With 16 cameras shooting over four hours of sailing, more than 60 hours of video were captured yesterday as Russell Coutts and James Spithill of BMW ORACLE Racing put their boats through a series of close-proximity manoeuvres.

Three onboard cameramen (two on one boat) augmented the fixed and remote control cameras, and upwards of 25 microphones, including surround-sound microphones, captured the crews’ voices and ambient noise.

The action became intense when the start box was limited to five boatlengths in width and depth. Required to stay inside the box, the two crews circled around each other for three minutes before breaking off to head to the start line.

The entrance of a helicopter with gyro-stabilized 3D camera was one example of the latest technologies being evaluated. The chopper blew hats off heads and soaked observers when it was just 50 feet off the water, trying to get a tight viewing angle.

For more from the trials, CLICK HERE.