Study discourages spectator boats

Watching sailboat racing is hard. Viewing distance is far and angles are misleading. Short courses off the docks is doable, but full races on a spectator boat is more about socializing. But big events like the America’s Cup or SailGP are eager to attract viewership, though a new study indicates how this has a cost elsewhere.

Research led by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland found that noise from large groups of spectator boats was loud and sustained long enough to potentially impact marine mammals, fishes and invertebrate species who rely on their intricate hearing systems for processes including foraging, communication, reproduction, orientation and avoiding predators.

The research, published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, involved collecting and measuring acoustic recordings around racecourses during the 36th America’s Cup in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand in 2021. An estimated 10,468 vessels attended the three different race events between December 2020 and March 2021. – Full report