Spreading the Word

Who says yacht racing isn’t a spectator sport?

Certainly no one following the Louis Vuitton Cup. From the live video footage taken from camera boats and helicopters, to the remotely controlled on-board cameras, spectators have never been closer to the action.

But it’s not just the moving images that are bringing the match racing on the Hauraki Gulf alive, at times thousands of shore-side spectators are better informed than the teams themselves, thanks to sophisticated telemetry and advanced three dimensional computer modeling techniques.

Such techniques have in turn helped the press office to keep the media informed of every move, allowing journalists to file stories around the world within minutes of the skippers stepping ashore. But how does the system within the media centre work?

Video images are beamed back in the normal way for re-distribution around the world but the two TV feeds also go directly to a closed network within the media centre. Of these feeds, one is from the host broadcaster (TVNZ) and the other is a feed for the Scandinavian networks, activated whenever Victory Challenge is racing. Both transmissions include on board video and audio from a pair of crewmembers on each boat. At times it is the audio information that is the most enlightening, as each boats’ thoughts, concerns and tactics are discussed and broadcast in real time. Stranger too, is that those watching and listening on shore can hear both boat’s discussions simultaneously, which frequently provides the clearest picture of all as to how each team sees itself against their opponents.

Such insight benefits the internet team in the media centre too. Here, an understanding of what’s coming next and why, allows the commentary team to post a meaningful and regular report of what is happening on the water, as well as providing a valuable archive for later analysis by both spectators and the teams themselves.

Indeed, many of the teams use the VS recordings of each race as an essential element of their de-brief and post race analysis of both their performances and that of their competition.

Proof enough that the current application of the latest technology has meant that America’s Cup racing is more than a spectator sport, it’s essential viewing for the professionals as well.