Super 12's - On board cameramen for San Francisco regatta

by Sail-World.com on 27 Sep 2015 Sports producer and avid sailor Geoff Mason plans to use onboard cameramen as part of the coverage of the Super 12 Cup regatta on San Francisco Bay beginning in July 2017.

Mason was executive producer of ESPN's coverage of the 1987 America's Cup in Fremantle, Australia.

'That is what is going to define our coverage and set us apart from any other regatta. That's the most exciting element of this whole adventure,' Mason told AP's America's Cup correspondent Bernie Wilson by phone.

The race also will feature a new, modernized version of the venerable 12-meter class.

Mason said he's not the first producer who thought about putting cameramen on boats. He wanted to do it in past America's Cups but couldn't get organizers to agree to it.

Former America's Cup executive Tom Ehman announced the annual Super 12 Cup, also known as the San Francisco Yacht Racing Challenge, in May.

'I thought, 'Oh, my God, this is perfect for onboard cameramen,' said Mason, who will head the television coverage and global distribution for the regatta. 'We'll just make it part of the rule. It's an ideal situation — the boats, the wind and the access control.'

Remote-controlled cameras have been used on boats in many regattas for years. Mason said as important as it will be for an onboard cameraman to get tight shots of faces, hands and even feet, he also wants mics on key crew members.

'We are going to see the heat of the battle and we are going to feel the heat of the battle via the onboard microphones. That makes the pictures even more meaningful and dramatic,' said Mason, a 25-time Emmy Award winner who sailed on Nefertiti during the 1962 America's Cup defense trials. 'The camera allows you to see the event. Microphones allow you to feel the event.'

A cameraman will have to fit in among the 12-member crew and not interfere with their functions.

'It will be close quarters, but that will make it even more exciting to watch,' Mason said.

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