Feature

Behind the Scenes, July 2018

Published on July 2nd, 2018

We are fans of the wall calendar, and the start of each month welcomes new imagery from our J/Boats, Onne van der Wal, and Sharon Green calendars. Here Sharon shares the behind-the-scenes story from July of her 2018 Ultimate Sailing Calendar.

For nearly a decade we’ve had the pleasure of featuring Matias Capizzano’s work in the Ultimate Sailing Calendar. Featuring dinghies – like our July Optis – frequently manned by young sailors; it’s a great equalizer to the big boats and offshore venues you typically find in the calendar.

Even though these are small boats, the vigor and excitement these competitors display are no less intense than America’s Cup or Volvo Ocean racers. No matter what size your vessel, sailboat racing can be an intense sport! And dinghy sailing is an inspiring tribute to our origins as sailors. No one started their racing career on a TP52! The juniors featured in Matias’ images are the rock stars of tomorrow.

Matias himself began sailing Optis at the age of seven, later graduating to Lasers. At 15 he began covering regattas; in his hometown of Mar de Plata – along the spectacular Atlantic coast of Argentina – and beyond.

He attributes his unique perspective and style to the solidarity he feels with the competitors. The most important thing in achieving superior images, he said, is to know the sport and know the boats.

And you won’t find Matias sitting on a big yacht, photographing a regatta. More often than not he’ll be sitting cross-legged on the damp bottom of an inflatable dinghy, surrounded by his gear. This unique viewpoint practically puts him in the boat with the competitors! And sometimes even, in the water; as he dons the camera housing and gear, and leaps onto the course to capture his outrageous, in-the-water images.

It’s no surprise Matias Capizzano is the Official Photographer of the Optimist World Championships; traveling the globe with the fleet: from the Persian Gulf, Italy, Canada, Argentina, Portugal, Dominican Republic and New Zealand. We’re eager to see where the Optis (and others) take him next – and what spectacular new images are in store for the Ultimate Sailing Calendar.