Earlier this year we took a tour of MainSailers' spring cruising destinations - without leaving our seats. All we had to do was pick out the top photos in the MainSail gallery and wish we could join the crew
We thought there'd be lots more perfect days' sailing in store over the summer - blue skies, fair winds, Mediterranean temperatures - but alas, the weather had other ideas. That doesn't seem to have stopped MainSailers from getting out on the water though.
Here are a few of our favourite pictures from their passages in June, July and August on the MainSail, and if you want to help other MainSailers indulge in a spot of online escapism, remember that everyone has 3MB of free storage space in the gallery. It's easy to upload your photos, and if yours is chosen as the top picture of the month, you'll win a canvas print of your boat, courtesy of BoatArt.co.uk.
To get the inspiration flowing, have a look through the camera-work of the regulars ...
Life to film
Stephen Watkins experienced a common problem when snapping this scene - it's an "incredible view - not quite captured on film but ...!" he says. We all know what that 'but' feels like. Still, even if Stephen didn't quite do justice to the view, it's a fantastic photo. See more in his Kite album.
Sunset, by Stephen Watkins
Wings before sails
Chris Warden is obviously a master of reflections, as well as not-so-still life, if this picture is anything to go by. More of his work can be found in his Scarlet Lady album.
Seagull, by Chris Warden
Summer, yes really!
In case anyone had their doubts about the British summer, here are some perfect blue skies, as far north as Stornoway no less.
Lily in Stornoway, by Kenneth Morrison
Shiver my timbers
Ian Blundell has been in historical mode with this photo of a rather splendid ship all in timber. His Sailing Pictures album also contains a stunning sunset over Warton, taken from the Ribble.
The Matthew, by Ian Blundell
Into the sunset
TheMainSail gallery is well supplied with sunsets and with photos like this around, you don't have to wonder why.
Colne Sunset, by Robert Stewart
Still life
This time, the wildlife really is still enough to capture easily on film, but composition is everything in this photo. Black Dog's images of the sea are unusual and striking, and there's also a very scenic picture from snow-capped hills on northerly shores in the Black Dog album.
by Black Dog
Photo of the month
This picture was so popular that it's been transferred onto a canvas to adorn Julie Berrows' living room, or wherever else she chooses to put it. Dawn at Dale was the winner of last month's MainSail gallery competition - remember that any photo uploaded to the gallery is automatically in the running for this month's prize.
Dawn at Dale, by Julie Berrows
Launching
The Bovsail album shows the chilled out side of sailing, as well as this action shot of a dinghy resisting attempts to head out to sea. The question is: who are the two figures who are running away?!
We have lift off, by Michael Bovington
Around the lighthouse
While we're on the subject of dinghy sailing, here's what it looks like when everything's going well and the stomach muscles are getting a proper work out. There's a nice red and white buoy to aim for too!
Inter 20, by Derek Beddows
Mind the wildlife
Finally, getting close to wildlife is part of the joy of sailing where seals and gulls are concerned, but there's some wildlife you don't want to invite on board!
More Crocs, by Harry Crossley
New in the gallery
That's all from TheMainSail gallery, but if you have some sailing snaps on your camera which you having got round to putting up on TheMainSail yet, you might like to know that from now on it's going to be much easier to upload photos. We've just updated the system so that you can now upload ten at once, instead of having to go through the laborious process of uploading each picture individually. It should make life much easier, and we look forward to the next round of pictures from MainSailers' summer holidays, now that the fine weather's finally arrived.
