Sailing in the Ray

In 1775 the American Revolutionary War began and the Colony of Connecticut commissioned Captain Uriah Hayden to build a major warship, the Oliver Cromwell, to fight the British Navy on equal terms. Captain Hayden built the Oliver Cromwell at the bottom of the Essex Main Street in his back garden. Over the next hundred years six hundred ships were built and launched in the Essex harbor. Today the Essex harbor is home to a vibrant sailboat racing culture following in the long tradition started by Captain Hayden. Our picture was taken on the water from a small boat during a sailboat race when winds were gusting twenty knots and a thunderstorm was about to deluge. We used a Canon 1Dx Mark 2 with an EF 28 to 300mm lens set at f/5 and
at 1/800th of a sec..