A Q&A with Pat Lopez about driving a press boat at a Grand Prix event

by David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 14 Nov 2016 After spending the past decade-plus of my life chronicling the sailing experience on multiple continents, up and down both coasts and across the Caribbean, I’ve been privileged to have seen some world-class sailing go down from the vantage point of a press boat. It's critical to understand, however, that not all press boats are created equal, nor are all drivers equally skilled or experienced, so-vis-à-vis-not all vantage points offer equal views of the racecourse, the top of the pack, or the finishing line. In short, a great driver helming a capable boat is crucial to getting great views of the on-the-water action, especially for photographers.

Recently, I had the opportunity to serve as the press officer for the 2016 Alcatel J/70 Worlds (September 27-October 1), hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club, which turned out to be a fairly breeze-on event. As anyone who has ever sailed on the Bay well knows, the sea breeze typically comes up in the afternoon and can quickly turn these waters into a liquid washboard on days when the ebbing tide opposes the in-flowing breeze.

Thanks to the confluence of the regatta dates, the sea breeze and the tide cycle, rough conditions prevailed each afternoon on the Berkeley Circle, where the racing took place. Fortunately, I was paired with Pat Lopez, from Tiburon, California, who co-owns a Protector 28 (along with his business partner, Tim Wells) that defines the word professional. Not only is Lopez a world-class RIB driver, but he is also a former big-boat racer who understands the kind of angles and shots that make the covers of international sailing magazines. I caught up with Lopez in between races to learn more about how he runs his program.

So you are one of the drivers for events like the America’s Cup, the Rolex Big Boat Series, the 2016 J/70’s Worlds, and events like that, correct?
Yeah, correct—I’m a professional boat driver. I was involved in the entire [2013] Louis Vuitton series, [the 2013] America’s Cup, Farr 40 Worlds, and I’ve done multiple Big Boat Series. We do a lot of coaching from this platform.

How did you get into this specialized line of work?
I’ve always been a boater, [and] my family always had boats, so I was raised on boats. I’d say [that for] the last 30 years I’ve been a racing sailor. [These days, however,] my passion is really driving chase boats, workboats, photo boats, coach boats, and just living my dream and my passion.

How did you get tapped for the 34th America’s Cup, Rolex Big Boat Series events, and the 2016 J/70 Worlds. How did the connections get made?
I have a really good friend, Tim Wells, who is the main owner of this boat. And he charters it and that’s really how it all it started. And now I’m a partner on this boat.

Talk to be about the main your role when you’re driving one of these boats-what are the things you’re thinking about each day when you come out here? What are your personal objectives you’re trying to accomplish?
The biggest thing is safety. Keeping my crew safe and keeping the boat safe. I really try to get the photographers into really unbelievable positions. Sometimes that can be a little bit scary and dangerous, but I know the boat really well. Again, we just try to keep the boat safe and everybody happy and [help the photographers] get super high-quality pictures.

Can you tell me about the dynamic of wanting to enable the shooters to get a tight shot with the need to stay clear of the racers and abide by the rules? Is that sort of a constant tug of war?
Absolutely. I always [tell the] professional photographers, ‘I’m the boat’s captain, but [you’re] the boss.’ There are times where I have to tell them, ‘no’ or we do have to get out of the way. I respect the sailors and racers, and I also respect the photographers. I know what they’re trying to get. I have a lot of friends out [sailing] on all the racecourses and I respect them and their jobs, and I also respect all the photographers.

We’re [always] trying to get into a really great position and sometimes I do push the limits and we get yelled at. But it’s with the utmost respect for both the racers and the photographers.

In my line of work as a writer and editor, I’ve been out with a heck of a lot of RIB drivers, but you seem to have an unusually fantastic great eye for angles and photography. Was this honed through years of sailing and looking at the magazines, or have the professional photographers coached you on properly setting up their shots?
I think a lot of it has to do with me being a racer and a sailor, and I’ve worked with the best in the world, [including] Daniel Forster and Sharon Green, and I’ve really picked their brains. I know exactly what they’re looking for. I would definitely say that’s where it comes from.

I’ve seen you do a lot of things that other drivers don’t do in the past few days, and I’m wondering if you could talk to me about some of those extra steps that you take to make your boat such a professional platform?
Absolutely-I don’t mind sharing my secrets as I think [that] if every other boat driver [did] what I do [to help the] photographers, coaches, [shooters and sailors] would be so stoked.

[Basically,] I just apply a lot of common sense. I’m an [ex racing] sailor and now a professional boat driver. I’ve done a lot offshore deliveries and I’ve learned from really good boat captains.

I always [laminate and] post [yesterday’s race] results and tape them to the boat. I use Rain-X on windshields, have extra [Rain-X] for photographers who use [it on their] underwater cameras. I always have phone chargers on board, binoculars, sunscreen, extra foulies, sunglasses, hats, blankets, in case somebody gets really cold or accidently [falls overboard].

We always have a first-aid kit onboard; lots of blue [masking] tape for posting who the top-three [boats are] at the weather mark, [as well as the] top three at the bottom mark, and then the top three finishers, because I know the photographers [want] to focus on the top three boats. [I carry] black tape, zip ties, and always have my tablet and iPad onboard. [Also,] we always have garbage bags, extra towels for protecting cameras, and I will be installing an inverter [for charging camera batteries] and I’m going to come up with a custom basket with foam padding [for the photographers to use to stash their cameras in between shots].

If a coach or a professional photographer was coming to the Bay area and wanted a platform to operate on, how could they contact you?
The best way to get a hold of me is by cellphone that is 415-272-6222 or my email, which is pat65lopez@aol.com.