Luna Rossa AC75 B3

38th America's Cup

Cagliari, Bay of Angels

I chose this image because, throughout my career photographing AC75s, I have never before been able to capture such an incredibly aggressive and spectacular moment—one that perfectly reflects the relentless attitude of Luna Rossa when pushing the boat to its limits. During an aggressive bear-away sequence, the boat had been practicing a series of one-board bear-aways followed by consecutive gybes, before switching back to bear-aways with the windward board now only half immersed. On one of these manoeuvres, the new rudder ventilated and stalled, causing Luna Rossa to suddenly pitch bow-up and rise dramatically out of the water. For a brief moment, the AC75 was almost flying, with the hulls lifting clear as the boat broached before crashing back down hullborne. It is one of those rare split seconds when the extreme performance and sheer aggression of the boat, together with the very fine line between control and instability, become visible in a single frame.

SONY Alpha 7 R5, 200-600, 400, f8 , 1/2000