AV Case Study: Rolex SailGP Comms & Broadcast
Riedel’s remote broadcast and comms platforms ensure smooth sailing for the Rolex SailGP Championship.
1 April 2025
SailGP is an extreme test of sailing prowess, where F50 catamarans fly across the water at speeds exceeding 100kmh. The challenge isn’t just controlling these hydrofoiling boats, it’s ensuring real-time communication, metrics and data between athletes, coaches, and shore teams. Enter Riedel Communications, whose Bolero wireless intercom system, MediorNet media transport and SimplyLive production suite have reshaped how teams interact and make critical race decisions.
Historically, sailing coaches trailed behind their teams in chase boats, trying to relay guidance over radios in a blizzard of background noise. Now, with SimplyLive and Bolero, that model has been upended. Coaches remain onshore in the comfort of dedicated analysis booths, accessing a full suite of video feeds, telemetry, and real-time communication tools. This shift has revolutionised the decision-making process, mirroring advances seen in motorsports.
“Now, our coaches aren’t getting bounced around in a support boat, guessing what’s happening,” explains Tim Krieglstein, CEO of the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank. “They’re on land, seeing everything in real time, and communicating with athletes as if they were right there on the boat.”
BOLERO: CUTTING THROUGH THE CHAOS
There’s nothing gentle about the sport of SailGP – it’s cut-throat competitive and, arguably, the ultimate test of boat and athlete. It’s also the ultimate test for comms. Between wind noise, the roar of the foils slicing through water, and the sheer speed of the vessels, traditional communication systems would struggle. Bolero rises to the challenge, delivering clear, uninterrupted communication across teams, chase boats, and shore-based crew via an advanced mesh network.
“Bolero doesn’t just keep the sailors connected to each other, it links them to the entire operation,” says Florian Reider, Global Events Expert at Riedel Communications. “From the F50s to the chase boats, helicopter and shore team, it’s one seamless system.”
With over 100 specially engineered ‘sailor’ Bolero belt packs designed for the maritime environment, reliability isn’t an afterthought, it’s a necessity. Unlike standard intercom units, these belt packs are fully watertight, ensuring that even in the event of a capsize, communication remains uninterrupted.
SIMPLYLIVE: DIFFICULT TASK
Beyond comms, Riedel’s SimplyLive production suite has transformed how teams prepare, strategise, and debrief.
In-race decision-making is the most significant change – negating the need for coaches in those aforementioned chase boats. SimplyLive consolidates all live feeds, audio streams, and performance data into a single interface, giving coaches unparalleled insight into how a race is unfolding.
“Decisions in sailing are made in fractions of a second,” Krieglstein continues. “SimplyLive ensures we’re making the right ones — not just once, but continuously.”
SimplyLive is just as useful for debriefing the team after the race:
“Previously, reviewing a race meant sifting through a mess of disconnected video and data streams,” says Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank’s Krieglstein. “Now, we can immediately access the most critical moments of each race, package them into an intuitive format, and analyse them right after the race.”
Video across the site uses the node-based Riedel MediorNet platform, over fibre, ensuring maximum bandwidth and flexibility.
NAVIGATING THE FREQUENCY MAZE
Deploying a wireless communication system across a global championship like Rolex SailGP isn’t without its challenges. Each race location presents a unique RF environment, often congested with existing signals from maritime, broadcast, and urban sources.
“Sydney, for example, is a nightmare from a spectrum perspective,” notes Florian. “You’re in the middle of a city with thousands of competing signals. To make it work, we had to deploy additional Tetra cells and mesh nodes — even placing infrastructure on the Sydney Harbour Bridge to maintain signal integrity across the racecourse.”
This meticulous approach ensures that SailGP maintains ultra-low latency, high-fidelity communication — essential for both team performance and broadcast production. All signals feed into the Technical Equipment Room (TER) at the broadcast compound, where they are processed and sent onto the London-based studio for broadcast production.
VIRTUAL PRODUCTION. REAL ADVANTAGES
As the global championship evolves, so too does its approach to remote operations. Virtual intercom panels now allow support staff to work from anywhere in the world, reducing the environmental impact of flying large teams to every event. Riedel’s innovations aren’t just making communication better — they’re making SailGP smarter and more sustainable.
From crystal-clear onboard communication to data-driven coaching strategies, Riedel Communications is at the heart of this high-speed revolution. With Bolero, MediorNet and SimplyLive, the sport of sailing isn’t just keeping pace with modern technology — it’s racing ahead of it.
Riedel Communications: riedel.net
SailGP: sailgp.com
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