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John MacDonald: SailGP got me - hook, line and sinker

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Manage episode 358411844 series 3032727
Content provided by NZME and Newstalk ZB. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by NZME and Newstalk ZB or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

I’m still getting my head around the fact that, after all the logistics of getting the boats and the competitors here from around the world and all the planning and disruption, the actual SailGP races on Saturday and Sunday only lasted a total of about an hour or so.

Three races on Saturday and three races yesterday.

And this is what was going through my head and what we were talking about as we drove across to Diamond Harbour on Saturday, to watch the racing from the other side of the harbour.

I think I had convinced myself on the way over there that it was another example of these huge sporting events that high amounts of money get poured into and seem to be the domain of the rich and famous.

But that wasn’t enough to make us turn around and go back home and so we got around to Charteris Bay, and saw we needed to go around a bit further and we got to Diamond Harbour.

We snaked our way down to what I realised afterwards was a little patch of grass known as the Coastal Cliff Reserve.

This was on Saturday and, I tell you what, when I got there and could see how close to the action we were going to be, all those high-and-mighty thoughts about this being a rich person’s sport out of touch with the real world just disappeared. Just like that.

And by the time the racing actually started, I was hooked. So much so, that we headed back over there yesterday and went to the same spot. It was just as good.

And I don't know how many people I heard saying ‘why would you bother paying to get into the fanzone over in Lyttelton when we can watch it all over here for free’.

I thought too that the elevation from being up on the hill made the spectating experience all the better, instead of being in the bleaches over at Lyttelton.

There were obviously a lot of people over there, because every time something exciting happened during the races, you could hear the roar of the crowd. But, for my money, the place to be on Saturday and Sunday was Diamond Harbour.

Which is why it’s interesting to hear that businesses in Lyttelton didn’t find SailGP to be the bonanza they had expected it to be.

Reports this morning are saying that the bars in the port town weren’t any busier on Saturday night and there’s a guy who runs an ice cream parlour saying he got more stock in and had extra staff on and it wasn’t worth it.

Singer/songwriter Marlon Williams has even got in on the act. He’s saying today that it was surreal seeing how Lyttelton was transformed over the weekend. But he thought it would’ve been a good thing to have it more integrated with the community.

And there’s a view coming through that it would’ve been better if people could’ve just watched it from wherever they wanted to, instead of being herded into the fanzone.

I know there were lots of people in Lyttelton hosting BBQs at their places. But I certainly think that the relaxed vibe we enjoyed watching the racing over at Diamond Harbour wouldn't have been there at the corporate-style fanzone on the waterfront.

And, as I looked across the harbour, I certainly didn’t envy all those people getting back home from Lyttelton when the racing was all over.

And I imagine getting home was the main thing on people’s minds - which is why a lot of the businesses in Lyttelton felt like they missed out on what might’ve been a bonanza of a weekend on the takings front.

Originally, the city council’s economic and tourism agency ChristchurchNZ estimated the event would attract 10,000 people to Lyttelton and 50 million people would watch it on TV.

On those numbers, they reckoned the economic benefits to New Zealand from the event - not just Christchurch, or Canterbury; but New Zealand - would be $28 million. But they said late last week they thought it might be more than that, because more people were coming from outside Canterbury for the event than they originally anticipated. So more money being spent on travel and accommodation etc.

Either way, the event is over. The boats are being taken apart, packed into containers and shipped over to San Francisco for the final races in this series.

As far as I’m concerned, I thought the racing was brilliant. I loved hanging out with all the people over in Diamond Harbour and it was just a shame that New Zealand couldn’t pull off a win in the final yesterday afternoon. But SailGP gets the big thumbs-up from me.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  continue reading

694 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 358411844 series 3032727
Content provided by NZME and Newstalk ZB. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by NZME and Newstalk ZB or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

I’m still getting my head around the fact that, after all the logistics of getting the boats and the competitors here from around the world and all the planning and disruption, the actual SailGP races on Saturday and Sunday only lasted a total of about an hour or so.

Three races on Saturday and three races yesterday.

And this is what was going through my head and what we were talking about as we drove across to Diamond Harbour on Saturday, to watch the racing from the other side of the harbour.

I think I had convinced myself on the way over there that it was another example of these huge sporting events that high amounts of money get poured into and seem to be the domain of the rich and famous.

But that wasn’t enough to make us turn around and go back home and so we got around to Charteris Bay, and saw we needed to go around a bit further and we got to Diamond Harbour.

We snaked our way down to what I realised afterwards was a little patch of grass known as the Coastal Cliff Reserve.

This was on Saturday and, I tell you what, when I got there and could see how close to the action we were going to be, all those high-and-mighty thoughts about this being a rich person’s sport out of touch with the real world just disappeared. Just like that.

And by the time the racing actually started, I was hooked. So much so, that we headed back over there yesterday and went to the same spot. It was just as good.

And I don't know how many people I heard saying ‘why would you bother paying to get into the fanzone over in Lyttelton when we can watch it all over here for free’.

I thought too that the elevation from being up on the hill made the spectating experience all the better, instead of being in the bleaches over at Lyttelton.

There were obviously a lot of people over there, because every time something exciting happened during the races, you could hear the roar of the crowd. But, for my money, the place to be on Saturday and Sunday was Diamond Harbour.

Which is why it’s interesting to hear that businesses in Lyttelton didn’t find SailGP to be the bonanza they had expected it to be.

Reports this morning are saying that the bars in the port town weren’t any busier on Saturday night and there’s a guy who runs an ice cream parlour saying he got more stock in and had extra staff on and it wasn’t worth it.

Singer/songwriter Marlon Williams has even got in on the act. He’s saying today that it was surreal seeing how Lyttelton was transformed over the weekend. But he thought it would’ve been a good thing to have it more integrated with the community.

And there’s a view coming through that it would’ve been better if people could’ve just watched it from wherever they wanted to, instead of being herded into the fanzone.

I know there were lots of people in Lyttelton hosting BBQs at their places. But I certainly think that the relaxed vibe we enjoyed watching the racing over at Diamond Harbour wouldn't have been there at the corporate-style fanzone on the waterfront.

And, as I looked across the harbour, I certainly didn’t envy all those people getting back home from Lyttelton when the racing was all over.

And I imagine getting home was the main thing on people’s minds - which is why a lot of the businesses in Lyttelton felt like they missed out on what might’ve been a bonanza of a weekend on the takings front.

Originally, the city council’s economic and tourism agency ChristchurchNZ estimated the event would attract 10,000 people to Lyttelton and 50 million people would watch it on TV.

On those numbers, they reckoned the economic benefits to New Zealand from the event - not just Christchurch, or Canterbury; but New Zealand - would be $28 million. But they said late last week they thought it might be more than that, because more people were coming from outside Canterbury for the event than they originally anticipated. So more money being spent on travel and accommodation etc.

Either way, the event is over. The boats are being taken apart, packed into containers and shipped over to San Francisco for the final races in this series.

As far as I’m concerned, I thought the racing was brilliant. I loved hanging out with all the people over in Diamond Harbour and it was just a shame that New Zealand couldn’t pull off a win in the final yesterday afternoon. But SailGP gets the big thumbs-up from me.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  continue reading

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