PRACTICAL

SPECIAL REPORT

TERYSA VANDERLOO ON USING DRONES AT SEA

With the advent of small, affordable and user-friendly drones, many cruising sailors have adopted them as a way of achieving really impressive and professionallooking photographs and video.

I speak from experience when I say this is far easier said than done, and flying a drone while under sail is a challenging task. However, there are proven techniques and tricks for flying a drone while under way – without it ending up in the drink. I spoke to three drone piloting experts for their advice.

Andy Schell and his wife Mia run 59° North Sailing, which offers adventure sailing charters on their Swan 48 and Swan 59. They’re also fantastic photographers. Andy uses the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which he believes is the best drone for flying from a boat because of the legs it has on its underside, which provide the perfect handles for catching the drone – without the very