THE ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN
What could be better than fun, friendly sailboat racing, with the world’s top sailors, in paradise? The Bitter End Yacht Club (BEYC) Pro-Am Regatta has been doing that for 30 years: bringing top-notch pro racers to compete with regular folks, like you and me; in Virgin Gorda, in the British Virgin Islands.
As fate would have it, this event is always held right around Halloween, and as a Mom, that meant Trick or Treating prevailed …
No, not just for my kids, Michaela and Kieran – but the hundreds of other goobers and goblins who line up each October 31st on our front porch: as we have hosted THE Halloween House in our Santa Barbara neighborhood for ages.
But last year, with my two kids in college, I had the chance to get out of dodge and revisit the BEYC Pro-Am. What a riot! It started with a day of Laser and Hobie cat racing, followed by the Sunsail Defiance Day race to the Baths and back. Next was a fleet race on the IC24s (a modified J/24 hull with Melges 24-style cockpit) followed by a layday. Then two more days of various IC24 racing. They’re not the biggest or sexiest boats to photograph, but a real joy to sail, and shoot, in an amazing setting.
In between all that racing? Volleyball games, spike ball matches, scuba and snorkeling excursions, and parties, parties, parties! We stayed in one of the lavish villas at the BEYC, and had a gorgeous Moorings 4800 catamaran at our disposal (and used that to cruise around the islands afterwards). Several pro sailors I’d worked with before were there, plus scores of ‘amateurs’ … we made a ton of new friends and had a real blast!
Tragically, this year’s hurricanes did a number on the Virgin Islands, and our beloved BEYC was destroyed. Crews are working hard to return this amazing property to its prior splendor.
And we are back to Halloween House!
We have a whole storage unit dedicated to scores of ghouls and goblins, towering vampires and scary witches; fog machines, sound machines, lights, and masses of webbing. It truly ‘takes a village’ to set up for Halloween, so friends come over to help (and each bring a few bags of candy to fill the coffins … I mean, coffers!)
I find Halloween is just another opportunity to exercise my creativity. Setting up the composition of the décor and characters, and creating the lighting plan, feeds my creative soul. And each year I come up with some crazy costume design too.
It’s so much fun, as hundreds and hundreds of kids walk up the steps, some cheery, but some cowering, at the terrifying display and sound effects. Perhaps I should consider an ‘Ultimate Halloween’ calendar … Scary!
These customized IC24s are not the biggest, or sexiest boats to photograph, but a real joy to sail, in a great setting.
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No- No- No-vember?
Color is back in the world of sailing
Everywhere there’s a pop of color – in the spinnakers, graphics and the depth of the sea – adding to sailing’s multi-sensory sport, art and passion. ‘Like the intense vermilion and marigold of Fast Exit II’s sail plan; the tones emblemizing the force and fury of the yacht as it plows through the azure waves of Hawaii.
The Opti-mal Angle
These dynamic images from Optimist regattas on opposite sides of the globe show just how far he (Matias Capizzano) will go to capture the sport – from any angle, in any place!
“Matias is an incredibly versatile photographer,” Sharon Green asserts. “He operates underwater with his housing, flies a drone, drives his own rib, and captures phenomenal stills and video!”
+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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