The highlights videos are great, which indicates once again that most of a sailboat race is boring to watch in any wind speed. The action is when boats meet, at the start, occasionally upwind and downwind, and at mark-roundings. The key to having exciting race video is to edit it. Don't emphasize live coverage, but do have a well-equipped studio with lots of experienced video editors merging streams from many cameras and put on a half-hour show each evening. If you go as close to real time as possible, then watch a lot of golf on TV to see how they present a combination of live and tape coverage of events that many people would find quite boring to watch in real time.

Above all, have informed commentators--people who really race.

Another thought: There's only one place in the world where sailboat racing draws a mass audience: Sydney Harbor. High winds, crazy boats and parimutual gambling may attract an audience. Visualize 50-foot skiffs with 10 people on wires.

Tom Donlan