Yesterday was my 42nd birthday and I was fortunate to start it with a homemade breakfast with my wife and kids and end it with a great dinner out.  In the middle of the day, I couldn’t think of anything more fun than enjoying the Spring-like weather and flying my Phantom 4 Pro drone over Marblehead Harbor to capture scenes of frostbite sailing.

The conditions were perfect for sailing with light winds and intermittently great for photography with cloudy skies and occasional breaks of brilliant light.  I took turns shooting stills and video with the drone and switching to the real camera when I burned through a battery pack.  I have a few good images from the hours spent watching the sailboats maneuvering in the harbor but this was my favorite.

The best part of frostbite sailing for me is its location within the protected waters of Marblehead Harbor and the opportunity to capture boats racing in front of Abbot Hall and other familiar landmarks.  With the drone, I was able to find a new vantage point from fifty feet above the action and create this composition focusing on the boats working through tight turns as the whole of Marblehead created a perfect backdrop.

I put together a video of the clips which you can catch below: