Official Start of Toppix 2013 Contest

Robby Cijntje, in the yellow shirt, welcomes the first group (about 40 folks behind me), to the briefing for Toppix 2013.  Toppix 2013 is the first of what will surely become a big annual event sponsored by the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, and the SXM Airport.  St. Maarten is known as one of the most beautiful Caribbean Islands, but maybe is best known a a haven for airplane spotters (people that love to catch airplanes up close!)  They surely get the chance here as the approach for the runway has planes touching down mere feet from the beach.  the runway is long enough for safe landings, but the large commercial jets must touch down immediately and that means for very, very low approaches!  So with a camera in hand, spectacular airplane photographs are possible.  Toppix is an annual contest to pick some of the best of those images.

The photographers attending this event are mostly serious amatuer and pro shooters with the gear to make such stunning images.  All brands are represented buy the vas majority of the shooters are Nikon or Canon, according the event organizers it is about 2:1 in favor of  Nikon.  Representatives of Nikon, Canon, Pentax, and Olympus are stationed at prime shooting locations and, by appointment, spend time with individual photographers.  My Gazebo location is the prime spot for mid to late afternoon light on landing planes.  Mornings are spent on the other side of the Island and the Sunset Bar and Grill which has a perfect view in morning light.

A common, but very dangerous practice is hanging on the fence right behind jets taking off!!  The sign below is not an exaggeration, I’ve seen lost of people blown back into the water on the beach! I can’t imagine the fascination with getting sand blasted!!!

The contest runs Sunday thru Tuesday and then Thursday thru Saturday.  The Tourist Bureau suggests taking Wednesday to explore this lovely Island and I will be doing so with a new friend, Bryan Rymer, an avid aviation/travel photographer, and a very good one by-the-way, and man well acquainted with this Island.  We will hopefully go big game hunting Wednesday and bring back some trophy images.  Everything is beautiful in the Islands, as in even a table setting!

O.K. got to close, it’s time for my 3:00 to 6:00 shift at the Gazebo…..

Blessings,

the pilgrim