There's a plethora of hardware and communications options, ranging from a full-on Stedi-Cam feeding live to the yacht club lounge to a Go-Pro gaffer taped to a broomstick. If you tape an iPhone to a broomstick, you can be streaming, or instantly uploading the video to U Tube.
I note also that there seem to be some Pro/Am cheap(ish) steadi-cam mounts coming onto the market.
I think you would probably end up being driven by what you can scrounge, rather than what you desire.
I know of some experienced RO who are playing around with head-mounted Go-Pros.
Get clear in you mind how you want to use the video. Usually the RO/RC would use it, after the start, to resolve/confirm OCS boats, and possibly see boats that have returned. An alternative might be to have a full-on Third Umpire Booth, with good quality video onto big screens, making real-time calls (I think only wealthy techno-nuts would think about going this route, but its done for the Americas Cup). I might mention that just playing the RO's voice recording to the competitors resolves a huge proportion of OCS disputes.
I think the starting point is good quality lenses, followed by reasonable resolution.
The simple test is, allowing for camera shake, haze, spume etc, can you read a sail number at the far end of the line, or say double that distance, in not very good light. But if it's less than ideal, it may well work 70% or 50% of the time and will be better than nothing.
Head-cam is OK, given that it sees what you are looking at at any time, but I'm thinking a fixed mount aimed at the pin, with a fairly wide angle lens. Maybe both would be the best of both worlds.
If it's an ordinary video camera, keep the sound on, and keep the damn thing on for the whole start sequence (run if of ship's power through a 12v adapter): that means you don't have to be bothered about forgetting to switch it on or off.
Probably key to using the video is a decent viewing screen, which means a laptop or a large tablet. You can get good waterproof cases for Apple and Samsung tablets, and we used to be able to get Toughbooks on eBay cheap as chips.
Hope this gives you a few useful ideas.
Don't forget to sync whatever recording decide you use to race time, so your recorded time will correspond to race time.
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