"Photographing on the water is all about decision-making, communication, instinct, experience and a fair amount of luck. In the early days I used to come off the water absolutely exhausted. Changing film in my old Nikon in big seas was always very stressful - a heart in the mouth moment. The advent of digital and larger more stable chase boats has certainly made some aspects of the job easier. However, I always look forward to the land based days where the challenges are more cerebral - it's almost like a game of cat and mouse trying to predict where the yachts are going to go in relation to the landscape. There is also a chance to drink in and absorb the atmosphere. This photograph of the schooner Elena was taken on a slow day off Imperia. I calculated that by 2.00 pm the sun would have come far enough round to my right to light the cityscape, but still cast some all important shadows. I think the key to this image is the diagonal running from the top left down to the bottom right hand corner. The block of blue sea and sky seems to be perfectly balanced by the architecture. Yacht Elena was the final touch."