I’m a 40 yo ex NAVY helicopter rescue swimmer, avid catamaran sailor and current Photographer, video director and producer. I have some great ideas that will go unheard with this (age) limitation.

“All three represented a nice mix of shot composition, artistry and effects to make them appealing to watch.”

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/

This weekend. I competed alongside 16,000 other participants in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race aboard Volvo Team For Life, a TP52 racing yacht helmed by British Olympic medallist Shirley Robertson. Volvo Cars UK are a partner of the race, and the involvement is an important part of a larger commitment to British sailing.

The best sponsorship campaigns are those which are activated through long term commitment. This means building a portfolio of activities that are complimentary and in a world of social networking, build links between brands, ambassadors and the target audience.

Volvo Cars UK have supported British Sailing for a long time and the programme has touchpoints with the whole of the sport, from grass-roots beginners through to elite Olympic athletes. The Round the Island Race is important to the overall campaign because of its inclusiveness. Professional racing teams make up a fraction of the participants in the event, however at the end of the race, the shared experience brings the community together.

This sense of community extends to the companies and brands that support the event and the sport. While Volvo Team For Life ambassadors like Shirley Robertson, Ben Ainslie and Paul Goodison are seasoned media campaigners, there is a sense that they are truly grateful for Volvo’s support – it’s not just a contractual arrangement, but a partnership that works for everyone.

Like title sponsor JP Morgan Asset Management, Volvo Cars UK has big-picture positioning reasoning for being involved with sailing. Duncan Forrester, Head of Public Relations, Events & Sponsorship says:

“We believe sailing’s inherent use of natural resources fits perfectly with Volvo’s environmental values. At Volvo we believe our commitment to the environment does not mean compromising on state of the art technology, comfort or style. Our DRIVe range is leading the way in creating cars which will have zero impact on the environment reflecting our aim to be the car of choice for the sailing community. Our environmental credentials have gone a long way in helping us achieve this.”

But positioning is only part of the story. The Round the Island experience is an unforgettable hospitality platform. Many of the automotive and motorsport journalists aboard had never been on a boat before, let alone a purpose built racing yacht. Waking someone up at 3am in the morning, putting them aboard a boat with an Olympic gold medallist and making them get involved as the spinnaker is hoisted on the start-line jostling for position with 1700 other boats is not something that can be replicated by inviting them to a tent at a race-track.

In the past, this might be the end of it. A great weekend and perhaps a better feeling about the brand that may or may not translate into more sales, but like many automotive brands, Volvo are embracing a more conversational, relationship based marketing approach. The Volvo Team for Life Facebook page is part of a strategy that hopes to develop deeper, more long term relationships between the brand and customers, which must ultimately lead to greater loyalty and long term customer value.

The Copenhagen based company has signed up to become Official Sponsor of Satellite and Radio Communications Equipment for the third consecutive race. The agreement means that Thrane & Thrane’s latest generations of SAILOR® FleetBroadband and VHF equipment will be onboard every cutting-edge Volvo Open 70 as they line up in Alicante for the start of the race in October 2011.

Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO said:

“We have once again selected Thrane & Thrane to provide a comprehensive communications package for the teams, based on the support and faultless performance of the SAILOR equipment in the previous two races. We need the latest and best technology to ensure our vision and commitment of bringing the extreme offshore racing to a global TV and web audience. In this context we’re delighted to have Thrane & Thrane back onboard, and we’re confident that their latest FleetBroadband and VHF solutions will facilitate unmatched broadband and safety communication to the racing crews.”

The scope of supply for the 2011-2012 race includes new generation products. With the World’s first 2nd generation FleetBroadband antenna, the in-house developed SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband will be the central communication hub for each race team. From upload of race footage, reports and interviews for television and web, to download of weather data vital for competitive navigation performance, all of the teams will benefit from true broadband communication along the entire course around the globe.

The teams will also benefit from the compact SAILOR 150 FleetBroadband for crew voice calling and IP data whilst two SAILOR mini-C systems will be onboard for constant positioning data and global safety communication.

Walther Thygesen, CEO, Thrane & Thrane said:

“The Volvo Ocean Race really is about Life at the Extreme so we relish the challenge of putting our equipment through its paces once again. It is the ultimate test platform and we receive invaluable and immediate feedback from the crews, which has made Volvo Ocean Race an integral part of our product development process. Our products have performed consistently successful during the two previous races and if the SAILOR products can withstand such an ultimate test, then their credentials as the toughest most reliable communications equipment for all maritime applications are well deserved.”

More Volvo Ocean Race News…

The same could be said for sports media. In an old world with 5 channels and only 24 hours in a day, the total amount of content that could be broadcast was 120 hours and so producers had to decide what people might want to watch. It’s little surprise that niche sports like sailing would be cut out of this mix, but in a world with infinite channels – where every page of every website can be a delivery portal – latent demand can suddenly be measured.

What’s not so clear is what the business models are.

Today, the World Match Racing Tour begins it’s second round of 2010 in Germany. The series is spending money on providing fans with content. Writer, Mark Chisnell is once again live blogging in text form and the event is also being streamed. While the series is in ‘build awareness’ mode, the strategy seems to be – get it out there. But rights holders are finding that the latent demand is there and sailing fans are demanding more and more.

In 2009, the only way to follow Match Race Germany was being there. In 2010, the live blog gives up to the second updates, but even during Flight 1, on a dreary grey Thursday, fans were asking via the comment system – where is the tracking? Where is the stream? The expectations have been set and sailing fans are expecting a lot.

Watch the ‘Live’ Stream from Germany*

* Streaming from 14:00

In fact, the lack of live TV coverage has forced the sport of sailing to innovate. Sailing has seen the delivery of live audio commentary, live text blogging and even live 3D animated racing.

The Audi MedCup Circuit is one event that believes investment in cutting edge technology and innovation and improved access to the action delivers benefits to fans and sponsors. In 2010, www.medcup.org will stream a daily 4 hours programme with live action. The first Audi MedCup TV programme, to start on May the 12th.

The Circuit is a good example of how incremental technology has made the experience better for the remote viewer. In 2006 there were live mark by mark ticker text updates, in 2008 and 2009 there was live audio commentary and ‘Virtual Eye’ real time tracking.

The 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit will be streamed direct to internet viewers including dockside interviews, pre and post race analysis. As well as www.medcup.org, the feed will be sydicated through SailTV.

Content will be created by Sunset+Vine|APP who will be beam video from a stabilised camera on a TV catamaran which has unrivalled access to the fleet. There will be continuous commentary in two languages and expert comment. On board cameras will add to the racing action as well as aerial coverage. The action will be mixed at the venue broadcast centre, cut with supporting Virtual Eye 3-D animation.

Andrew Preece, Audi MedCup executive television producer explains:

“We are looking to really be able to drill into what is going on on the race course and highlight and explain in simple terms what is happening and why, what is interesting about each race. It will be essentially a sporting programme, but we aim to unravel the action, so that the action become more easily understood and accessible to a new sailing audience.”

Mark David, SailTV CEO says

“We are excited about the Audi MedCup TV package. There is certainly already an established audience, but a lot of how the audience develops and grows will be about people getting used to and trusting the technology. And of course as more sailing becomes available on the internet, so the audience is growing all.”

The Portugal Trophy, Cascais (May, 11-16) will be the first event running this new, ambitious and exciting feature. The first Audi MedCup TV programme will start at 1250 CET on May the 12th.

BMW ORACLE boss Larry Ellison gave an interview to ABC that touched on some of the issues that will define AC 34 including the venue and what kind of boats might be used.

The interview reveals that if the America’s Cup community agree, then the format of the next event might be skewed towards being more commercial, more spectator friendly and less traditional. Ellison says he will consult with sponsors on some of the decisions, which will include where the racing will take place.

Perhaps BMW ORACLE have media figures that we haven’t seen. Ellison says that young people want to see extreme racing and that a lot of people enjoyed watching the event in Valencia because of the radical nature of the boats. It’s not like fans were ever given a choice of what boats they wanted to watch, and a lot more people watched AC 32 than tuned into the monster trimarans. While most would argue that professional yacht racing needs to provide compelling products, the (non New York Court) jury is still out as to whether the America’s Cup is the right platform to deliver that product.

The interview also talks about budgets, with Ellison throwing out a number of $2-3-4 million for a campaign in AC34.

See the complete interview here….

Now that there is real interest in the America’s Cup again and the stories are a more palatable mix of sailing, personalities, competition and racing instead of the grotty detail of legal posturing, we have launched a standalone page for news about the 33rd Edition in Valencia.

As well as YachtSponsorship.com’s unique opinion and insight, the new channel will feature embedded video from the teams, live twitter updates from journalists, teams and other sources as well as the occasional input from some special America’s Cup guests.

Yachtsponsorship.com’s coverage of the 33rd America’s Cup in Valencia between Alinghi and BMW ORACLE will be presented by the DARK BLUE BOOK – the Who’s Who of Yacht Racing.

CLICK HERE to Visit the Dedicated America’s Cup Page.

During the week, the publishers of the essential reference for the sport of professional yacht racing, released it’s distribution figures for 2009.

Over 500 copies of the business to business tool were sold via the official website to buyers from around the world. In addition, more than 500 copies were distributed to C-Level executives of companies identified as being able to contribute to the growth of the industry either as sponsors or suppliers.

Sales of the DARK BLUE BOOK were predictably highest in countries where sailing is traditionally popular like the UK, USA, Spain, Italy, Australia and New Zealand; however a large number of the books were sold in emerging sailing markets including the Middle East, S. E. Asia and China.

David Fuller, CEO of Pilote Media and Editor of the directory is happy with the first year’s results.

“Like many sports, sailing at the elite level around the world is a relatively small industry, but it is growing and there is sense that there are opportunities that are untapped. The sport is becoming more commercial and more professional and the DARK BLUE BOOK aims to provide new and existing players with easier access to new business.”

Now that a solid base has been established, the publishers aim to increase the awareness of the directory and work with the leaders of the sport to position sailing as a competitor to more recognised global sports.

David Fuller says:

“Many in the yacht racing business know each other. They have sailed with or against one another, they have been at the same events as fans or suppliers and many have built up longstanding relationships, but many in the business are still competing amongst themselves for a share of the existing pie instead of working together to grow the sport by attracting new competitors, sponsors, suppliers and fans.”

“By collecting the industry together in a single reference, the DARK BLUE BOOK is one way of presenting yacht racing as a united global entity and increases the opportunities to develop individual events. It is also useful within the industry to identify key people or service providers.”

In 2010, the DARK BLUE BOOK will benefit from larger distribution through affiliate partners and increased visibility. The publishers are aiming in substantially increase the number of books sold in 2010.

The 2010 DARK BLUE BOOK closes for entries at the end of February. Listings can be created or updated online at: http://www.darkbluebook.com/

How would that interest be translated into interest in future America’s Cups? Monohulls – but exciting monohulls, like the RC44, with lots of passing that is presented on TV in the right way.

This video comes from BMW ORACLE. We’re not sure how long it will be available or whether it will be replaced by more current videos, but here it is… the press conference is preceded by 5 minutes of video of USA sailing. Tom Ehman starts procedings at 4:41 into the clip.

America’s Cup coverage is presented by the DARK BLUE BOOK: The Who’s Who of Yacht Racing and Sailing.