Saturday’s racing gets underway from 2.30pm. Coverage start 2.05pm Watch here https://www.youtube.com/@manly16stv/streams
The next best thing to being out on the water is watching all the action unfold on Sail Media’s livestream. Owner/operator James Bury and his camera crew get you as close to the action as possible without disrupting the flow of a race.
In fact, any closer and you’d be out on the trapeze in your wetsuit. Bury has also assembled a red-hot team of commentators to talk viewers through each heat, explaining exactly what is unfolding.
“Whether it’s shooting 16s or 18s, we pride ourselves on being in the right place at the right time to get the best shots without compromising the flow of a race,” he said.
“We often get asked if we get in any trouble for being right in their faces but the sailors know we know our stuff and stay out of their way.
Guest commentators this weekend are 4 x National Champion Rob Napper alongside youth mentor and sailing personality Andrew Dolly Divola
“With the commentary team, we use ex-skiff sailors to take the viewer inside a race. They’ve all been out there and know what skippers and crew are thinking. “We often predict things before they happen.”
The 16s coverage at Manly has been well received, with thousands tuning in to watch the live action on Sydney Harbour.
Bury said: “We get viewers from as far away as the UK watching the races. The feedback has been very positive.” Will Morrison, part of Manly’s first national 16ft champion (Matana) in 1976, says the live coverage has a two-fold benefit for old buffers like himself. “I live up at Lake Cathie and would come down to Manly when I got a little homesick but I can watch these races on my tablet without leaving my lounge-room,” he said.
“The Sail Media coverage is out of this world and makes you still feel part of it all even though you’re hundreds of kilometres away. “The commentators know the technical side of skiff sailing but they’re also really good at explaining it in layman’s terms. “It’s incredible to think how far we’ve come and I only wish this sort of coverage was around in my day.”
Of course, arguably the best vantage point to catch Sail Media’s coverage is with cold drink in hand at the skiff club. Club championship races are beamed into the skiffies and displayed on the screens, giving you a front row seat without having to leave your seat.
Heats are later replayed for the sailors to pore over during the post-race debrief.
Saturday’s racing gets underway from 2.30pm. Coverage start 2.05pm Watch here https://www.youtube.com/@manly16stv/streams
Sally Darmanin
