RickTomlinson

Rick Tomlinson made his name capturing the Southern Ocean at its most treacherous from the decks of various yachts in the Whitbread Round the World Race. He started with freelance pictures published in Yachting World and Seahorse in 1985 from the famous racing yacht “Drum”
Rick was on the build team of a maxi yacht in Cowes, his home town, which ended up in the hands of Duran Duran’s lead singer, rock star Simon le Bon who named it ‘Drum’. Though working on the build team Rick was given the opportunity by Skip Novak to join the crew for the Round the World Race. After the near fatal capsize of the boat in the Fastnet Race when the keel broke off, the boat was quickly repaired for the start of the Whitbread Round the World Race 1985. Rick offered to take some pictures during this adventure and set off on the race with one Nikon and 20 rolls of film. His photos were a huge success and redefined on board photography, often using his trademark slow exposure night time shots down in the Roaring Forties
Rick has sailed on board in four of the Whitbread Round the World Races – Drum, The Card, Intrum Justitia and with the two EF teams in the 1997 Whitbread where he was commissioned by National Geographic. He is currently Official Photographer for Team SCA’s all female team in the next Volvo Ocean Race (ex Whitbread Race).
He was also official photographer for the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001-2 and 2008-9, , as well as numerous other projects including the British “GBR Challenge” for the America’s Cup 2002-3 in Auckland.
At the 2012 Volvo Round the World Legends event in Alicante he was awarded the prestigious “Volvo/Inmarsat Pioneer of Media award” in recognition of his work in the Whitbread races and for inspiring the full time role of media crew members on Volvo Ocean Race yachts.
Between races Rick travels to many regattas around the world, usually chasing yachts with a helicopter or chase boat and always on the lookout for a unique angle.
Yacht racing aside, Rick has extended his skills into expedition and project photography. In this aspect he has travelled to such exotic places as the Arctic and Antarctic, Chile, Alaska, Caribbean and Africa always coming home with fabulous and exciting photographs.
He has had special assignments for the RNLI and, in 1992, while on one such assignment with the Life Boats; he was awarded with the RNLI Bronze Medal (along with Nick Keig) for saving the lives of two fishermen off the coast of Northern Ireland.
In 2013 he was voted the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image of the Year (peoples choice) for his picture of Volvo Team SCA surfing at over 25 knots.