Plunging into 2019!
What a way to dive into the New Year!
Our thrilling January calendar image is symbolic of the energy and enthusiasm I feel as we embark on a New Year, chock full of new opportunities and experiences.
This photo, from Carlo Borlenghi, exemplifies that perfectly; with a race boat forging ahead despite rough seas: everyone braced and focused on the horizon. I can’t imagine a better image to welcome 2019!
Carlo captured this picture while working as the official photographer for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Although he’s 62-years young, Carlo is known as the ‘godfather’ of yachting photography. He has won numerous awards for his work, and was even recognized in 2007 by then-President of Italy, Giorgio Napolitano, for his dedication capturing the sport of sailing. We are proud to have him as a part of the Ultimate Sailing Calendar!
January’s feature shot shows the TP52 Envy Scooters barreling along the 630-mile course between Sydney and Hobart, Tasmania.
Any time you have a distance race, you have challenges; with coverage requiring a team of professionals who are experts shooting on the water, in the air, and with drones.
The picturesque start in Sydney Harbor is epic but harrowing, dodging 80 competitors and 10 times as many spectators boats! The race begins on Boxing Day – the day after Christmas – which is a big holiday in Australia, so there’s a huge and sometimes unruly crowd of onlookers.
Even in the air, there’s plenty of traffic. Aviation authorities control the altitude limitations over the harbor, but once the racers are past the headlands, it’s a free-for-all. It can be thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.
The racers travel down the east coast toward the Bass Strait, where helicopters can still fly out to intercept some of the fleet in the daylight hours.
Then the sailors tackle the gnarly 190nm channel between Australia and Tasmania. This is where the weather systems of the Southern Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean collide, and conditions can be unpredictable. Sadly the Race has had its tragedies, with several fatalities in this stretch of water 20 years ago.
Across the strait and skimming the eastern coast of Tasmania, the boats near the finish. They round the southern end of the island and turn up toward Hobart, passing the famous ‘organ pipes’ – natural rock formations created over 100-million years ago. They are heart-stopping in their beauty, and if a photographer times it just right, they can get the boats sailing against this stunning backdrop.
This Race has been held since 1945, and is ranked as one of the top offshore yacht races in the world, and a ‘bucket list’ item for many bluewater racers. For more information about the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, which just ran Dec. 26-31, 2018, visit http://www.rolexsydneyhobart.com.
And if you don’t have your 2019 Ultimate Sailing Calendar yet, go to www.ultimatesailing.com and get yours, and dive into the New Year with us!
Also in News
M & M
It’s a twofer! We’ve combined Ultimate Sailing Calendar’s March and May features into one blog because all of these spectacular images were taken by the same dynamic duo who make up Sailing Energy: Pedro Martinez and Jesús Renedo! And all were photographed at the bustling Trofeo Princessa Sofia regatta in Palma de Mallorca.
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.
+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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