Remember me
Carlo Borlenghi, whose photographic talents are as intrinsic to the success of global sailing regattas from the America’s Cup to superyacht races as the yachts themselves, has died. He was 70 years old.
A native of Bellano along Italy’s Lake Como, Borlenghi was born in 1956. He developed an interest in photography and sailing early on, shooting photos of friends participating in local regattas. While in his early 20s, Uomo Marie, a then-supplement to Uomo Vogue, hired him to photograph regattas off the northwestern coastal city of Alassio, Italy. Despite not knowing how to swim, he thrilled to the high, rough seas that the media boat encountered. Years later, he told the Italian sailing magazine Giornale della Vela, “I was worried, but at the same time I was also very excited and fascinated.” He continued, “I believe that in my photographs, I’m able to emphasize the sea in a way that’s different from many others, precisely because I fear it.”
Borlenghi’s biggest break, however, came in 1983. He was the official photographer for Azzurra, the first-ever Italian challenger for the America’s Cup, in Newport, Rhode Island. From that moment on, he shot every Italian challenger to the Cup, straight through to the current Luna Rossa team. He also became the official event photographer after several years. From traditional monohulls to foiling yachts, he learned about them all, with his images appearing in countless media outlets worldwide.
Borlenghi’s eye for detail landed him work capturing other regattas, too, such as the Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Races. Naturally, the organizers of leading superyacht races turned to him as well. Borlenghi became the official photographer for the Dubois Cup, the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, and the Perini Navi Cup (below). Several shipyards hired him to shoot brochures as well, including for their motoryacht projects.
Throughout his career, Borlenghi earned accolades. He won the Omega Award in Italy for Best Sports Photographer, for example, in 2003. Four years later, he received an award at the Paris boat show, the Grand Prix de l’Image Course au Large. That same year, Giorgio Napolitano, Italy’s president, presented him with special recognition for his contributions to sailing. Several photographic exhibitions in galleries and museums followed as well, in cities like Milan and Paris.
Borlenghi leaves behind his wife Alessandra as well as friends who considered him like family. Magnus Wheatley, a writer for the America’s Cup, paid tribute on the race’s website. Having met Borlenghi in 2000, Wheatley says, “He never failed to inspire or to give the warmest of greetings.” He further credits him as being “always willing to support newcomers to the world he knew so well and loved so much.” On the professional side, meanwhile, Wheatley says, “What made Carlo exceptional was not simply technical brilliance, but an instinctive and deep-rooted understanding of sailboat racing itself. He knew where the pressure would build on a start line, when the spray would explode from a bow, when a helmsman’s glace revealed victory or defeat.” In fact, “His images carried movement, atmosphere, and humanity in equal measure.”
the Rosehearty crew at the 2015 Perini Navi Cup recapturing a sail
Heesen Yachts, one of the superyacht builders who collaborated with Borlenghi, also paid tribute to him. “We had the privilege to work with him on some of the most iconic photo shoots of our yachts and truly enjoyed working with the maestro. Our thoughts are with his family and all who sailed with him.”
A funeral is set for August 8.