Magical Melges and Mumms
There truly is something magical about the Florida Keys: the azure water, the insistence of the breeze, the liveliness of the sailors, breaking free of winter hibernations in frosty latitudes. It has always been one of my favorite venues to photograph and this image of a brigade of Melges 32s rocketing downwind shows exactly why.
May 2022’s featured image was taken during Key West Race Week (KWRW) 2010. Founded in 1987, by 2010 KWRW was in full swing, recognized as one of the leading regattas for competitors from across the US, Canada and Europe. Escaping the winter chill wasn’t the only reason for coming to Key West. The world-class competition was intense, capped by colorful nightlife and eccentric parties that ended as Key West’s ubiquitous roosters crowed at dawn.
KWRW was a showcase for one-designs such as the Melges 32 fleet. Just five-years old at this point, the Melges 32 was another winning design from this iconic sailing family and company. Measuring 31-feet with massive sail area, it accommodates – no, demands – a crew of five, to keep it in check. With an amateur owner/driver rule and professional crew limitations, it remains to this day one of the most thrilling classes on the water!
Another exciting one-design was the Mumm 30, leaping off the bottom of the page in the 2022 Ultimate Sailing Calendar as they crew hikes hard! This was captured during the 2005 Miami Race Week where over 100 boats turned out to compete on the turquoise waters off Key Biscayne.
The Mumm 30 was praised for being clean, fast and straightforward, popular for its easy handling in big offshore conditions. First launched in 1995, it was in its heyday in this 2005 race series. You may know it as the Farr 30: its name was changed after title sponsor Champagne Mumm dropped out. Although sponsorship may have fizzled it remains popular as a hardy and affordable race boat for its size.
Talking of fizzling … Key West Race Week lapsed in 2017, much to the dismay of sailors, organizers, officials and me! Here is a retrospective of 30 years of KWRW.
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Royal Blue
Oh, that water! That sparkling, rich royal blue that caresses the yachts as they hurtle toward Honolulu on the Transpacific Yacht Race, as depicted in the April 2025 pages of the Ultimate Sailing Calendar.
Maxed Out
We have excitedly shared Gilles’ exquisite work before in the Ultimate Sailing Calendar, and this month focus on the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Porto Cervo. Here an impressive fleet of more than 40 behemoth, majestic maxi yachts battled their rivals and the seas, off the blustery coast of Sardinia.
Make mine a double
The January pages of the 2025 Ultimate Sailing Calendar: in Luca Butto’s featured image the crew hikes hard, defying the explosion of spray buffeting the maxi yacht Cannonball, as it plows to weather at the Tre Golfi Sailing Week in Naples. In the inset image, at the bottom, Stefano Gattini captures the Club Swan 36 Farstar in hot pursuit at the Swan Croatia Challenge.
+About Ultimate Sailing
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
Sharon Green has been capturing electrifying images of performance sailing for more than 40 years. Her annual Ultimate Sailing Calendar, featuring the highlights of competitive sailing, is eagerly anticipated by yachting and photography enthusiasts worldwide. Sharon has been published in major boating publications, both locally and internationally, since she first took up a camera while still in high school.
The pursuit of 'Ultimate Sailing' images never seems to grow old. Four decades and I still love the challenge of creating memorable images for my clients and the calendar."
Sharon is happiest when she is on the water or hanging from a helicopter in search of the elusive image that can be called 'Ultimate Sailing'. "My greatest satisfaction is when it all comes together: the anticipation, planning, organizing, traveling and epic conditions that combine to create a thrilling photograph.
The passage of time eludes our grasp: we can only look back in awe and look forward in anticipation. Never did I expect, 40 years ago, that my vision of creating the Ultimate Sailing Calendar would endure and provide such an extraordinary life experience. boundless advancements in sailing, and concurrently radical developments in camera and photographic technology, have kept me on my toes and the years have swept by! I find myself at this landmark anniversary: humbled by your patronage and inspired by your support. To my many friends, colleagues, clients, and subjects who have sustained and fueled this endless passion for capturing the ultimate Sailing image, I extend my deepest love and gratitude.
View the images by clicking the 40th button
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