New Britannia

Mixing this with another thread, I think that the coverage of the Vendee Globe is more likely to have appeal to people who don't know much about sailing.  Pip Hare and others have brought the human element to a story that, as others have said above, is an important ingredient.  You don't need to know what a J2 is to appreciate the courage and effort if having to climb a mast several times in the middle of an ocean to fix it.  Or to appreciate Jean Le Cam's concern about his boat's delaminating bow getting so acute that he could no longer bear to inspect it, and living for 90 days with the feat that the boat might break up ant any moment. Or Boris Herman hitting a trawler with touching distance of the finishing line.

In terms of getting more non-sailors turning up at the average sailing club asking to learn, then a 10 minute segment on Coast of presenters exploring a creek, or a lake on Country File is going to do far more than the AC or Olympics ever could. 
I reckon most people take up sailing from scratch because a) someone they know takes them, or b) they see it a the lake / seaside. 
However, once you can sail and have even done a small amount of racing the AC becomes more relatable. And I do think the Olympics and AC are inspiring for younger sailors to encourage them to stay in the sport. As a demonstration of where progression could take them. In fact, possibly there is too much of this draw, and not enough encouragement to just stay in sailing to get peeved and see mates!
I think as a result the AC and Olympics could be far better covered with a higher level of detail. Because that is where these events get truly interesting to the enthusiast. What are the design challenges? What are the strategy and tactical challengers. Which teams or sailors are doing what to meet these challenges. 

Edited by Mozzy - 04 Feb 21 at 1:58pm

Do I detect a slight air of anticlimax here?

And now Covid joins the mix.

https://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/235253/How-do-non-sailors-regard-the-Americas-Cup