Behind the Scenes, June 2023

Sharon Green

The walls of Scuttlebutt HQ include the Ultimate Sailing calendar, with this report sharing the behind-the-scenes story regarding the June 2023 images.

St. Barth is always where the action is – both on the water and off. Caressed by trade winds and waves that have traveled over 3,000-miles of uninterrupted sea, it is definitely ‘fresh-to-frightening’ all the time. Abundant sunshine and average temps that never dip below 74° F make it the perfect place for yachts to romp in the winter.

And ashore the vibe is just as lively, with swanky parties and “plenty of rosé,” Sharon Green admits, when talking about her assignment at Les Voiles de St. Barth Richard Mille (LVSB), where she captured these stunning images for the June pages of the 2023 Ultimate Sailing Calendar.

Jolt (top image) is a TP52 owned by the CEO of Richard Mille – a Swiss luxury watch company – and you can see a snippet of their splashy logo on the mainsail. Richard Mille has been involved in LVSB since the regatta’s inception and became title sponsor 2019. It stands to reason that the premier maker of exquisite timepieces (that start in the six-figures) would align with one of the premier yachting events on the globe!

This photo was captured during a practice race. It had been blowing for days and the seas were huge. Even so, Sharon was so anxious to get out on the water and zoomed out: even though all they could do was try to intercept the race boats; never catch them!

Chase boats were in short supply during the event, so Sharon reports she had to charter the water taxi as a photo boat! “It was insanely wet, so after a while they would find a calm inlet, anchor, or grab a mooring and put out a huge lunch spread, including rosé.

“It was so funny and charming, but actually drove me nuts, because I didn’t want to miss anything on the racecourse!” she confesses.

The vertical image shows bowman Scott Beavis – a many-time Olympic medalist – clinging on as the 88-foot maxi Rambler plunges through the waves.

This shot was clearly captured by helicopter: the only way to keep up with this speedster, especially when you consider Rambler 88 holds the record for the 47-mile course between Saint Barth and Tintamarre (St. Maarten): 3 hours 01 minutes and 58 seconds! The images were captured with the Canon 1Dx Mark II, shooting at 1/1600 sec F 8 ISO 320.

Launched in 2010, LVSB has become one of the most prestigious regattas in world and is one of the keystone events in the recently introduced Caribbean Maxi Challenge, which also includes RORC Caribbean 600 and the St Maarten Heineken Regatta. You can see why yachtsmen and women from around the globe come to enjoy the superb competition, conditions, and festivities of this extraordinary event.