Media coverage of our sport.......

I think the problem is, and I think we all know this, when it comes down to it watching someone else sailing on the telly is a most unsatisfying experience. Unless there is some exciting maneuver going down, like surfing down a wave, broaching or or narrowly avoiding (or not) another boat then by and large what you're watching might as well be a photo for all the action that takes place. And that doesn't make for very exciting TV where most are unable to keep their attention up unless someone gets shot every few minutes.
 
Sailing as a spectator sport is inherently boring. Boating as a spectator sport is more dull than watching paint dry. I was interested that the La Rochelle 'marina newspaper' actually described the boats in its 3500 marina as '2nd homes'. Cheaper than bricks and mortar to buy and maintain and just slightly more interesting than caravanning....

It is actually a very small market - I think YM sells around 30,000 copies a month(?) not very impressive in terms of a population that cannot get much more than 65 miles from the sea if they try...

I quite like what boatmike posted... It did use to be a bit of a challenge. Skills to learn, tidal triangles to work out. Now I never have less than 3 gps on board if I am going anywhere very far away but it has actually spoilt the challange for the average Joe or Joess. That and chartplotters, bow thrusters and DSC and Iperbs and all the gizmos that any body who wants to take up caravanning --- oops sorry sailing goes out and buys. There is no skill in crossing the channel, going round the channel islands in fog, heading for a port more than 60 miles away. The electronics will get anybody there safely and efficiently and the learning curve is very short and not at all steep... Sadly.
 
No it isn't obvious frankly Becky. In the 60's when geriatric old farts like me were young men and had little boats that they could hardly afford it was lovely. Loads of places to anchor free, friendly happy neighbours with good manners and happy dispositions. Agreed you had to walk 1/2 mile for a gallon of diesel or a can of water, but oh the joy of finding free showers on the quayside at Weymouth and Poole! (Now you can't tie up to either quay and are directed to the expensive marinas)
Now because of all the corporately owned boats we have MDL marinas where there used to be free mooring, discos on boats until 2 in the morning, prices through the roof, and sailing in the Solent in mid summer is like playing marbles on the motorway.
The only thing that temporarily arrested the otherwise totally unjustified rise in mooring fees was a temporary recession when less people could afford the high prices. Economic supply and demand means more demand=higher prices, not the other way around I am afraid.
When you go abroad the cheapest places are those with fewer boats. In fact it's even true of the UK. The more popular it becomes the more expensive it gets.... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Well from one caravanner to another, don't you just love it when everybody puts the same waypoint in their GPS? You sail for miles without a sail in sight until you get to a bouy that everybody puts in as a waypoint and its like the M25 on a Friday night! And they all dutifully sail around the outside of the bouy doing what they are told when there is plenty of water all around! Baaaaaa Baaaaa!
And now they can interface their autopilot with their GPS to automatically change direction when they get there......
All a symptom of brain dead electronic reliance.....
Soon we will have radar parking sensors like they have on cars.....
Boring..... boring......
 
As a newbie who has lived all his life hundreds of miles from the coats I agree with Becky's observations regards the way people view sailing, but, I must say I do think more interest would drive costs up. Some costs would reduce with volume but I doubt south coast moorings would
 
Sail TV used its birthday celebrations to launch one of their new projects for 2007. From Monday 15 January, Sail TV will be the exclusive provider of marine content and the host of regular prime time slots on Solent TV’s new satellite channel on SKY channel 219 (available in Great Britain nationwide), providing 10 hours of sailing, powerboat and marine lifestyle programming at peak evening times during the week, on Saturday mornings and on Sunday evenings.


Sail TV’s Director, Andy STEWARD, said, 'For Sail TV to have secured these broadcast times on UK television is terrific news for the domestic marine market and we are keen to capitalize on this by providing as much varied, high quality content as we can.'

No links to me whatsoever! also www.sail.tv

Program Schedule is here http://www.solent.tv/tvschedule.aspx?day=3&dayperiod=0
 
As a marine cameraman & producer for some 20 years, the costs of producing regatta coverage is very high and terresterial tv stations cannot justify the cost against viewing statistics for our sport. Sail.tv have enough trouble getting sponsorship for their web video programmes. Lets hope the new sky sailing channel has enough support for it to succeed; then hopefully it will become available on freeview. One day...
 
Having watched Solent TV on Sky occasionally, I find it difficult to sustain an interest. The production seems very poor (sound levels all over the place, poor continuity, etc.), but even ignoring this, the commentary on the racing doesn't really explain what's happening - lots of shots of water rushing past, and a couple of people chatting in the studio instead of commentary. (I'm not a racer, btw!)

Co-incidentally watched the Mike Golding / Alex Thompson rescue programme again last Sunday. The breathless commentary repeatedly told us how hard and dangerous it all was, but somehow this didn't come across on the video. 2 non-sailing-but-sporty mates who watched it with me kept muttering "doesn't look that hard.." "..Shouldn't have gone if they couldn't hack it..", etc. I feel the same thing applies to the Ellen McArthur stuff. The "look what we're doing, aren't we clever" approach doesn't come across.

The Aussie Skiffs stuff is quite spectacular, but it's "wallpaper" rather than a serious programme.

This might stretch the original definition a bit, but the best boaty programme for me was "Woodworks" where Anton Fitzpatrick built a lovely traditional boat, but there was also plenty of incidental stuff. One or two of the "Boatyard" series were good, too, but I'm not a Tom Cunliffe fan, and frankly there were a few nutters on it. There was also Alan Herd's "Narrowboat", but the least said about that, the better! There was a good programme about sailing around the coast of Wales - not primarily about sailing, but plenty of discussion about the passages, constraints of tide and weather, etc. and video shot en-route (but probably only on BBC Wales).

So there is quite a bit of sailing coverage out there - If you want more racing coverage, someone needs to find a way of making it interesting to non-racers.

Paradoxically, I think that if the programmes went further into the technical / tactical side of things (well explained, obviously) it might be of more general interest. - I've never seen an aerial view of a fleet race, for example, where the commentators analyse things "American football" style - freeze the video, and discuss the options open to key competitors (circles and arrows, etc..). That would interest me.

Andy
 
Back in the 1980's Southern Television (as existed then) televised on a weekly basis a series of Ultra 30 racing from around the country, with then household names like Lawrie Smith, Pete Newlands etc all sponsored by Vauxhaul Frontiera I seem to remember. It was fast and furious "crash & burn" stuff and there was a real sense of excitement from week to week. Even now I still watch the video of it occaisionally.

Why was it not built upon? Presumably the viewing figures did not justify the venture. Shame really.

I remember the following year going to watch one of the races at Portsmouth. To see these 30 ft dinghys hammering down to the gybe mark, kites up, set 100yds off the beach was amazing, especially when some of them capsized!

What ever happened to Ultra 30s?
 
Perhaps it's partly because to most of us sailing is a past-time and not a sport. For example, one isn't aware of significant broadcast coverage of knitting, which I am given to understand, from listening to the wireless, is increasing in popularity amongst the young. Extereme knitting on a night passage - now there's a programme . . .
 
Thoroughly agree boatmike. For my sins I still watch my team playing 3rd division football, a long time since they were European champions, BUT have very mixed thoughts of them back in the top division because of the obscene amounts of cash floating about up there all brought on by increased activity from TV companies. If you think £20+ per night in marinas is steep, try going to Old Trafford/Stamford Bridge etc and paying in excess of £50 for 90 minutes!! Keep TV out I say.
 
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