About Us
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"Sailing is a magnificent, colorful and dramatic sport. This unique sport has many variables with the constantly changing elements, sea conditions, boats, events, competitors and locations. The challenge is to capture on film electrifying moments that take your breath away. Those moments and opportunities are very few, but when they happen.... it is ultimate sailing."
~ Sharon Green
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The 27th edition of Sharon Green's Ultimate Sailing calendar is filled with images that have made it the standout sailing calendar through the years. Grand Prix designs are well represented from the TP 52 Class to Maxi and IRC boats. One-designs are represented by Farr 40s, Melges 24s and Olympic classes. There's even a smattering of 18-foot skiffs for the high-energy types.
While many photographers contributed images - Carlo Borlenghi, Franck Socha, Thierry Martinez and Gilles Martin-Raget - the image that Green loves is in October, where Pyewacket is rocketing past 30 knots across the Molokai Channel on its way to winning line honors in the Transpac Race.
Coordinating such logistically complex photo shoots is a specialty that Sharon excels in and requires close communication between her, the helicopter pilot, the boat’s owner, Roy E. Disney, and the navigator, Stan Honey.
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In the case of Pyewacket, Sharon said, “We were trying to rendezvous with the boat somewhere in the middle of the Molokai Channel. It was quite difficult to coordinate a meeting point with Stan when the boat is sailing at 30 knots. I have done this before, but this effort was particularily nerve wracking because we were working with a fitlm crew and two helicopters. We had only one chance to find the boat and catch it at full throttle in the big seas.”
As an illustration of the critical timing and complications that arise on the fly, navigator Honey sent the following e-mail to Disney, who was flying in one of the helicopters:
“Roy, our estimated position when we are 30 miles from Diamond Head finish will be 21.26N and 157.19W. That location is 20 nautical miles at a bearing of 057 Magnetic or 067 True from Makapu Light. We hope to be near there 90 minutes before the finish, at a time of 0930 HST (Hawaii Standard Time). Cheers, Stan”
With cameras at the ready and the latitude and longitude plugged in the GPS, Sharon and crew took off towards Stan's rendezvous point. But, the boat wasn't there! However, acting upon the hunch and experience of veteran Transpac sailor Disney aboard one helicopter, he lead the photo team to exactly where he felt the boat would be about 25 miles out.
As Sharon said after the shoot, “That was spectacular. Epic ultimate sailing moment. That is what it is all about!”