Ever wondered what it’s like to invest everything into one goal, one dream, one vision – not to win the race, but to capture the moment someone else does?
While sailors experience the wipeouts, the wins, the chaos, and the carnage, photographers like Suellen Hurling of Live Sail Die are the ones who freeze those fleeting seconds forever.
The crash, the start-line madness, the top-mark carnage, the tongue-out concentration face, the pure joy across a finish line Suellen is there, chasing the perfect frame that tells the story.
She doesn’t chase the glory for herself.
She captures the glory for everyone else.
And this year, the world captured her moment.
Suellen has been awarded the 2025 Pantaenius Yacht Racing Image Award – People’s Choice, one of the most respected media honours in the sport. Her dedication, resilience, passion, and unstoppable drive behind the lens have been recognised globally and no one is more deserving.
Suellen Hurling’s award winning photograph
2025 Pantaenius Yacht Racing Image Award – People’s Choice
Twenty years after creating Live Sail Die, she’s earned more than a win: a world championship title in her own right.
Two lines stood out from her reflection on the moment:
Driven by passion, community support, and countless early mornings on RIBs in every condition; rain, sunshine, gales, and storms, Suellen has shaped the way sailing is seen and remembered. Her storytelling has influenced classes, events, sailors, and defining moments worldwide.
This year, the world celebrated her right back.
Suellen is our very own in-house photographer, and a Corporate Member of RNZYS, so it’s only fitting that we say, from everyone at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, congratulations, Suellen!
Your work doesn’t just capture the sport. It elevates it.
A truly incredible achievement, and a milestone 20 years in the making.
