Transpac: Thrilling and Lively
It’s Fall: what a cheery, crisp and colorful time of year! And the October images in the 2021 Ultimate Sailing Calendar bring me back to one of my favorite sailing events to photograph: the Transpacific Yacht Race. The Transpac always delivers the most thrilling boats and lively conditions – finishing right off of Oahu’s Diamond Head Lighthouse! Who wouldn’t love that?
Transpac 2021 kept me busy with three starts and a week of stunning arrivals: including Roy P. Disney and his team on the VOR 70 Pyewacket, who broke the 24-hour speed record along the way. A mind-boggling 506.4 miles!
The images you see here depict two other remarkable, 100-foot speedsters who also made the 2225-mile crossing in staggeringly fast times: Comanche (at top) in just under five-and-one-half days(!) and Rio 100 (bottom). Comanche was approaching the islands as the sun was setting – jeopardizing my chances of capturing this amazing machine in motion. My team had been following the tracker and adjusting their ETA based on our knowledge of conditions at the islands. And we were standing by for a message from navigator Stan Honey, who finally pinged me on WhatsApp, saying, “Please advise Sharon we will be just north of the point at Kalaupapa, Molokai at 1830.”
That’s still a good 20nm from the entrance to the Molokai Channel and nearly 50nm from the finish line. But we knew this rendezvous was our only chance of capturing an image! (They ultimately finished in the dark after 9PM.) And luckily Comanche was hugging the northern shore of Molokai: the only way we’d safely fly out. We don’t like to fly 20 miles out into the open ocean at night! And I was fortunate we stuck to our guns on that safety issue: as we did have a problem with the helicopter that evening (read about that in my July 2019 blog here: https://www.ultimatesailing.com/blogs/news/transpac-2019-the-numbers-are-in )
But before that occurred: we were flying out toward Comanche and the intercept point, updating the live tracker as we went. Although the sky was dark and it was showering, we continued to head directly toward the point. All of a sudden the sun poked through the clouds and Comanche appeared, brilliantly lit by heavenly rays.
I was impressed that the crew had followed my suggestion and put their Aloha team shirts on: even that far out! Crashing through the massive seas in 20-plus breeze, I’ll bet they were drenched by the time they arrived.
Capturing these Transpac finishes is always tricky, with arrivals all hours of day and night. When the boats are finishing in the early morning, we get into position and wait for the sun to come up; but shooting towards the boats as they approach, with the light from the east, is challenging! In the evening it’s the opposite, with the boats sailing into the setting sun, dramatically lit up by those brilliant Hawaiian sunsets. Although the timing there is crucial too, as dusk falls quickly and making it simply too dark to photograph. Sometimes we have to get creative!
These massive yachts, charging ahead at impressive speeds, remind me of how swiftly the New Year is approaching: bringing with it a thrilling new twist to the Ultimate Sailing Calendar! The year 2022 marks my 40th edition and a great opportunity to flash-back on some of my favorite calendar shots over the decades!
The 2022 Ultimate Sailing Calendar spans from the IOR days with colorful spinnakers, to speedy sport boats with bow sprits and asymmetrical sails. From 1983 Big Boat Series to Admirals’ Cup, Kenwood Cup, Key West Race Week and of course America’s Cup … it’s a real feast for the eyes, conjuring up so many great moments in yachting; and the fabulous venues and friends along the way. I hope this collection will bring back many fond memories for you too and invite you to come along with me on this retrospective of the “Best of Ultimate Sailing” in 2022.
2022 ULTIMATE SAILING CALENDAR & GIFT $28.95 USD
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Don’t you just love the new Olympic Class iQFOiL windsurfer? This super-sonic fleet featured in the February pages of the 2024 Ultimate Sailing Calendar will makes its Olympic debut at the 2024 Games: bringing a whole new level of excitement as they fly around the racecourse!
+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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Sharon Green
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