In my previous post I tried to explain why I think competitive sailing is the most complete sport there is. I like following sports on the news, such as football or tennis. But no sport gets me as excited as professional open water singlehanded sailing.
Given that sailing is such a complete sport, many aspects have to be taken into consideration. Being a hard-core fan is a pretty busy occupation.
It all starts with the design of the boat. There is so much to read about the latest racing machine being built and the new technologies involved. Having one of the best boats is a requirement to win races. Sailing is a mechanical sport, much like Formula 1. The best sailor on a slow boat will never win, nor will the average sailor on the best boat. Following a skipper design and build a boat that will take him as quickly as possible across oceans is fascinating. As it is the case with Formula 1, a lot of the innovations that saw the light of day in this high-performance sport will be adapted to cruising boats down the line.
Example of Technology in Foils
Amazing footage of flying catamarans during the America’s Cup
Notice the foil sticking out of the boat on the right.
Photo Credit: Th.Martinez
In the build up to the next Vendee Globe Race a new breed of boats has seen the day: monohul foilers. These boats are adapting a technology revealed to the general public with the flying catamarans during the last America’s Cup: carbon appendices that lift the boat out of the water therefore reducing water friction. Some skippers believe in it, others don’t, as this invention will make the boats more fragile and technical to sail and will only make them go faster in specific sailing conditions. I just can’t wait for the 2016-17 race around the world to see who was right!
I get most excited when the race is on the way. To me, following a transatlantic race is like following a Champion’s League game that would last for over a week.
50 years ago the only way to know who won a race was to spot the boat arriving on the horizon. With today’s technology following a sailing race can be a full time activity. Dedicated websites give position updates every four hours, and the courses of the boats can be visualized on an animated chart. The weather conditions as well as the forecast can also be integrated, which enables the viewers to understand the choices of the skippers and to make their own predictions. The general public can even take part to a virtual regatta online, next to the real sailors on the water!
Sailing is an expensive sport. A brand new 60ft monohull for the Vendee Globe costs more than 3 million Euros. Every sailor needs sponsors. Part of their job is satisfying their partners with events between races, but also putting their brands forward during the races. Modern technology has changed the way sailors communicate with their audience. Thanks to satellite technology, they are able to send photos and videos on a daily basis and get the fans involved through interactive social media platforms.
Of all professional sailors the most talented at marketing is definitely Alex Thomson. In this video you can enjoy the latest stunt he pulled off to advertise his sponsors Hugo Boss and Mercedes Benz.
The skippers also communicate through long frequency radios with the race committee everyday, and today these radio broadcasts are available live online!
A sailing race often incorporates different classes: different types of boats (multihulls and monohulls of different sizes). They all compete at the same time but not necessarily against each other: The 60ft monohulls will race against each other, the 50ft multihulls as well, and so on. This makes the race even more interesting for the viewer: many different races are happening at the same time, and studying them one by one can be very time consuming.
I can spend hours navigating a website such as www.thetransat.com, the website to latest transatlantic race from Plymouth to New York. It is still underway but was already won by sailing genius Francois Gabart. He is the Lionel Messi of sailing… to be continued