Hi Keith and Steve
What form of spectating are we talking about.
Is pro sailing a video event? OR an event best promoted to live audience's on the beach front.
This choice is important. If you are trying to generate interest in the crowd on the beach... Then the venue is critical... you need wind.... the right geography so that spectators are close enough to see some action and fans who are there to cheer for X race team. The Aussi's seems to have this figured out. They wanted large showy boats to watch. They developed their fan base with huge skiffs. I understand that they have moved to 49ners...but I think they are dealing with a sophisticated crowd now.
However, if you think that the growth plan is through the video packaging with a weekly racing show on a cable channel...then you are not catering to the crowd on the beach. The pictures and video action are the most important output of a race.
Some thoughts on the view from the beach.
Years ago, Prosail came to Sandy Point State Park in Maryland. They had a couple of hundred people on the beach and they had a course where the Formula 40's would come reaching down the beach about 50 yards off shore. That is what people watched... Once the boats headed back upwind.... they turned to their conversations and casually kept an eye on the water. Nobody was waiting with baited breath for a pass.
Likewise, the Hobie 21's were racing. They had about 15 to 20 boats. What you could see was lots of bumping around marks, A couple of boats would break out of the pack and lead the rest of the way around the course. Nobody paid much attention. Relative to the 40's... the hobie 21's seemed kind of tame. The show was about the Formula 40's.
My analysis was .... too many boats on the course is not good... You need to be able to sort out the racing as a spectator from a distance.. Much like a horse race... they don't like starts with 20 horses..... I would think that you would want a fleet of 10 to 15 boats that were more or less equally competitive so that any dog could win
Two... you need to know the dogs.... The Olympics build interest in the minor sports by profiling the US competitors and their top international competition. If it was just the USA bobsled...few would care... Conversly... if it was just Bob Smith and his bobsled team... few would also care. I think that a small number of teams with profiles... would allow fan's to develop a rooting interest because they would start to feel connected to the team.
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If you have two pro classes... the attention will be directed to the larger showier boats.... But... that might not be the best racing.
I think the focus of a pro series needs to be addressed... Spectacle... large flashy boats... or racing...lots of passes etc. But pick one and feature it. The dual classes at Sandy point didn't seem to work from a spectator point of view.
Short races with the emphasis on the start, mark roundings, tactics for passing were more exciting then... Which side of the course was favored and the strategic side of the sport. I don't think a pro series is about an absolutely level paying field to determine the best sailor... Rather... I think the focus is on entertaining the viewer. Deciding what kind of viewer is critical... the video viewer or the live viewer.
Personally, I think the video package focus to the TV viewer is more important than the focus to the viewer on the beach.
I would feature the racing action and the racers in video..... I think if you want to market to the live audience ... then you are looking for large showy boats that impress the casual bystander. here the focus is on the boat... and then the racers...
What do the Aussi's do these days, my understanding is that they are focusing on smaller skiffs like the 49ner which can tip over alot and manuever lots of tacks and jibes (aka action)
I am sure that everyone wants both elements... racing action and a show for the beach crowd. I am just nor sure how you pull both of simultaneously when you have no pro sailing going on now.
Take Care
Mark
