carloforte posted by many forumites.

This week my family and I have had the pleasure of enjoying this magical place first hand and it has to be said that our visit to the charming island of San Pietro has been taken into an another level by MapisM's and S's hospitality. They have made us welcome on their boat, introduced us to their friends on the island and helped with many things during our stay. The company we've had, the boating and the lazy mediterranean lunches on anchor will get us a long way into the looming winter. Thank you for everything P & S!

Which brings me to boating. A lot has been said about the merits of this area already and I doubt my feeble attempts to describe it with yet more superlatives would add any meaningful value. I put together this video instead, which for us serves as a memory of a day of boating nirvana, but for those who've had the good sense to decide to do their boating there, just another day in paradise.



We were also lucky to visit Mezzaluna on a day when the conditions allowed for snorkeling in the caves. MM was kind enough to drop me off just outside and wait untill i had had enough time to explore them. The amazing clarity of the water coupled with the passages in the caves were just stunning. This second vid shows the site in question.



It is easy to fall in love with the place, but the great climate and the crystal clear and warm-till-october sea also make just so much sense. Let's just say I can perfectly and whole heartedly see where the med boaters are coming from.

Btw, both vids were shot with the Phantom 3 which is quite a clever piece of kit. The image quality is great and the thing is intuitive to handle. Despite being a total novice, I've managed to keep the thing away from trouble (albeit with the help of MM's quick reactions ). Strongly recommended to anyone interested in aerial photo/videography.

 

[Pinnacle]

K

Fantastic! Once again you have demonstrated your skill with a camera. It brought back great memories for S and I from our visit a month ago. S and P do know how to host, don't they!

 

[jfm]

Let's just say I can perfectly and whole heartedly see where the med boaters are coming from

:encouragement::encouragement:

Great videos Scubaman! The phantom 3 is really easy/intuitive to use isn't it? (It comes with almost no manual, which is a good sign)

Gorgeous location and photography - many thanks

Looking forward to many more drone videos from you over the winter!:encouragement:

(Your horizon droops on the right. If you click the drone/helicopter icon top left, then the camera icon in the right column of the pop up window, you find a "gimbal adjust" button. Select this and you can adjust the camera horizon angle to make the horizon straight. You can do it pre flight or in flight)

 

[scubaman]

Thank you gentlemen.

J, thanks for the tip. I just duscussed that today with P but hadn't yet gotten around to finding out how to correct it (haven't yet opened the manual ). Will follow your instrucrions first thing in the morning.

 

[henryf]

So you've taken to the skies.......

It certainly adds to the armoury of tools. I reckon between us we could all
travel the world making boat related videos! Just need to persuade Princess, Sunseeker or a bigger fish that it's worth a fortune to them so we can live in the lifestyle we've become accustomed to

Thanks as ever for posting. I'm also looking forward to some winter footage.

Heading off to Monaco tomorrow then setting sail for Greece via several Med destinations. Am going to take my camera, sadly no quad though.


Henry

 

[jfm]

You on the 1805 BA LHR to NCE Henri? If yes I can lend you a quad...!
Hope you have a great trip

 

[jfm]

Thank you gentlemen.

J, thanks for the tip. I just duscussed that today with P but hadn't yet gotten around to finding out how to correct it (haven't yet opened the manual ). Will follow your instrucrions first thing in the morning.

It's not in the manual K. In my instructions above I should have said "If you click the drone/helicopter icon top left, then the camera icon in the LEFT column of the pop up window, you find a "gimbal adjust" button"

If you're feeling confident, here's another thing not in manual. Flick the slider switch at top left of remote to F (left) instead of P, when the thing is already flying >10m altitude. Nothing will happen to the drone. A pop up will open offering you follow me, which is self explanatory. Another choice is POI. To use POI, fly the quad directly over the boat (camera fully pointing down) and set the centre of circle by pressing that selection., This marks a waypoint in the system, or rather a "way pole" (think of pole dancing - a waypoint not specific to any altitude). Then pull the drone ~35m away from the boat, set the altitude and camera view how you want it, and the other parameters (intuitive on screen) and select "start mission". It flies around the boat shooting it, in a circle. If you change altitude you get a helix. I suggest choose max speed, which iirc is 10m/sec or about 20 knots. It carries on till you select "stop mission"

 

[scubaman]

It's not in the manual K. In my instructions above I should have said "If you click the drone/helicopter icon top left, then the camera icon in the LEFT column of the pop up window, you find a "gimbal adjust" button"

If you're feeling confident, here's another thing not in manual. Flick the slider switch at top left of remote to F (left) instead of P, when the thing is already flying >10m altitude. Nothing will happen to the drone. A pop up will open offering you follow me, which is self explanatory. Another choice is POI. To use POI, fly the quad directly over the boat (camera fully pointing down) and set the centre of circle by pressing that selection., This marks a waypoint in the system, or rather a "way pole" (think of pole dancing - a waypoint not specific to any altitude). Then pull the drone ~35m away from the boat, set the altitude and camera view how you want it, and the other parameters (intuitive on screen) and select "start mission". It flies around the boat shooting it, in a circle. If you change altitude you get a helix. I suggest choose max speed, which iirc is 10m/sec or about 20 knots. It carries on till you select "stop mission"

Thanks, I already found that one. You can achieve the same effect manually but one needs a very soft touch to avoid the jerky corrections to the heading. The very clever POI function completely removes that with a few taps on the pad.

 

[scubaman]

It certainly adds to the armoury of tools.

Exactly

I reckon between us we could all
travel the world making boat related videos! Just need to persuade Princess, Sunseeker or a bigger fish that it's worth a fortune to them so we can live in the lifestyle we've become accustomed to

Yes, the trouble with that route would be that you end up shooting beautiful boats at nice locations, but not drive them...

Thanks as ever for posting. I'm also looking forward to some winter footage.

Heading off to Monaco tomorrow then setting sail for Greece via several Med destinations. Am going to take my camera, sadly no quad though.


Henry

Bon voyage! Looking forward to any pics & vids. We are going on out first med cruise around christmas.

 

[Hurricane]

Fantastic videos
I definitely want one of those drones.

Loved the views of Erikis House - shows just how remote the place is.
I remember that she calls it her boat - because it might just as well be a boat!!

Then those pics along the north coast and around Cala Vinagra brought back memories as well.
It looked as though you were the only ones there.

And the last pic of the "drone catcher" made me smile as well.

 

[Pinnacle]

And the last pic of the "drone catcher" made me smile as well.

:encouragement:

 

[Hardmy]

Scubaman you are not only a very good photographer, but I see you have also a gift for drone videoshooting!

It made also my day to discover the stunning cruising grounds of MapisM. Sunshine and the only boat on the water... The best recipe to brighten a grey autumn day in Frankfurt. Thanks!

On which day did you shoot this video? I guess the water temperature was still enjoyable?

 

[jfm]

And the last pic of the "drone catcher" made me smile as well.

Yep :encouragement::encouragement:
My director's tip (very much the blind leading the sighted) is that the DC needs to wear mirrored shades. Fast forward to exactly 3:05 in this video...

 

[MapisM]

Thank you for everything P & S!

Many thanks to you K, not only for the very kind words, but also for coming to CF in spite of the somewhat long trip, considering the lack of direct flights from/to FI.
For both myself and S, and also all our friends, it has been a great pleasure to spend some time with yourself, S, and your lovely kids.
I hope the thermal shock will not be too bad tomorrow, at the end of your return trip...
And of course, many thanks also for bringing the Phantom and shooting some really stunning videos! :encouragement:

 

[MapisM]

On which day did you shoot this video? I guess the water temperature was still enjoyable?

The above clips were all taken during this week, but I must say so far in Oct we had a few cloudy/rainy/windy days, which also cooled down the sea water to somewhere between 20 and 22 degrees, depending on the locations.
Still not bad, but in the last couple of years the weather has been more consistently good, and we were still swimming in 24/25 degrees of water at the end of Oct...!
Oh, well. Could be worse anyway, I suppose!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

The above clips were all taken during this week, but I must say so far in Oct we had a few cloudy/rainy/windy days, which also cooled down the sea water to somewhere between 20 and 22 degrees, depending on the locations.

Well I think these vids are computer generated because its never been that calm when I've been in CF Btw are you auditioning for a job as Santa Claus this year? That beard is coming along nicely

Nice job scubaman! Sorry I wasn't there

 

[MYAG]

..................Btw are you auditioning for a job as Santa Claus this year? That beard is coming along.............

More like Uncle Albert ??

Very nice flying and Vids of a great cruising ground. On my list to return least not for the company.

 

[henryf]

You on the 1805 BA LHR to NCE Henri? If yes I can lend you a quad...!
Hope you have a great trip

No, we were on the 15.35 LHR - NCE. My goodness me, a while since I've flown anything other than long haul and without wanting to sound like an arse turned right. In fairness Buisness class at £450 per bottom more would still have suffered the same leg room.

Now safely tucked up in the Novotel overlooking the harbour, all be it with a couple of buildings partly obscuring the view. Boarding Seabourn Sojourn tomorrow afternoon. Sea looked very very calm indeed as we flew in.

Seen some ideal looking candidates for the new Mrs Firman, just need to check they're happy changing the clutch on an Opel Manta and that they can be ready and out the door in less than 3 minutes.

High maintenance isn't the word!!!!!

Thank goodness nothing is priced in pounds so I haven't got a clue what things really cost. What's a Euro worth these days, about thirty pence ?


Henry

 

[MapisM]

Well I think these vids are computer generated because its never been that calm when I've been in CF

Ah, but! Cherry-pick is the secret.
Sea conditions were not always like in the first of scubaman videos - they are already different in the second, in fact.
But we did have a couple of days of glorious weather, which we obviously spent cruising around a bit.
In a sense, you can think of it as an alternative to work, earn money and spend it for zero speed stabs: just liveaboard, do nothing, and go out only when conditions are ideal!
I'm attaching below a few frames stolen from scubaman clips, for good measure...

Re. the beard, sorry for the wrong dressing, but I lent my proper T-shirt to a mate... :encouragement:

 

[henryf]

That second picture is stunning.

Henry