Suellen Hurling

Suellen Hurling founded Live Sail Die in 2005 and has been photographing, writing about and promoting sailing ever since. She grew up on the Clarence River in New South Wales, where boats were part of everyday life, and moved Live Sail Die to Auckland in 2011. A sailor herself, Suellen shoots from chase boats, RIBs, on board and in the air, from the America’s Cup and the Rolex Sydney Hobart to Wednesday night racing on the Hauraki Gulf. She’s one of the few guests ever invited to sail on Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC75. Her photo of Mattias Coutts and George Lee-Rush at the PredictWind Moth Worlds won the Public Award at the 2025 Pantaenius Yacht Racing Image Award. She calls herself a writer rather than a journalist, telling stories from the boat and through the camera.