Solent Photo Swop Group

[castaway]

I've had an idea kicking around for a year or so...

There we are, out in the Solent on a sparkling day taking pics of other boats and wishing others could take similar pictures of us.

Well, as suggested in a post on the PBO today, we could cast the crew adrift in the dinghy with a camera, (yes I,ve done that),or, one could set up a Photo Swop Group on something like "Yahoo Groups".

A while back I set up an Yahoo Owners Group for the Moody Halberdiers (The HOGs), as these boats are scattered all over the world and none of the owners had previously had any real contact with each other. Now we correspond, if not daily then most weeks, and although small, it works very well.

What I,m saying is that there is easily used, (and free) technology that could make a photo swop group viable.

I would see the SPSG more as database of participating owners and boat names, rather that a huge online photostorage operation. If say you take a nice picture of my boat "Fairweather" pounding along at 7kts with a Cowes backdrop, you would check yr list and send me an Email with the pic as an attachment, or if you still use a proper camera check with me my address and sent it snailmail. (and if yr really tight bill me for the photo).

I know I would love to have a potential source of action pics of my boat, but so far have none.. and I'm sure that others feel likewise.

I,m just testing the water, and of course to be any good there would probably need to be database of at maybe 500 plus boats active, and a reasonable amount of enthusiasm/and a spirit of well wishing to make it work..

Whats is the view of the "panel" has anyone tried this before? I'm happy to set it up if it looks like a runner.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtsite.co.uk/fairweather>http://www.yachtsite.co.uk/fairweather</A>

Regards Nick




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[Twister_Ken]

Count me in, nm

`

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[Moose]

Re: Count me in, nm

Great Idea, I was fortunate enough to have a few great pictures of me pounding along at 22knots. From Fellow forumites on the Mobo Forum meet.

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Moose

 

[StephenSails]

Count me in as well, I have got loads of pictures from Cowes Week to just cruising.

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.yachtinguniverse.com

 

[claymore]

Hey English Johnnie

You wan' see peectures my seester?
I think its a great idea and look forward to seeing the inevitable pictures of you all stuck on sandbanks and all the other embarrasing things that happen when cameras are trained on us.
Perhaps Jimi could get some photographic evidence of harridans and port tacking pillocks - could you organise it to stream video?

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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[castaway]

Well its a start!

I think it'll need a few more than 4 of us to make this work, but it could catch on so...

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/solentswap/>http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/solentswap/</A>


You will see that yours truly is the only person on the register so far. But its easy to see how it will work.And its dead easy. Everyone is welcome.

n.entract@ntlworld.com

Regards Nick.






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[jac]

Well seems like a good Idea to me - I'm No 2 on the register. Now where did I put that box brownie.....

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[Ohdrat]

Have you tried landing a whisky fuelled crew on a Nav buoy (one of the big ones) with a camera... picking the whisky fuelled bod off the Nav buoy is better fun than any MOB exercise/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

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[gtmoore]

Nick

How do I add my boat to your database - it says I don't have permission. Or do we post a message with the details and you add it?

Cheers

<hr width=100% size=1>Gavin

 

[castaway]

Hi Gavin

I see that you are on the membership list but not yet on the database, Ill take a look at the setup, I think unless it get abused it would be easiest for swappers to be able to update there own details.

Im at work right now so it may be a short while before I can get to it.

Regds Nick

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/solentswap/>http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/solentswap/</A>


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[ROSSCO]

Great Idea i've signed up

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[BrendanS]

Nick,

you need to set permissions to allow users to upload photos, and also to add entries to the database. It's not possible for anyone except yourself to do either at present



<hr width=100% size=1>Err, let me know if Depsol enters the forum, I'll go and hide

 

[castaway]

Hi Brendan

Thanks for that, the database is (should be).. open now for all members to update their details but I couldn't find anything restricting the uploading of photographs.

Of course the database is the main object of the excercise but certainly having the photos available for a preview and as library would be fun.

I'm afraid you'll have to bear with me thro a few glitches, until I get this all sorted if you would try to update yr entries again hopefully it should work at least for the database now.

Thanks Nick

I,ll keep a watch out for Depsol! ....And also all Stinkies are very welcome of course.

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[BrendanS]

Database working fine now.
I won't bother uploading any of my photos - I'll wait until I''ve taken some piccies of members


We'll have to arrange some way of identifying each other - hlb does a rather nice forum burgee that over 100 forumites have at present - or people could post on the yahoo group when and where they are going to be.


<hr width=100% size=1>Err, let me know if Depsol enters the forum, I'll go and hide

 

[castaway]

I have been pondering the identification matter. To start with Ill just print off the list and if I get a good pic I, ll just cross ref the list. I guess a penant of sorts may do the trick but I'm open to suggestions there

Regds Nick

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[BrendanS]

Problem for me is one of identification. I see so many boats on a typical day out, that I'm not going to start shooting unless they really grab my attention (J Class boats for instance)

On the other hand, if I can ID a boat in the group, I'll stick around and take a variety of shots, and a good few minutes of video from different angles, backgrounds, and hopefully with them on different tacks etc.

Printout of boatnames on the database is first way to go, but to be honest, raggies don't like stinkies getting that close. I usually head way off to avoid them, and if I start buzzing close to boats to be able to read name, stinkies are going to get an even worse name.

Best thing for me is if anyone wants shots, to post details on group, and I'll rendevous via Ch77 or whatever, and get some good ones, rather than try to shoot randomly. Can send videos in post (plain brown wrapper /forums/images/icons/wink.gif) as long as numbers don't get ridiculous and cost of copying to vhs get prohibitive

Advantage of being a stinkie is that it makes a good photo shoot boat, as I can get round Solent in minutes.

<hr width=100% size=1>Err, let me know if Depsol enters the forum, I'll go and hide

 

[castaway]

Morning Brendan

What you say is quite correct and. Yes the idea of keeping Ch77 on dual watch to see if any Swappers are out sounds good.

Certainly whilst our numbers are low, trying to rely on random contacts might be a bit hit or miss (sorry about that!).

One point about stinkie wake is that on good days. ie when there is any sort of sea running wash ceases being a problem... its only when its calm(or in shallow areas) that it causes the distubance that gets discussed here.

I have found that the message does appear to got around, and this year all Stinkies I have been near have shown great consideration. Difficult to say that with out sounding patronising! I suppose we will have to stop tacking across yr bows now...Damn..

Regds Nick

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[tome]

Identification for sail boats is easy via sail number, though rather tedious as you'd need to carry a list on board. Perhaps the database should be modified to include this?

Can't think of an easy one for MoBos

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[castaway]

Tom..... Thanks for that suggestion.. I am looking at how to add an additional column.

It'll prob have a heading somthing like "Sail Nr or ID feature"

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/solentswap/>http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/solentswap/</A>

Regards Nick

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[Twister_Ken]

Going proactive

Rather than relying on pot luck to bump into fellow members, why not pick a couple of weekends when as many as poss of us will be out and about and agree to all try and be in the vicinity of somewhere (totland bay?) at a rough time. Fully armed, of course with Nikons, Canons, etc and ample film./egabytes.

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