July winners revealed in ilovesailing calendar competition

Congratulations to Barbara Sumner from Paignton, Devon and Ela Miller from Christchurch, Dorset who have staked claim to places nine and ten on the 2021 ilovesailing calendar.

As well as their places on the calendar, Barbara and Ela also receive:

• Canvas print of their winning entry
• A copy of the final printed calendar
• A selection of RYA goodies
• And this years ‘gold’ ilovesailing duck

“Unfortunately with this year’s Southampton Boat Show being cancelled there will be no prize giving, however all the winners will have the choice of either two tickets to the RYA Dinghy Show in Farnborough in February or to the 2021 Southampton Boat Show next September”, explained ilovesailing co-ordinator, Emma Slater.

Barbara and Ela’s images were selected from amongst 42 images submitted throughout July depicting everything from big boat racing, to kids having fun in dinghies, sunsets, sunrises, marinas and hidden anchorages; showcasing everything that we love about sailing.

Commenting on her winning image entitled ‘Playground… catch me if you can’, Ela, commented: “I didn’t think there would be any opportunities for me to take any sailing photos in order to take part in the ilovesailing calendar competition this year. However when some of the lock-down restrictions were lifted and self-isolation finished we escaped for a week sailing in the Solent.

“My camera was on board and with the beautiful weather there were a few opportunities to take photos of the sailing vessels. It was last minute submission for the July entry and I kept my fingers crossed for a bit of luck. To know that one of the photos has been chosen for the calendar put a big smile on my face. It only proves that it is always worth trying!”

Explaining more about how she came to take the image Ela explained: “The photo was taken on our first day of sailing in mid-July. We reached the Solent in early morning and instead of going straight into Lymington marina we decided to take our little cruiser for a coffee stop in the so peaceful, at the time, Keyhaven Lake by Hurst Castle. While the kettle was on, the sailing dinghies started appearing, sailing form Keyhaven Yacht Club. Although there were mostly adults sailing that morning the Keyhaven waters very quickly changed into the sunny playground. I had to join in, even though it was just through the lens of my camera.”

While, ‘Run for the sun’ is the title of the second winner for July taken by Barbara. "A friend of mine had two winning photographs in last year’s calendar, so when I got this shot I thought, why not try entering myself, never thinking it could be a winner! I’m absolutely over the moon at having my photograph chosen for the 2021 RYA Calendar”, Barbara commented.

“My husband and I treated ourselves to a GoPro camera this year and I was experimenting with it as we were heading south down the Chenal du Four off the west coast of Brittany in our Beneteau Oceanis 411, ‘Tonic’. It was the day after we crossed the English Channel when reciprocal quarantine restrictions were lifted in France on the 10 July. We were having a lovely down-wind sail with the cruising chute goose-winged, and the sun just happened to be in the ideal place to produce this picture. The beauty of the GoPro is that it has such a wide-angled lens that you can get far more of the sail in your picture than you can with an ordinary camera.”

As the 2020 competition nears completion there are only two more spots left on the 2021 calendar. The final two images will now be selected from all the entries received between March and July, giving entrants a second shot a winning a spot on the calendar.

“We receive so many fantastic images each month that choosing just two is always difficult. By picking our August winners from all the entries received it means everyone has not one but two chances to claiming their place on the calendar”, Emma explained.

The 2021 calendars will go on sale on the RYA Shop from mid-September, make sure you pick up your copy at www.rya.org.uk/shop

The ilovesailing calendar competition will re-open in March 2021. But don’t forget…as well as the calendar competition the ilovesailing page runs its ever popular weekly caption competition, giving you a chance to share your funny, clever and witty captions in a bid to win an ilovesailing duck.

Come along to the page at www.facebook.com/ryailovesailing and get involved.