By TERRY MADDAFORD
Stretching a yacht race of around two hours to nine or more hours of television coverage is lunacy.
Surely nowhere else in the world would a network take up such a challenge.
To do it so well is a credit to Television New Zealand.
From its shore-based studio among the rich and famous to the on-board peek at what goes on in the hurly-burly of the racing - even if one of the unfortunate Team New Zealand crew let slip the "F" word in the heat, or wet, of battle - TVNZ has, again, shown it as it is.
John McBeth fronts the show in which he and his "crew" are dressed, appropriately one might say, in "hula" shirts, as if in support of the black boat's latest appendage.
He is surrounded by experts who make a sport which many see as akin to the old "like-watching-grass-grow" adage, interesting and exciting.
Peter Lester and Glen Sowry bounce the yachting vernacular around as though it is the only language they know.
Within minutes of the start of "race one, America's Cup 2003" (the catchcry of Peter Montgomery), the alarm bells were ringing for Lester.
"I'm staggered to see that amount of water in the cockpit," he said. "Having to bail that amount of water will affect the performance of the boat."
How true.
Within a minute or two, he went further.
"I think Team New Zealand are in big trouble. This looks serious."
An understatement which soon became "absolute disaster."
Out on the water, Martin Tasker, who has been as close to Team New Zealand as anyone without being handed a stint at the wheel or asked to show his skills as a grinder, mentioned simply: "The body language says everything."
Sowry and Lester have been around more marks and sailed more nautical miles than your average commentator.
Along with Ed Baird, who shares the on-water spot with Montgomery, they provide the insights that thousands around the country and, one suspects, worldwide hang out for.
They are, without doubt, passionate. Some might say biased (towards you know who), but what the heck.
It is all good television. Right in there, but without the need to put your head over the side or reach for the bucket.
The only sickening aspect of the coverage is the incessant interruption for commercials - often just "promos" for TVNZ's own programmes - inserted by someone with, one presumes, scant regard for timing.
How often during yesterday's second race did they cut away at a critical time? Too often.
Imagine the outcry if other sports were so savagely disrupted by ill-timed intrusions. At least they put the 6pm news on hold.
Back to the need to fill in when the winds don't blow, TVNZ continues to do that well.
We even got to see "Dirty Den" shed a tear or three when the unthinkable happened and he lost the cup in 1983.
Unfortunately for Dennis Conner, that regatta was the first which had full-on television coverage.
We were treated to full-colour coverage of John Bertrand's come-from-behind 4-3 win - Team New Zealand take heart - in Australia II over Conner's Liberty.
Television coverage has improved markedly since those early days.
Montgomery has grown with the cup, bringing plenty along for the ride, even if he told us far too many times on the final leg that Alinghi would go 2-0 up and continue Russell Coutts' unbeaten run.
Yesterday, as it became one of those frustrating "bob and wait" affairs, Montgomery had cup veteran Buddy Melges along.
Asked to compare what we see today with the 12m yachts when New Zealand first lined up for the America's Cup in 1987 with KZ7, Melges said: "These latest boats are like violins compared to the bass drums we sailed in Fremantle."
But even violins don't play too well under water, do they?
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
Racing schedule and results
Coverage too long, but done well
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