Prepared for the Parade
Often I’m asked when showing an image like the one featured in December in the 2019 Ultimate Sailing Calendar, ‘How did you get the boats to line up like that?’
I get quite the giggle out of that! But in truth, it is no laughing matter: it takes a lot of planning, logistics, the right photo boat and driver, a lively fleet of boats, and a solid knowledge of yacht racing to get an incredible shot like this!
Here we see a fleet of iconic J Class yachts competing in the World Championships in the waters off Newport, Rhode Island. This event marked the historic return to the venue where these regal boats first launched, nearly 90 years ago. But these days, carbon rigging and sails and rock star crew make these yachts super stealth and more competitive than ever. 
As I poised to take this shot, I realized the sailors must have wished they were bunched up much closer on the racecourse! But for me, the majesty of this composition, with the yachts emerging out of the fog, was that they were so evenly paced on their march down the East Passage.
I especially love the stunning contrast of the dark, angular mainsails, with the ethereal, ballooning spinnakers.
Later in the day with the air so light, I wanted to experiment with the underwater housing. It’s a heavy contraption, with a camera and wide-angle lens encased in a thick plastic housing on a long post. You need to lean precariously out of the Protector RIB to properly position the camera in the water. 
The trick is, you really can’t see the image while you’re shooting – so it’s all experimental! But the clouds were spectacular and the red reflection on the water was so dramatic: guessing, I tried several different angles and positions. It wasn’t until I got back to my computer and began editing that I saw how striking the shot was. 
‘An otherwise serene image, but so dramatic and powerful because of the blood-red spinnaker on Svea.
These images wrap up my 2019 calendar – my 37th edition since I began publishing in 1983 – and you know what that means! It’s time for the 2020 Ultimate Sailing Calendar, and I hope you find it as beautiful and inspiring as the rest. It features something for everyone, from swarms of colorful Optis and 49ers flashing across glossy seas to high-tech F50s flying around San Francisco Bay, and beyond. The action and intensity are palpable in 24 carefully curated images that burst from the pages of our super-sized, sturdy calendar. If you don’t have your new edition yet – now’s the time to order! The calendars are $28.95 each, two for $50, and a FREE mouse pad with each calendar ordered!
Thank you so much for your support and patronage. Here’s looking ahead to an Ultimate 2020! ~ Sharon
Also in News
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.
Here it Comes
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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 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.
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Sharon Green
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