RORC
Club page Hard yards
The business of running a major event is becoming a lot more complex and the demands put upon event organisers are becoming increasingly onerous. Not only do event organisers have to ensure all yachts comply with class rules, Offshore Safety Regulations and rating requirements, and run races to the highest standard, they also have to be masters at pre-event promotion, to attract entries, and ensure that results are broadcast worldwide to benefit race followers and sponsors (not to mention the constant updates required to feed the head-down smartphoners ashore). Results are expected within seconds of finishing, race reports within minutes, while the use of live online tracking is also becoming common at the top events. No longer are the sailing audience happy with photographs but now also demand video – putting one more burden on the already stretched budget.
At the RORC we always use the mantra ‘the sailors come first’ and this is true at every event that we run. Budgets are set to the entry fees we expect and are strictly controlled. Any sponsorship increases the benefits to the competitor and the exposure oppor- tunities but no event should be reliant on sponsorship.
easily spiral, the return in exposure was huge with fans continually returning to the YouTube clips on the race website. On the plus side, unlike the Fastnet Race with its (very) variable weather, at the Caribbean 600 the reliability of the trade winds allows us to anticipate where the fleet will be at a given time. Our photographer Tim Wright and videographer Roddy Grimes-Graeme work well together but Tim is always exploring new ways to get good images and puts himself through a punishing schedule. After shooting the start sequence the helicopter refuels, which allows the handover of a memory stick of raw photos for our media team to post online. The helicopter then heads to Barbuda where Tim jumps in his tiny RIB to intersect and photograph boats rounding the only race mark on the course. Meanwhile, Roddy is in the helicopter following the lead boats speeding downwind towards Nevis to get those great clips of boats surfing the Trades as the sun starts to set in front of them. At the same time Tim transfers overnight by yacht to St Barths where he jumps back in his RIB to meet the mid-fleet yachts rounding the rocky SE corner of the island at daybreak. Not content with this herculean effort, Tim decided in 2014 to then transfer from St Barths to the tiny uninhabited island of Redonda to the SW of Antigua to catch the leading monohulls rounding this impressive outcrop. As he said at the time – ‘It is on the way home to Antigua’.
IRC Congress
For the first time in its history the IRC Congress came to Cowes to run its meetings at our ‘new’ clubhouse overlooking the Solent. Forty delegates from 15 countries descended on RORC Cowes from as far afield as Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and the USA as well as many European countries to share thoughts on the development of IRC (and to marvel at the huge number of IRC- rated yachts racing in front of them on the first weekend of the Hamble Winter Series!).
Photographer Tim Wright bobs around the ocean on his infamous little RIB several miles off the uninhabited Caribbean island of Redonda, the last of 11 islands rounded before the Caribbean 600 fleet starts its final 30nm beat back to the race finish in Antigua
Thorough post-event analysis is crucial to putting the energy into the right places. The RORC Caribbean 600 is an example of an event that has developed on tight budgets, being careful that we concentrate our efforts in promoting the race. Very early in the event’s development our media team took the leap into broad- casting the race through social media. Since then we have made improvements to our coverage, in small steps, always ensuring we have sufficient resources to meet our next objective. ‘Do less but do it better’ is a good mantra for promoting events. A helicopter is essential in the Caribbean’s photogenic paradise. But meticulous planning before race day ensures that we utilise the expensive time in the air wisely. The use of a helicopter for the Commodores’ Cup, for example, is a luxury that adds nothing to the event and the budget and resources are better utilised elsewhere. As the Caribbean 600 has grown we have introduced video footage which places great demand on the operator to quickly deliver a few minutes of highlights from all of the recorded material; today’s ‘want it now’ generation has a voracious appetite but a short attention span! Balancing the needs of photographer and videographer has also become tricky as there is generally only one helicopter unless it’s the Volvo Ocean Race or Vendée Globe. Drones are a much cheaper option but their operation is limited to controlled environments. When we eventually added video to the coverage of the Caribbean 600, a difficult decision as costs
60 SEAHORSE
Our chief measurer James Dadd gave an update on the evolving rating software – MyIRC – which will be rolled out to sailors and IRC rule authorities around the world in January to simplify the process of obtaining a rating certificate. Philippe Serenon, former president of UNCL and who runs a successful marketing business, added some insight into plans to promote the latest software. Lively discussions during the day were then followed by a fabulous dinner on the Royal Yacht Squadron platform… It’s not all work.
Technical sub-committee
Set up by the RORC many years ago, this committee provides valuable context for the development of IRC and met in the week leading up to the IRC Congress. This group of marine technicians takes no part in nor has any influence over the IRC rating system but it offers valuable information to help keep those charged with updating the IRC software up to date on developments in the marine industry; personally, I love listening in to keep abreast of new ideas and trends.
Representatives from boatbuilders, sparmakers, yacht design- ers and sailmakers plus a representative from the Wolfson Unit are all enthusiastically involved, bringing each other up to date and giving feedback to James Dadd and the IRC technical office to help ensure that the rule is not supporting or encouraging any unhealthy or expensive ideas.
IRC European Championship 2017 It was confirmed at the IRC Congress that the 2017 IRC European Championship is to be held in Marseille with all three local yacht clubs organising the racing with the support of UNCL. Entries are anticipated from all over Europe but one would expect the majority from Spain and Italy as well as native France. Registration opens on 5 July followed by a packed four-day racing programme. Eddie Warden-Owen, CEO
q
JINDIER
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92