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Once Upon A Time

Series 2, Episode 15 The Queen Is Dead 23 May 13 00:41:02

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Martin Tasker: Difficult day at sea for the camera crews

opinion

By Martin Tasker from Weymouth

Published: 11:07AM Thursday August 02, 2012 Source: ONE Sport

  • Men's sailboarding gets underway at London Olympics (Source: AAP)
    Men's sailboarding gets underway at London Olympics - Source: AAP

Before the sailing began here in Weymouth, the camera boat crews were given an hour-long briefing in which we were threatened with dire consequences if we broke the rules.

Stray outside the boundaries - delineated by a string of white buoys 20 metres apart - and the security forces would impound our boat, subject the crew to rigorous body searches and remove our accreditation.

Question: "What if we are driven beyond the boundaries trying to get out of the way of a competitor?"

Answer: "Don't be."

So I approached today's race coverage with some trepidation as it was the first time I'd worked on an RSX Boardsailing course in winds blowing upwards of 20 knots.

The angles they sail at are very different to a regular yacht and the speeds are ridiculous.

The first beat was terrifying. Part of my job is to make sure we don't impede the sailing and here we were with the boards flying straight at us ridiculously quickly and we had nowhere to go.

I was yelling at the driver to put the hammer down and just drive off the course while the cameraman was yelling about not having a useable picture to offer.

We did indeed drive straight off the course knowing the yachts couldn't follow but also knowing we ran the risk of being impounded. Common sense prevailed and we were finally allowed to skirt the edge.

Next time round we had our placement nailed and as we offered up some stunning images of high speed action I could actually enjoy watching J-P Tobin in top form.

The 35-year-old Kiwi notched up a 3 and a 7 to leaving him in sixth place overall.

Better still were Peter Burling and Blair Tuke consolidating second spot in the 49ers with a 3 and a 5, while in the Lasers Andrew Murdoch had a win and a third and sits in 8th place.

And the match racing girls also enjoyed some success. Stephanie Hazard, Jenna Hansen and Susannah Pyatt beat the British team in front of their home crowd with a come-from-behind win that sees them tied in 5th spot in the round robin phase.

The Finns and Stars had a day off but resume tomorrow along with the men's 470 class. Much easier to cover, thankfully.

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