Henley Royal Regatta 2025

Part 4: The One off

When I arrived at the Regatta press tent on Friday morning there was a gentle buzz in the air — it had been noticed by a few people there was a Red Arrows flypast scheduled in the afternoon, we had the precise time 6:31pm (in true Royal Air Force fashion) but in the absence of a precise flight path no one knew exactly where they would appear from. Would they soar along the length of the course in dramatic fashion, fly across the middle of the course somewhere, or appear just over the town of Henley itself offering just a brief glimpse? Choosing the right vantage point wasn’t straightforward but one priority stood out: for it to work it had to be firmly within the context of the Regatta.

I, and a couple of other photographers, took a calculated risk and decided to board the small boat that usually ferries photographers across the course to get a unique angle. Mark (our boat ‘captain’) did an incredible job of manoeuvering us into position, hovering on the spot with a perfect view straight down the course. What felt like an age we bobbed about, cameras poised, eyes scanning the sky for signs of the approaching formation.

6:31 came and went. A race was approaching, if they flew up the course now the resulting image could surpass anything we’d imagined.

A perfect view down the course to the start and Temple Island (left of centre) as we waited at the finish line for the Red Arrows.

Suddenly a cry from one of the pleasure cruisers (that typically cause havoc on the river): “They’re here! They’re here!”

6:35pm

We heard them before we saw them. The roaring of the jet engines expanding over the lull of water craft and crowds.

The formation came in to view flying low, fast, and far closer than expected, approaching from just to the left of the course. Red, white and blue smoke billowed from behind as they approached. I reached for my second camera with a wide-angle lens instead of the one I was patiently holding with a much longer lens, quickly finding a new composition in the few seconds I had and fired off a rapid burst of frames as the ten aircraft shot over the finish line and over our heads.

In the end, the image was proof that sometimes the best moments come when you’re willing to take a chance.