It doesn’t matter what kind of sailing event you are running, or what platforms you are trying to distribute media on or communicate to fans with, capturing the action and getting it off the boat is something that all yacht racing promoters have to deal with.

It’s pretty easy if you are the America’s Cup – you could almost use 3G to get media off boats sailing around San Francisco Bay, but the Volvo Ocean Race has a racecourse that is, as the strapline says. extreme – and that means being on the edge of the communicable world.

There are technologies however that do enable high speed, HD quality communication from almost any point on the earth. The Volvo Ocean Race has once again teamed up with Inmarsat to provide essential voice and data connectivity for the next edition of the ocean racing event. Inmarsat FleetBroadband will be used to deliver broadcast quality high-definition television (HDTV) and rich multimedia content from the competing boats to the world’s media. Inmarsat has increased its involvement in the next edition of the race and is now a Race Partner.

Knut Frostad, CEO Volvo Ocean Race said:

“I am very pleased to announce this continued and enhanced partnership with Inmarsat. FleetBroadband has proved it can deliver a flawless performance in tough conditions and that is absolutely essential for us. We need to be able to get reliable and high quality material off the boats and deliver it to the world with immediacy. You could say that the DNA of the Volvo Ocean Race is really based around moving images. And to be able to transmit these images from the boats is core to our communication and story building around the race. In many ways you could say that the Inmarsat’s FleetBroadBand has revolutionised the sport of offshore sailing.

And by enabling us to be so connected to the boats, we can monitor them 24 hours a day from our Control Room in Alicante. This is crucial for our safety procedures and the onboard safety equipment is a vital tool for the crew in emergency situations.”

Each Volvo Open 70 will be equipped with a SAILOR FleetBroadband 500, providing voice and high-speed data communications. Also onboard is a compact SAILOR FleetBroadband 150 for crew voice calling and IP data, plus two SAILOR Mini-C systems for constant positioning data and global safety communications. For the first time and after extensive evaluation, Inmarsat’s new global satellite phone, the ISATPHONE Pro, will be included in the safety kit of all the race yachts.

Andrew Sukawaty, Chairman and CEO, Inmarsat said:

“FleetBroadband gave a flawless performance during the last Volvo Ocean Race in 2008 – 09 and will continue to take media coverage of the race into a whole new era. Faster transmission speeds deliver better quality broadcasts bringing all the action onboard into people’s homes around the world. It is undeniably the world’s premier global race and one of the most demanding team sporting events in the world and we are delighted with the global endorsement of ISATPHONE Pro, with its inclusion in the yachts’ safety equipment.”

You could just mount cameras to different parts of the boats and have ‘TV execs’ pick the best bits, but the Volvo Ocean Race realises that offshore sailing is as much about the human element than the boat, perhaps more so. The interactions of team members at the extremes, the highs and lows can be captured by someone embedded in the action, not just watching from a studio. Therefore the race will once again include Media Crew Members and an (MCM) Award for the best material.

This award will also be sponsored by Inmarsat. In addition, on each leg, an MCM will win a €1000 cash prize for outstanding excellence in communicating across all media from their boat, as judged by a specialist panel. When the race concludes in Galway, Ireland, in July 2012, a €10,000 prize will be awarded to the MCM judged to have made the best overall contribution to race coverage.

Knut Frostad firmly believes the MCM is as much a key player as the helmsman, tactician and the crew.

“No story, no sponsorship, no race. It’s as simple as that.”

More Volvo Ocean Race Business News

The revolution will be televised and the sport of sailing will be fixed in post-production.

There is absolutely no doubt that sailing is one of the most photogenic sports on the planet. Modern event organisers like the Volvo Ocean Race realise that the delivery of the sport via HD video is one of the most important factors for making yacht racing more relevant to a wider audience. Indeed the televising of yacht racing has consistently innovated broadcast technology and is far superior to many sports.

Nevertheless, Russell Coutts has stated that the next edition of the America’s Cup will include a televisual revolution. Don’t expect to hear any classical music on the soundtrack for AC34 – the goal is to make sailing more like a video game or music video. Coutts says:

“Transforming television is the single-most important change we can make to this magnificent competition. We’re looking to the next generation to help bring the screen alive. We expect this competition to open our eyes to some creative concepts that will increase the event’s appeal to younger audiences.”

It is implied in this statement, and others made by Coutts, that the sailing itself will have to be more exciting and engaging. The draft protocol makes provision for the sailors names to be emblazoned on the back of their shirts – one day cricket style – which might point to other changes that are being considered.

Perhaps taking inspiration from the defending club being based in one of the world’s hubs of new media, the Defender is looking to crowdsource new talent by launching a competition to find new ways of making sailing interesting on TV.

The call to actions states:

Ambition is the main requirement for entry. Naturally, content must be original and 100-percent rights-cleared. Clips may be of any sport or activity and any combination of camerawork, editing and production. The 28-year age limit is in place with a view to blending new talent with the best and most-experienced specialists in sports broadcasting.

A panel of extreme sports and social media leaders will review the videos. Producers of the most interesting videos posted by 12 July 2010 will be flown to Valencia, Spain, to participate in the 34TH America’s Cup Media & Race Evaluation Trials slated for the end of July.

The ultimate competition winner, to be announced at the end of September, will get to choose from prizes that include a top of the range Apple MacBook Pro, installed with the latest video editing software, to a high-end, HD camera. Other finalists will receive BMW ORACLE Racing official team gear.

With any luck, entrants will keep in mind that the audience for sailing, like F1 is looking for more than pictures. Incorporation of live data is as important as a fast edit or funky digital effect. The bottom line is that the competition needs to be close and there needs to be human interest or no amount of strobe editing or hip-hop soundtrack will make anyone want to watch it.

More at: http://www.americascup.com/videocompetition/

The xtreme 40s are pretty cool, but the other contender for the title ‘F1 of Sailing’ is the Audi Med Cup for TP52. Here’s an example from social media savvy Quantum Racing.

People thought that the Volvo Ocean Race were crazy embedding camera men on boats with HD cameras. Here is the result. I don’t care what brand you are – this is an incredible platform. Enjoy.

Here’s a nice video that brings together some of the best parts about sailing – not only as a sport, but as a sponsorship vehicle. Audi took over the title sponsorship of the Med Cup for TP52s in 2008, but has not really activated too much outside of the venues that the tour visits. Nevertheless, this promo clip is a good piece that showcases some great attributes, action and people in the sport. (Note the Audi car placement in the middle)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1HiHGX3VYc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race gave an inspiring presentation to the World Yacht Racing Forum in Monaco in December. Part of the wow factor of his speech was the footage, in particular the high definition sequences of spray coming over the bow of the boat with every single drop captured in crystal detail.

The full Volvo Ocean Race experience is being delivered by some ground-breaking endeavours by the boffins at Inmarsat, the global satellite communications company and a key partner of the race. This article comes from the Volvo Ocean Race Site.

Until the 1980s when satellite equipment was first hoisted into the stratosphere, the polling of race boats was a haphazard affair and navigators spent weeks or months submerged under piles of paper charts and pilotage books, making the odd ship to shore call over VHF if in range.

Messages to supporters and loved ones were handed over mid ocean to passing cargo ships until the development of radiotelephone and radiotelegraphy services via maritime radio station Portishead Radio opened up new opportunities.

Almost overnight, these created an audience for the early yacht races which, courtesy of some remarkable technological wizardry over the past three decades, has been expanded, educated and kept thoroughly entertained.

Boats are now polled every 15 minutes which has led to a similar tenfold increase in safety levels and navigators can download massive 8mb weather files in the blink of an eye, all of which allows race watchers the opportunity to stay in touch with the fleet and its movements round the clock.

The media crew between them will send back 90gb of footage during this race, using custom built high definition cameras. They can do live interviews, send as many images, podcasts, emails and blogs as they like all using the powerful Inmarsat systems with material used across the world, on television and radio stations, in newspapers and magazines and on websites.

Crews can call home for updates on their football teams – not that they do – and skippers can get their shore managers out of bed at all times of day and night for consultations over equipment failures or to organise stopover repair programmes.

The quick and easy exchange of images has also improved medical support since pictures of wounds or breakages can be wired back to doctors for diagnosis and treatment. In leg one from Alicante to Cape Town for instance, Tony Mutter was lifted off Ericsson 4 after doctors became concerned by the pictures of his infected knee. It could easily be a life-saver.

All these communications are sent via Thrane & Thrane satellite antenna to Inmarsat’s network of 10 satellites in geostationary orbit 35,786km above the Earth, all of them controlled from company HQ in London via ground stations located around the globe. The third link in the chain is Stratos, which provides the mobile satellite services via FleetBroadband, Fleet 33 and Inmarsat-C for video, audio, and text-based reports.

As to what comes next is anyone’s guess but as we have seen in this race, such sophisticated technology lends itself to a wide variety of projects including some vital environmental research which in 2008-09 is being conducted on behalf of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics into the transport of micro organisms from one ocean to another.

In February, Inmarsat will be moving some of their satellites around to enhance their global network coverage is 100 per cent.

These activities will impact on users of broadband and satellite phone users in a narrow geographical band in Asia Pacific, including the Volvo Ocean Race fleet who will be given back up options for connectivity for a ten day period while the Inmarsat 4 satellite is repositioned. But that’s a story for another day.