An appealing image that is deemed to meet the challenge
Congratulations on your ribbon and welcome back! What a great result to come back with, a lovely boat surrounded by rough seas. If I am to be honest with my critique as I always try to be I have to say that I am quite surprised at the high placing. In terms of the challenge I find the boat's pristine condition fails to convey a feeling of wear and tear at all. The masking for the selective desat, which I fail to see the need for, seems very casually done with clear discrepancies in the seas around the boat. The crescent shape intrigued me, at first I thought it was attached to the rigging, until I found the surfer at the other end of it. I feel the object emerging from the water on the right would be better removed it is quite distracting.
On a more positive note I do like the breaking surf around the boat. I hope I don't come over too negative but I am trying to be honest and constructive, although it does have its merits the image just doesn't work for me in the context of the challenge.
Welcome back and continued success with your future entries, Sid
Thanks for the comments! Great to be back, and sort of a surprise since this shot was very last minute (taken just a few hours before the submission) Hoping this will inspire me to get back on here more often!