3 Drone tips for expeditions and sailing shots

Onboard Pilot Cutter Hesper, as a small business we’ve often come up against budgetary limitations when it comes to marketing and photography. While we’ve been lucky to have gracious and talented photography friends, with the advancement in technology and access to drones such as the DJI Mini 2, I decided to take the leap and purchase a drone to do our own marketing photography from now on.

Camden Harbor at sunset

Here are 3 of our best tips so far for using your drone while on the water, or working close to it.

Take your pre-flight checklist seriously

Take a look around and check your surroundings. Are you on a thin dock? What’s the tallest mast near you? The most important part here- your Return to Home Setting. I personally pick mine to hover when it loses connectivity. Generally this is just a small connection error with my service as I don’t fly great distances, instead choosing to walk myself, or situate myself closer to something I’d like to film, rather than explore. This means I can afford to move around the dock to regain connectivity, rather than dealing with a drone flying through a maze of masts, then trying to land on a somewhat moving dock.

Go downwind when landing while sailing

Just like when things get a bit chaotic and you need a quick breather to figure something out, it’s a good idea to head downwind and bring your drone to the boat off the stern. On a boat like Hesper, that’s easy to do. We just ease out the mainsail and there’s no gear to get in our way. Bring the drone into you or preferably a crews hand, then give it the old “flip”. Flipping the drone 180 degrees turns it off immediately- I find this better to do than to worry about trying to cancel out the auto guidance on the drone.

Have a plan and don’t be afraid to not fly

Sailing on a larger vessel like Hesper means that things need to be planned out a couple plays in advance. Sailing the drone with just one crew means that you still need to be able to manuever the vessel. I like to plan out and use a long, more protected foreway rather than a crowded channel or harbor entrance for the shots. It’s also important to think about your wind angles, and your plan to get the drone back. Can you short tack a big and get your footage close hauled, then veer off and get your drone? Don’t put yourself in a position of having to take your eyes off your drone for too long.