Image: Photographer John Feder
Ludde Ingvall, Sir Michael Hintze and all the CQS team, ashore and afloat, would like to express our congratulations to John Feder, the photographer from The Australian newspaper, who recently won an award for his photograph of CQS. We also thank him very much for the great work he did, going above and beyond the normal line of duty, to get the photo from the top of the mast.
John, who works for The Australian in Sydney has been honoured at the 2017 Newspaper of the Year Awards for this stunning image, Up the Mast, which took home the top prize in the Sport Photography National/Metropolitan category. The image features New Zealand Olympic Gold Medallist sailor and CQS crew member, Jo Aleh up the mast of CQS on Sydney Harbour, during preparations for last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race.
Describing the background to getting the photo John said, “one of the crew members told me it was time to harness up so I could be winched to the top of the mast. From there I could shoot looking down at Jo Aleh, the CQS racing yacht and Sydney Harbour.
“What they didn't tell me was that I shouldn’t lean forward in the harness. Of course, that is just what I did — and that resulted in the harness riding in my back and me being dragged to the top of the mast basically by my groin by two ropes.
“When Jo finally climbed the mast she could see the terror in my eyes and she shouted down to the crew to lower me on to the spreader bars, so I could get back in my bosun’s chair and take the picture.”
Jo Aleh 'Up the Mast' - Award winning image courtesy of John Feder (The Australian)
John said it was one of the most terrifying experiences of his career, which includes working in Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor.
Sir Michael Hintze, founder and chief executive of CQS, commented, “we are delighted that John has been properly recognised for this great photograph and we were thrilled when it featured on the front cover of the newspaper on Boxing Day.”