Fabio 2320 J35 DAY 1 0907 copyEmpire Farms Another one of my passions is to photograph sailboat racing and since I sail, race and belong to a sail club, I have the opportunity to do just that. 

As the impending winter months arrive and our racing/cruising sailboat is on the hard, I wanted to reflect on one of the National Regatta's I photographed for North Star Sail Club in Harrison Township, Michigan. The following photographs are from the National J/35 Regatta held this past September. For all you non sailors: the J/35 is an offshore one-design (means they are exactly the same in every way) and one of the world's most popular racing sailboats, with over 330 made. Back in 2018 I photographed the 35th anniversary of this regatta for the magazine "Sailing World," which was held in Cheboygan, Michigan. This past summer the regatta was held closer to home! (Yes, these boats are all 41 years old!)

After 3 days on the water, with some excellent driving by the chase boat captains,  I had quite a collection of images and wanted to share just a few.

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The winds were a bit "dicey" during the races, and spinnakers can become tangled, but this crew managed to keep it together and recover from their mishap. Also, sailors need to be aware of obstacles, such as the committee boat!

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Mark rounding can also prove to be "dicey", and do lead to some wonderful images.

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These sailboats don't sail themselves. They rely on brave men and women to make them fly on the water.

It takes dedication and skill to sail a J/35, but the people who do are fiercely dedicated to the sport.

For me, it is an exciting regatta to photograph, but one that is not without consequences. Sailboat racing is brutal on my camera gear, which resulted in a few hundred dollars in repairs!!!

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Images taken with Z Nikon cameras, and some long glass.