Sailing in Paradise
The intensity of our May image always pulls me in. It’s so vibrant, artistic, and intense, it really speaks of what Key West Race Week was all about. For 30 years, KWRW was the season-opener for sailing in North America: a pilgrimage to the Florida Keys, in the dead of winter, that gave sailors something to live for! And what a lively regatta it was, with outrageous conditions, often 15 to 25 knots; coursing through vibrant, tumbling turquoise water, beneath warm sunny skies. It would stir my soul!
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Infinity KWRW 1988
Drawing over 300 boats in the heyday, KWRW had all the splash and sizzle I could ever dream of! It was frequently ‘Fresh to Frightening’ with big seas, breeze, and boats: including the latest and greatest.
Many vendors would use KWRW as a launchpad for new boats or products; so it wouldn’t be unusual to bump into sailing celebrities and rock stars, industry leaders, and colleagues. This crazy mix led attendees to call it ‘a cross between an industry convention and the Super Bowl of sailboat racing!’
For years we depended on the incredible skills of Mike Weinhofer, who swapped his normal schedule of fishing charters to zoom us around the course in his super 37-foot SeaHunter, Compass Rose. Wind-whipped, drenched, laughing hysterically – we would zip from course to course, to capture the best action. More than once, we’d peer across the whitecaps to a distant class and ask, ‘Can we make their start?’ And he’d rocket us across the seas, full-throttle. What a thrill!
In the mid 2000’s the Harken rib was our chariot driven by Scott Norman. Many epic days onboard with industry guests while Scott would expertly position us right in the action, windward layline or leeward trajectory.
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Harken rib: Allyson Bunting, Peter Harken, Kos Evans, Bill Goggins, Sharon Green, Scott Norman |
The evenings – once we’d desalinated ourselves and our equipment, and downloaded too many images – we’d venture out into the funky town. A posse of sailors might roll up on rented bikes to tell us about their day, while a Bentley slowed down to let a rooster cross the road. Then a drink at race headquarters or the Green Parrot hangout, and dining at one of the amazing restaurants in Key West; before starting it all over the next day.
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| Craig Leweck, Mike Weinhofer, Steve Lapkin, Betsy Crowfoot, Sharon Green http://www.fishnkw.com | Betsy & Sharon in a rain squall |
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+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 30 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. In recognition of her extraordinary accomplishments in photography Sharon was awarded an honorary Masters Degree from the prestigious Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California, where she lives with her daughter Michaela and son Kieran.
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 pursuit of 'Ultimate Sailing' images never seems to grow old. Three decades and I still love the challenge of creating memorable images for my clients and the calendar."
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