Bruce Kirby: Lion in Winter

I was elated when I got the call from Sailing World Magazine asking me to photograph Bruce Kirby, the designer of the Laser. It really was celebrating two of my worlds colliding! Laser sailing has been the one thing that has blown every door that needed opening in my life wide open. It helped put a camera in my hand allowing me to have this career that I am so grateful for. While training for the 2000 Olympic Games on the US Sailing Team I stumbled upon the woman I love that agreed to marry me and gave us our greatest gift, our twin daughters, Mia and Oriana. All because in 1969 Bruce Kirby designed a little boat that made a huge splash & my Dad threw me in it in 1980 at the age of 10 at Mantoloking Yacht Club. So when Sailing World Magazine contacted me to photograph this legend for the spring issue I was not only extremely honored but incredibly emotional.

The lives Bruce has touched with this boat are too many to number and I still love every time I get to go compete with the best of the Laser Class in a new body of water somewhere in the world. I arrived home today and eagerly opened my mailbox hoping that the issue was inside. I rarely cross my love of sailing with my love of portrait photography and Sailing World made this possible for me. I have to thank Dave Reed for believing in me and Dave Powlison for writing such a remarkable piece. I really don’t have any words for what Bruce did for my life and the day I spent with him meant more to me than any picture I could take. I photographed Bruce in his home with my Canon EOS R and my Westcott lights that I personally designed called the Peter Hurley Flexkit.