ISAF World Sailing Championships

[William_H]

Just watching a bit of tele yesterday afternoon of three of the medal races final races for 470men Womens RSX and Finns. It is great to see sailing as a spectator sport. They have GPS trackers on each boat and buoys so TV graphics can show quite accurately how each boat is relative to the others even on different tacks. It was great to see GBR sailors doing so well. In mens 470 Luke Patience and Stuart Bithel blitzed the last race however the ozzies actually got the gold medal on total points from previous races.

The final races are in a bay in the open ocean but tight enough for spectators in grandstand and for the competitors to hear them cheering.

A sad event with UKs Ben Ainslie disqualified for bad behaviour. After the race he abandoned his boat swum over to a media boat hauled himself aboard and assaulted driver and camera man. He felt they had caused a wash that disadvantaged him. I know it is fashionable to hate the media lately. However media TV is very important to this regatta and sailing. The driver was a volunteer using his own RIB so inexperienced at this close in work and trying to please both the camera man and stay out of the way of the sailors. There was no official criticism of the driver. I guess Ben was disapointed at his own performance and very hyped up. This seems to happen with elite sportsmen.

I know most forumites are a bit negative on racing but if you get a chance have a look at some of this on tele or www.Perth2011.com. it is a whole different world. A Finn sailor described in interview how when the wind dropped to10 knots he virtually rowed the course by pumping the mainsail. 30 min race and he was exhausted. They are big boys (and girls).
More racing this week with finals next Sunday afternoon. ie Sun morning UK time. 49ers should be spectacular. olewill

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Will,

Just like you I was riveted to the telecast, great coverage on and off the water, also very good graphics showing location and track of all vessels, even the windsurfers.

Have the spectators in a grand stand on one side of the bay made for top viewing for the public, many of the competitors commented on the fact they could hear their supporters cheering them on, that must be first.

Recommended viewing if you get chance folks.

Good luck and fair winds to all.

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

G'day Will,

Just like you I was riveted to the telecast, great coverage on and off the water, also very good graphics showing location and track of all vessels, even the windsurfers.

Have the spectators in a grand stand on one side of the bay made for top viewing for the public, many of the competitors commented on the fact they could hear their supporters cheering them on, that must be first.

Recommended viewing if you get chance folks.

Good luck and fair winds to all.

I'm not so happy about all this. Dinghy sailing has always been a participative sport and the absence of the media, celebraties, vast amounts of sponsorship and so on made it enjoyable and not exhorbitantly expensive to compete as an amateur. With grandstands, TV, playing to the gallery etc. the whole sport will change for the worse.
Ainslie's behaviour was not excusable and he has been punished, but what about the ISAF officials who allowed media boats to be so close and harass the competitors? Have they had pay docked or been taken off officiating? If not, why not! There you are, I sound like a football manager. Point made!

 

[mixmaster]

How does the way the olympics/world championships are organised affect you? I'm sure you will be able to compete as you always have at your level.

 

[dunedin]

Yep, fantastic event - probably the biggest top flight dinghy sailing event ever (and many more competitors than at the actual Olympics)

Well done Luke / Stuart and Giles. Many of them currently in the air en route back at the moment, as second week's classes complete their qualification races.

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

How does the way the olympics/world championships are organised affect you? I'm sure you will be able to compete as you always have at your level.

It probably won't effect me too much, but the Ainslie agro illustrates what I'm worried about. Arguments with the umpires, adverse press comments, like the English Rugby team have endured, win at all cost etc. Professional nationalistic sport is a spectacle, just that, and not the true corinthian sport that inspired the modern Olympics. In my view we are worse off for it. Bring back amateur sport! With Rugby Union first in the queue.

 

[st599]

On the other hand, the participation in competitive amateur sailing is in freefall. ISAF need to do something drastic and soon.

The tv coverage has traditionally been awful. The America's Cup has held a competition to increase the appeal via innovative video techniques which are filtering into the Volvo and World/Olympic events. These require full frame action shots rather than fore-shortened telephotos.

Question is, how? You can't have a cameraman on board, like in the Volvo.