The U.S. Postal Service celebrates a favorite outdoor activity with Sailboats, two colorful postcard stamps. The stamps, which will be issued Sunday, Jan. 22, are whimsical, colorful, bold and modern — featuring illustrations that capture the joyful sensation of being on the water on a beautiful day.
Illustrator Libby VanderPloeg created two colorful, abstract images that depict a little harbor town on Lake Michigan and captures the essence of sailing.
Both stamps show boats cutting through the waves at full heel. The first depicts a single boat above royal blue waves, a white swell crashing against the prow. The white mainsail — adorned with a thick yellow stripe — and a pink jib stand majestically above a white, pink and gray hull, all set against a gray-blue, cloudless sky.
The second stamp features two boats racing under full sail. The closer boat sports a teal-and-white mainsail and a pink jib — white spray curls from its white and teal hull. The farther boat has a sleek black hull and a white mainsail tipped with red.
Antonio Alcalá was the art director.
The non-denominated Sailboats stamps are priced at the postcard rate and issued in panes of 20 and a coil format. The word "POSTCARD" on the stamps indicates their usage value. Like Forever® stamps, these stamps will always be valid for the rate printed on them.