Orbital Sound's brief was to create a sound relay infrastructure at each location on the five-event circuit including Lugano (Switzerland), Skandia Cowes Week (UK), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), and new venues in Germany (Kiel) and France (Hyères).
In addition to the commentary to shore and crew inter-comms, Orbital Sound needed to fit out the VIP tent, provide sound reinforcement for the Saturday night DJ and the prize giving on the Sunday.
Orbital Sound's director Tim Sherratt comments: "The idea is that all the racing should be held close to the land so that the spectators can watch, hear and interact with the crews. At each location we put up FM antennae so that the commentary can be broadcast over FM from the commentator's boat - as far offshore as 2km - via special high power radio mics and a portable mobile mast."
With Tim Sherratt himself project managing for Orbital, it was left to the company's project engineer Marek Tkacik to create each infrastructure single-handedly. This included carrying out a site survey at each location, undertaking a two-day build, with a half-day break-down at the end of the two-day event.
The work ranged from siting RF aerials, up to 30 pole-mounted weatherproof EV S200's along the shore and Bose Panarays in the VIP tent, occupied by sponsors, iShares, Omega, Champagne G H Mumm and Musto.
Says Sherratt: "We use Sennheiser SK50 body pack transmitters - which have been modified and and tuned to high power - and Shure UR2 handheld radios. We also supply heavy duty headsets." The FM licenses were granted on a country-by-country basis.
(Jim Evans)
