The Art of the Coffee Table Galley
Published: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 12:00 pm
By: Mark Reid
A version of this article appeared in the Buyer's Guide 2023 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
With my work over the years in the world of the America's Cup and with it all different forms of sailing, racing in large yachts and small, I have had the privilege to meet and befriend many in the industry who bring their own talents and art to the table.
Be it photography behind the lens of a camera, video, or nowadays flying a drone, as well as my colleagues who are print and digital journalists that bring the craft of their written words so their readers can experience the action and drama on the water as if they were part of the regatta.
As we descend into the holiday season a bit forlorn because we have had to start packing our sail and motorboats away for another winter's solstice, I would like to offer a solution: put your phones down and pick up a book.
The beauty of nautical books, calendars, and magazines is they can be read anywhere. They can easily fit in your backpack or duffel bag, or they can make nice display fodder on a table or bookcase in your boat's galley. Remember last month's Great Lakes Scuttlebutt print issue?
I have a few selections I would like to share with you from some good friends of mine who have or are going to release some neat books, movies, and calendars. Yes, there is a bit of a focus on coffee table-size books, but it is the holiday season, so bigger is better, right?
2023 Ultimate Sailing Calendar
www.ultimatesailing.com
Fresh to Frightening
www.freshtofrightening.com
My friend Sharon Green has been recognized as one of yachting's top photographers for more than 30 years. Her father, Don, was a top sailor in Canada, winning the prestigious Canada's Cup Race in 1978 on Evergreen. He also was the CEO of the True North America's Cup team in 1986.
She has been the official photographer for several Trans Pac Races as well as the Rolex Big Boat Series. She is based out of Santa Barbara, California.
The film Fresh to Frightening was inspired by her father as a young Canadian woman navigates the male-dominated world of competitive yacht racing photography so step inside the world of competitive yacht racing.
Sharon is happiest when she is on the water or hanging from a helicopter in search of the elusive image. With Fresh to Frightening, she hopes to inspire other women to share their stories and, along with Gareth Kelly, hopes to develop a series focused on empowered women with diverse professions across all industries.
Her Ultimate Sailing Calendars are spectacular to behold and brighten up any room in which they are displayed. The temptation to frame every month is alluring every year!
Rizzoli Publishing House
Luna Rossa Hardcover
Carlo Borlenghi, Guido Meda, Gianluca Pasini and Stefano Vegliani.
www.lunarossachallenge.com
This luscious book chronicles their challenge in Italian and English. It is one of the few books that covers the 36th America's Cup. The Kiwis are notorious for not publishing books on their "precious" event.
The texts are written by authoritative sailing journalists and not only retrace the stages of the challenge with the New Zealand rivals but also reveal the complicated rules of the America’s Cup as well as rivalries and alliances between the teams: the team changes, the betrayals, the great controversies between the protagonists of the challenges.
The book also contains brief presentations by Patrizio Bertelli, owner of Prada and head of the Luna Rossa team, and Max Sirena, the skipper and team captain.
Luna Rossa has competed in four America's Cup campaigns, reaching the Match twice. They are gearing up for a fifth with a wildly painted AC75 yacht that would make Rodney Dangerfield blush.
This spectacular and meticulous coffee table book features the photography of Carlo Borlenghi, the "Michelangelo" of yachting photographers.
Carlo's use of color makes his photographs of boats a plethora of bright pastels. He can make a yacht glow with effervescence on a dark, cloudy day!
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli reached the America's Cup Match final in Auckland, New Zealand, last year and took it to ETNZ for the first half of the event before giving way to the hometown team.
Legends of American Sailing: Fifty Men and Women Who Have Shaped the Sport 
Gary Jobson
www.jobsonsailing.com or the www.sailingmuseum.org
Gary Jobson, through the new Sailing Museum and National Sailing Hall of Fame, has published a beautiful coffee table book featuring 50 legends of American sailing.
Jobson was a tactician on Ted Turner's 1977 America's Cup defending 12-Meter Courageous and a longtime commentator on ESPN is meticulous with his research. on each HoF inductee and sailor covered.
The book is available online or at the gift shop at the new Sailing Museum in Newport, Rhode Island. It is more than worth the visit as the interactive displays there is an informative treat for young and old alike. Men and women, boys and girls.
“The concept to write this book has been on my mind for the past decade. The narrative is an overview of the lives and careers of the 50 top sailors who have contributed to the sport of sailing,” said Gary Jobson. “In addition to the text, we included stunning portraits and sailing images that help tell their story.”
“All of them have excelled at the highest levels of the sport. Most have given back with their creative innovations and service. Each sailor has exhibited a lifetime of outstanding sportsmanship and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to interview all these sailors and use their own words in these essays for future generations. Every dollar from the sale of Legends of American Sailing benefits the National Sailing Hall of Fame.”
SailGP - Racing On The Edge
The Official Book of SailGP Season 2
www.sailgp.com
SailGP’s Second Season coffee table chronological is filled with photographs from esteemed photographers Bob Martin, Ricardo Pinto, and others, capturing all the drama, adrenaline, and excitement of sailing’s most thrilling race series.
The burgeoning catamaran series has a dozen race weekends around the world with the best sailors from the America's Cup and the Olympics to delight fans with "Stadium Sailing" up close at over 50 knots on the water.
SailGP was formed in 2018 by Oracle's Larry Ellison and legendary sailor Russell Coutts. It attempts to be Grand Prix racing on the water. Here in America, the series competes in Chicago and San Francisco.
The book’s 224 pages are packed with stunning photography, in-depth event reviews, and features on the eight teams that made the season so very special, showing the intensity and high-speed action on the water and take you behind-the-scenes as the F50s, crewed by the top professional athletes in the sport, race in some of the world’s most iconic locations.
tags: Gift Ideas, Racing, Sailing
