The sailing world recently lost a true artist. Photographer Carlo Borlenghi is synonymous with capturing some of the most iconic memories in sailing. And for this sailing-lifestyle blog based in South Africa, we will always appreciate the fact that he took the time to share his talent with us.
The beginning
Sail + Leisure was conceptualised and realised in 2017. And from the start we knew that incredible photographs of beautiful sailing craft were going to be the most important element in showcasing the beauty of our sport. And Carlo was responsible for many of them.
As a media brand we were able to access pictures from the press and media hubs, but we often found the less used images were best received from the photographers themselves. And so we built a friendly relationship with Carlo on email and at the Rolex events we would find ourselves at.
Carlo had an incredible eye, understanding just where to place himself to capture the best angles that would showcase the beauty and elegance of a sailing craft. He also understood how boats move on the water and in the wind.
We wanted to know what drove Carlo in this passion, and which were his favourite photographs. So we reached out to him in 2019 and asked him to share his story with us, first featured here.
In his own words
I grew up in Bellano on Lake Como, Italy, where I started my photography career by following the local regattas. I travelled the world covering the most important nautical events for Uomo Mare Vogue. I am now the official photographer for all Rolex nautical events.
Since 1983, I have photographed the endeavours of Azzurra at the America’s Cup and was official photographer for eight America’s Cup campaigns as well as four editions of the then Whitbread Round the World Race.
Since 1994 I have followed Giovanni Soldini’s boats on their round-the-world adventures. These include Stupefacente Kodak (50ft) in 1994, Telecom Italia (60ft) in 1996, Tim Progetto Italia (trimaran) from 2001 and Telecom Italia (40ft) from 2007. In 2000 I followed Grant Dalton’s Club Med for The Race, then worked as the official photographer onboard Amer Sports One and Amer Sports Too during the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001-02.
For several years I’ve also been the official photographer for the Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series, the Dubois Cup and the China Cup, to name a few.
My work is not restricted to the sport. I also produce images for the shipbuilding industry’s marketing and communication sectors. I have been presented with many awards for my pictures and been recognised for my promotion of yachting in Italy. I also established Sea & See as a marine photographic agency in 1990. It became part of the Mediatree Group, an Italo-Swiss company, in 2004.
Over the years I’ve exhibited work across Europe, published many books and calendars, which are always related to the sea, and collaborated with the most prestigious nautical magazines and newspapers. I have endless enthusiasm, which makes me open to new adventures and innovations, and inspires me to stay up to date in the photographic and technological fields.
A member of the family
As the official photographer to the Luna Rossa Team, Carlo is warmly remembered by the team he loved.
Ciao Carlo
In August, the Luna Rossa team and the entire sailing world said goodbye to Carlo Borlenghi, a master of nautical photography, witness to every recent America’s Cup, and a member of the Luna Rossa family since its very beginning.
The team paid tribute to him through a gesture, a memory, a photograph, an anecdote—different ways of expressing the same sense of loss.
September’s regatta in Naples will be the first time Luna Rossa competes without Carlo by her side. We will miss his eye and his smile deeply. But we will never forget Carlo.
“With your passing, we lose not only a longtime friend, a master, and a true laghé, but also a refined artist of international acclaim: cultured, ironic, tireless, and a perfectionist. One of the greats of yachting photography.
You were part of the Luna Rossa family, but your original and discerning eye has been, and always will be, a universal heritage of sailing and the sea”.
