The Times, sport section today (11/04)
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Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1639
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Topic: The Times, sport section today (11/04)
Posted By: combat wombat
Subject: The Times, sport section today (11/04)
Date Posted: 11 Apr 06 at 2:26pm
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Theres a whole page on sailing! Actually its more on Quingdao but still. I know anyone with a brain has been thinking about this for a while (ie anyone who sails) but how crap is the 2008 Olympics going to be for sailing? This could spell the death for any enthusiasm that has been created by Athens in the UK. The Times reports that the average windspeed is 3 to 4 knots, and max is about 10 knots over a 2 week period. The racing is going to be absolutely rubbish! Ynglings and Stars wont move, 9er crews will spend the regatta on the foredeck, and the 470's will drift along the super short courses (might as well take off the trapezes, they add weight and aerodynamic drag  ). Lasers will roll tack up the beat, roll gybe down the run and all get rule-42'd. Does everyone share my opinion that putting sailing in a wind-less venue is probably the worst thing that can happen to a sport that struggles for interest outside of the "hardcore" (ie us)? What are our boys (ie Team GBR) like in the light winds? CW ------------- B14 GBR 772 |
Replies:
Posted By: Norbert
Date Posted: 11 Apr 06 at 2:52pm
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The surprise is that no one has said anything about this yet. The butchers of
Tiananmen Square don't give a monkeys about sport, the whole point of the Chinese olympics is that foreign business people will go to these god foresaken cities and invest in sweatshop industries. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4-2128079,00.html - Click on image for Times Article http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4-2128079,00.html">  |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 11 Apr 06 at 3:05pm
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Well the only thing i can say is lets all look forward to 2012 when its at weymouth. Every time ive raced there, it's been turbo windy so hopefully it will set the scene just nicely to showcase sailing. Doug |
Posted By: Scooby_simon
Date Posted: 11 Apr 06 at 3:42pm
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As soon as the location was announced people were up-in-arms about it. Glad I did not bother to try and qualify this time around. Going to be a complete waste of time ina Tornado ! ------------- Wanna learn to Ski - PM me.. |
Posted By: southcoast
Date Posted: 11 Apr 06 at 4:32pm
| isnt there a weird/silly rule about the last race now that could give some fluked results in the light winds expected. Im not impressed, still weymouth should be good and i have voluntered to help so hopefully ill be there! |
Posted By: hurricane
Date Posted: 11 Apr 06 at 4:42pm
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the tornado sailing is going to be so boring come to think of it so will all of the sailing! unless they add the A class to the olympics, we are in danger of having the most boring sport in the next olympics! ------------- lifes to short to sail slow boats! RIP Olympic Tornado 1976-2007 |
Posted By: mike ellis
Date Posted: 11 Apr 06 at 4:42pm
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if you mean the one about the last race acting as a medal race and counting double on points, yeh its stupid. it just wont work, sailing reggatas are about consistency so the last race is no more important than the first on 7th or 53rd if you have that many races. ------------- 600 732, will call it Sticks and Stones when i get round to it. Also International 14, 1318 |
Posted By: southcoast
Date Posted: 11 Apr 06 at 4:48pm
yup thats what i meant! it ruins it especially as its light winds and anything can happen in light winds. Its all so its more dramatic i think, but it will probably only be on at 3oclock in the morning for 5minutes highlights even though its the sport we are best at. 
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Posted By: Jon Emmett
Date Posted: 12 Apr 06 at 7:25am
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It seems most people are talking the sailing down in 2008. My
understanding of the weather is it is "good" sailing or no sailing at
all (either a reasonable breeze or no breeze at all). Therefore the
"dodgy" light air races (under 5 knots) are unlikely to take place.
Anyway any major regatta you go to the wind is "never normally like
this"... Why should the Olympics be any different!!!
------------- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Be-Your-Own-Tactics-Coach/dp/0470973218/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312565831&sr=8-1 - |
Posted By: Dead Air
Date Posted: 12 Apr 06 at 9:20am
| If they do end up with no wind for 2 weeks, and no racing takes place, what happens to the medals?? Will they just not have olympic sailing champions this time round? |
Posted By: Chris 249
Date Posted: 12 Apr 06 at 10:20am
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A guy (former Olympian/ISAF heavy) who spent years working with the
chap who is running the sailing (and therefore is probably a good
source) says all the bad rumours are 100% correct. Also, Hurri, I'm not sure the A Class is all that spectacular in the light stuff. Brilliant boats yes, amazing TV in 5 knots no. |
Posted By: Stefan Lloyd
Date Posted: 12 Apr 06 at 1:42pm
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You haven't been paying attention, have you? But yes, there is a good chance the sailing events will be a complete shambles.
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Posted By: hurricane
Date Posted: 12 Apr 06 at 3:17pm
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my point was at least they will be moving and therefore a semi interesting race could happen! ------------- lifes to short to sail slow boats! RIP Olympic Tornado 1976-2007 |
Posted By: Scooby_simon
Date Posted: 12 Apr 06 at 3:31pm
They would be out on the wire upwind ! ------------- Wanna learn to Ski - PM me.. |
Posted By: Chris 249
Date Posted: 13 Apr 06 at 12:18am
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Actually I'd have thought the A would not be on the wire and would be
slower downwind, and perhaps around the course, than the 49er in 5
knots ( but of course I'm not sure, just thinking). I think even
downwind in the light even the 16 Foot Skiffs blow us away (on the T
4.9) faster than the guys on the As (ie Gashby etc) do, and the 16'
spinnaker Mossies (despite their '70s design and tiny rig) blow the As
away. All of the art directors I used to work with wanted pretty colours (ie kites) more than anything else, and that was in the specialist sailing media. It's like the way that most of the windsurfer pics used in the background of ads are from the '80s, when sails were colourful and not monofilm. Of course, an A Class with kite or an F16 would be a different matter! It's a real pity that (as far as I can find out) no independent sources seem to have asked the TV stations what they would like the sport to do, if we are to get vision. |
Posted By: Scooby_simon
Date Posted: 13 Apr 06 at 8:02am
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Now an A with a Kite, that would be a good idea. ------------- Wanna learn to Ski - PM me.. |
Posted By: mike ellis
Date Posted: 13 Apr 06 at 1:53pm
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asking the tv people what they want from sailing sounds like a good idea too, just as long as we remember we dont have to do everything they want. ------------- 600 732, will call it Sticks and Stones when i get round to it. Also International 14, 1318 |
Posted By: Chris 249
Date Posted: 13 Apr 06 at 2:33pm
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VERY good point! I should have thought of that. Maybe the question should be "we're not going to change the substance of what we do, but how can we help you make it look good". |
Posted By: Blobby
Date Posted: 13 Apr 06 at 3:40pm
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I have been involved in 2 sets of filming of sailing for TV. Both lots involved a full day of filming for 2 minutes coverage, doing stuff repeatedly for them including repeating meaningless moving bits of kit when you put them in the wrong place "because the shot was interesting and the light was great from that angle" From that I would say have multiple laps of short courses, lots of boat handling action so they get a load of repeated fottage so good choice on edits and the ability to get in close to the action... ...tie that in to gps on each boat to tie in to computer simulations of who is leading at any time and you are onto a winner. ------------- One step forwards, 2 steps back... |
Posted By: hurricane
Date Posted: 13 Apr 06 at 7:23pm
they do that on the round texel cat race you can watch live on the internet it works really well! ------------- lifes to short to sail slow boats! RIP Olympic Tornado 1976-2007 |
Posted By: Stefan Lloyd
Date Posted: 14 Apr 06 at 6:16am
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I think you will find that ISAF has been steered pretty firmly on this point. Why do you think the recent regatta format changes were made? |
Posted By: Chris 249
Date Posted: 14 Apr 06 at 12:27pm
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Sorry, I missed out a the vital bit in that post (but put it in the
later post); I wonder whether they were asked what they would like the
sport to do apart from changing the major aspects (as they have done). The things I was thinking about are whether the racing could be changed in minor ways to make it more attractive visually, whereas it seems that they have just tried to make the storyline different by introducing a cliffhanger last race. I was wondering about things like large rounding marks (or boats instead of buoys) with camera crews aboard so they can get close-in pics; mandatory bright and colourful sails (art directors love them to bits). As an example, I was at a friend's today and they had a 1995 coffee table picture book on San Francisco.. The opening spread was windsurfers, but judging from the sails the pic was probably 1986. Many other people have noted that many of the windsurfing pics you see in general advertising are of the colourful '80s sails. The modern monofilm stuff just doesn't turn the art directors on. If the art directors I've always worked with are typical, they want crisp pics (which generally means allowing photographers to get close to the races) of colourful boats and sails. From their perspective, whether it's a cliffhanger finale or whether the boat is fast or slow is of absolutely zero importance compared to the aesthetics of the pic. You'd think ISAF has probably already done this, but we are dealing with a mob who "updated" the Olympic windsurfer to something that will probably be a lot slower (in 2008 conditions) and is much less colourful than the Mistral was. |
Posted By: Stefan Lloyd
Date Posted: 14 Apr 06 at 5:34pm
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Putting national flags onto the sails was a slight move in that direction. Personally I think all of this is fighting yesterday's battles. The days when TV companies would put huge money into sport appear to be over. It was about getting settop boxes into people's homes but that phase it over. See what has happened to the amount Murdoch is prepared to pay for UK football coverage as an illustration of that trend. |
Posted By: Guest
Date Posted: 14 Apr 06 at 6:08pm
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This is a good point ... if you have a fleet with afrew sponsored sailors it's always the boats with big logos on their sails who end up on the magazine pages ... they just look more interesting. They should make the whole main the national flag. Rick ------------- |
Posted By: Harry44981!
Date Posted: 14 Apr 06 at 7:44pm
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...and the spinny and jib. The 49er spinny looks far more striking as a whole flag, than the rectangular flags on the 470 kites. ------------- |