SAP Sailing Analytics and Live TV at Kiel Week

by Andy Rice, Sailing Intelligence 18 Jun 2015 15:46 HKT 20-28 June 2015

Some of the biggest names in Olympic competition will feature on the Live TV coverage at Kiel Week, which starts in Germany this weekend.

In addition to the full-time Olympic stars, the live TV and expert commentary and analysis provided by SAP Sailing will also offer a rare opportunity for some of sailing's Corinthian classes to reach a global audience.

A combination of aerial overhead shots, side-line course cameras and onboard images from competitors' boats will bring the 9-day competition alive. Expert commentators will bring blow-by-blow analysis of the racing, with the help of SAP Sailing Analytics, a vast array of telemetry and GPS tracking that helps reveal who's fast, who's tactically smart, and why.

It's a hectic schedule, with live TV showing these classes (subject to change) on the following days:

Saturday 20 June: 49er FX Women & Nacra 17 catamaran
Sunday 21 June: 49er Men
Monday 22 June: 2.4mR Paralympic keelboats
Tuesday 23 June: Finn, 470, J/70
Wednesday 24 June: Medal Race finals for 49er, 49er FX, Laser Men, Laser Radial Women, 470 Men & Women

Thursday 25 June: F18, Hobie 16 & A-Class catamarans
Friday 26 June: Europe, Laser Radial & Laser 4.7 singlehanders
Saturday 27 June: 29er and 420 doublehanders
Sunday 28 June: RS800 and Musto Performance Skiffs

All these classes will be live GPS tracked, along with a number of other fleets not on the TV course. These are: J/80, Melges 24, Platu 25, Albin Express, SB20, 505, Flying Dutchman, J/24, Folkeboot, H-Boat, Contender, OK and Silbernes Band.

Kicking off the live TV coverage on day one of Kiel Week will be the women in the 49er FX skiffs, and another crash-and-burn class, the new Olympic catamaran sailed by mixed male/female crews, the semi-foiling Nacra 17. It should be a spectacular start to the racing.

There's more skiff excitement on day 2 with the 49er skiffs. Reigning European Champions Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel out to defend last year's Kiel title against the likes of the 2008 Olympic Champion, Jonas Warrer and Anders Thomsen from Denmark.

To follow the racing live from 20 June, go here:

livecenter.kieler-woche.de

If you really want to drill down into the data of the racing and do some in depth reviews of the racing, the SAP Sailing Analytics website is the place:

kielerwoche2015.sapsailing.com/gwt/Home.html#/event/:eventId=a9d6c5d5-cac3-47f2-9b5c-506e441819a1

To get a flavour of the kind of expert analysis you can expect, check out the highlight video of the 49er, 49erFX and 470s from a windy day at last year's Kiel Week: