Extreme 2010

The world’s besT sailors61 world championship titles, 14 nationalities

red hoT compeTiTionHigh adrenalin entertainment

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04 No Comment! A snapshot says it all.

06 R-Evolution The Extreme Sailing Series, setting new standards in sports entertainment.

08 Signing up... Pindar Plc Chairman Andrew Pindar unveils the reasons why he’s backing an Extreme 40 team.

10 In their own words Skippers, celebrities and journalists give their raw impressions about the Extreme 40 circuit.

12 Close combat All you need to know to understand what’s happening on the race course.

14 European Tour The 2010 European venues detailed. See you there!

18 On the map... Extreme 40s around the world.

20 Asia, a new dawn Why and how the Extreme Sailing Series has ventured East.

22 Onshore action It’s also about onshore entertainment!

26 High speed duels Match racing in multihulls? Yes, the Extreme Sailing Series did it. And it worked great.

28 Hitting the red zone Extreme 40 co-creator Mitch Booth discusses the “crash and burn” nature of the circuit.

30 Zoom The Extreme Sailing Series in pictures. No captions required.

CONTENTS

38 Turn up and take off All you need to know about the Extreme 40 catamaran.

42 The 2010 line-up All the teams at a glance.

44 Nine teams, only one title The Daily Sail Editor James Boyd takes a close look at the forces to be reckoned with this year.

50 Running the show Behind the scenes: the subtle art of event hospitality.

56 About... The Extreme Sailing Series organisers, OC Events.

58 In Figures The 2009 Extreme Sailng Series season’s vital statistics.

extremesailingseries.comCoverphoto:Mark Lloyd - www.lloydimages.com

Editedby:OC Events

Editor:Jocelyn Blériot

Contributors:James Boyd, Mark Turner and Helen Fretter

Design:Wez Maynard / OC Vision

Sub-editing:Helen Fretter / True Angle Editorial

Copyright:OC Events

Allrightsreserved.PublishedMay2010

Printedby Pindar on stock with a Mixed Sources label supporting the development of responsible forest management worldwide. The wood comes from FSC certified well managed forests, company controlled sources and/or post-consumer reclaimed material.

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EXTREME // The Official Extreme Sailing Series magazine for 2010

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EVEN THOUGH THE CREATORS OF THE

EXTREME 40 YACHT WHICH WE USE TODAY

FOR THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES HAD

TESTED THE WATER DURING THE 2005/6

VOLVO OCEAN RACE, I do remember feeling

rather nervous that first morning on a mirror like

German lake. Seventy-five days, 15 great venues in

12 countries later, across 5 continents, in just about

every condition possible from 3 knots of wind on

a flat lake to 30 knots on rough open water, having

never lost an entire day’s racing: sailing’s most

riveting, most spectacular and exciting format has

really come of age.

We go into our fourth year just as excited as in

our first, and with just as much as ambition to

grow and develop the series, to take it to new and

unprecedented levels.

We tread an often difficult path between the

entertainment objective – be it for public, media or

VIP guests of the commercial sponsors that make

such a series possible – and the desire and need to

maintain the highest calibre of racing, attracting

the very best skippers in the world. In 2010 we have

added an extra day’s racing, turning the opening

Media day into a points scoring one – before the

public village opens, allowing some slightly more

‘conventional’ racing out of sight of land. But our

commitment to the concept of sailing entertainment

remains 100%, and as we expand in Asia and

the Middle-East, we are reaching new audiences

for a sport which has so much to offer – socially,

economically and as an entertainment product.

Uniquely the Extreme Sailing Series unites skippers

from across all the disciplines, from Olympic dinghy

medallists to solo round-the-world Vendée Globers,

from America’s Cup to Volvo Ocean Race. Fifteen

nationalities of sailors have now competed in the

Extreme Sailing Series, and many a monohull expert

has been converted to the multihull discipline. In

itself the Extreme 40, the chosen tool for the series,

highlights the great values that help the sport

of sailing become an exceptional entertainment

platform – you just had to be in Almeria at the

closing Act of 2009’s European circuit and hear the

(non-sailor) crowd gasp and cheer as boats lifted

hulls and flew past, focused sailors looking down on

the audience. Combine the speed and acceleration

of the boats, with the ‘stadium’ environment we

race in, and you have a cocktail of fast and furious

close combat that allows the audience to really get

onboard.

Just about every new sailing event launched in the

last two years has proclaimed to be saving the planet.

It’s natural that the professional sailing world does

perhaps care more than most about looking after

the planet – round the world sailors know all about

surviving on the minimum resources – but shouting

about how green we are because we are in a sport

powered by the wind can be rather disingenuous.

With the Extreme Sailing Series, we are running a

global event, moving boats and people from place to

place. We don’t believe ‘events’ should cease to exist

on the basis of the footprint they create, but we do

believe we must play our own part in reducing our

consumption, our energy usage and our waste. We

can’t change the nature of what we do, but we can

do it much much better. We’re not going to claim

any environmental prizes at all, but we are going to

try and improve every area we can. We’re going to

fully audit what we do, and work season on season

to be better. We hope our audience will join us in

that effort.

Finally, a big thank you to the many stakeholders

that are part of the Extreme Sailing Series family

– sponsors and their guests, suppliers, sailors, host

venues, media and the public that make this event so

special. And not least the hard working OC Events

team in the background that make this happen.

PH YSI C A LLY OV E R 4 0 0 , 0 0 0 PA IR S OF E Y E S , A N D MILLIONS MOR E V I A T H E M E DI A , H AV E WATC H E D T H E 350 R AC E S SINC E OU R OPE NING S A LVO OF T H E E X T R E M E S A ILING S E RIE S ON L A K E S TA R N BE RG, GE R M A N Y IN 20 07.

Leading the way...

Towards new horizons

T O WA R D S N E W H O R I Z O N S

CEO of OC Group, the parent company of event organisers OC Events

Mark Turner

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www.extremesailingseries.com

NO COMMENT!P HOTO GR A P H E R M A R K LLOY D TA K E S A N U N US U A L LO OK AT T H E E X TR E M E S A ILING S E RIE S .



T H O S E M A GNI F I C E N T M E N . . .It’s a sport, helming state-of-the-art multihulls

on very demanding courses and the most

respected skippers are lining up to do just that,

competing so fiercely that heart-stopping close

encounters always feature on the menu. It’s a

show and the public

has full access to the

action from the shore,

in carefully chosen

venues combining

challenging sailing

conditions and

spectator-friendly

configurations. It’s

a VIP experience,

and “hot seats” are

available onboard, a

fifth man being able

to join the four-man crew in order to get a

firsthand experience and feel the excitement.

Not willing to compromise, Extreme Sailing

Series organisers OC Events have created

a formula where serious competition

and spectacle go hand in hand, the rapid

success of the Extreme 40 Series proving

how well balanced the recipe is. In three

seasons, the Extreme Sailing Series has

become a benchmark in the sailing world,

steadily growing and attracting the biggest

names in the sport whilst proving to be an

extremely efficient partnership opportunity in

these uncertain economic times.

. . . I N T H E I R F LY I N G M A C HI N E SCapable of reaching speeds usually reserved for

motorboats even in medium wind conditions,

the Extreme 40 has been designed by Olympic

champions Yves Loday and Mitch Booth, with

the aim of providing the international sailing

arena with a visually stunning and 100%

performance-focused multihull. Flying a hull

in as little as 8 knots of breeze (15 kph), the

40-foot (12m) long carbon speed machine

requires coordination, finesse but also sheer

muscular power from the crews who battle

it out on short courses during races that do

not exceed 20 minutes - and there can be up

to 8 of them per day! Tricky wind conditions

combined with the level of competition

inevitably lead to some spectacular crashes,

capsizes and other hair-raising near-misses as

the previous seasons proved (see our “Zoom”

photo section on page 28)! Logistically,

everything is put in place so that teams can

resume racing as soon as possible should an

incident occur, and the professionalism of

shore teams are clearly comparable to that of

Formula 1 squads operating in the pit zone.

During the Amsterdam event in 2009, Oman

Sail Team boatbuilder Ian McCabe worked all

night long to repair Masirah’s port hull, left

with a gaping hole following a collision, and

the boat was relaunched in time for racing the

following day!

R-EVOLUTIONABOUT THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES™

Now in their fourth season, the Extreme 40s and their adrenalin-fuelled international Series has given sailing a healthy dust-off. Bringing the action to the public, putting guests at the heart of the battle and dramatically increasing the pace on the water, the creators of the Extreme Sailing Series have managed to set new standards, both in terms of show and competition.

R - E V O L U T I O N

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A GLO B A L E X P E R I E N C EAfter three European seasons visiting

international-grade venues, the creators of

the Extreme Sailing Series decided to take

their roadshow towards the East and to tackle

the highly promising yet challenging Asian

markets (read our “Focus on Asia” on page

20). “For OC Events,” said OC Group CEO

Mark Turner, “venturing into new territories is

a result of the same logic that makes us think

outside the box and always try to redefine

the sport of sailing.” That spirit of challenge

does not only induce changes on the water,

and the Extreme Sailing Series has set new

standards in terms of B2B hospitality, offering

a complete package, tailored to the teams’ and

sponsors’ needs: “We carefully look at each

request,” explains Louise Close, in charge of

hospitality for OC Group, “and find the best

way for our clients to go home with the feeling

that they have experienced one of their most

memorable days” (read our feature on page

48). Whether it’s on or off the water, there is

no downtime and everybody involved in the

circuit is committed to keeping the excitement

at its maximum - which naturally includes

the skippers, whose eagerness to come back to

racing Extreme 40s is in itself an indicator of

the event’s quality.

A LO N G LI N E O F GR E AT M E N“We have some of the best sailors in the world,”

says OC Events Director Gilles Chiorri, “and

to see competitors such as Loïck Peyron or

Franck Cammas, who just broke the outright

round the world record, come back to the

circuit is the best testimonial one could think

of. In the build-up to the America’s Cup,

both Alinghi and BMW ORACLE Racing

campaigned Extreme 40s to sharpen their

multihull skills: Ed Baird won the Series with

the Swiss syndicate in 2008, while last year

James Spithill and his all-star crew hit the

ground running and went on to capture the

Cup, the ultimate trophy in our sport! Olympic

medallists, legendary singlehanders, match

racing champions, world record holders…

I don’t think there is one sailing discipline

that has not been represented on the water

since the Extreme Sailing Series was created

in 2007, and the best part is that new blood

can always hope to achieve a good result. Of

course consistency and experience pay, but

with hard work anything is achievable because

the game is really open on the water… We’ve

had a fantastic illustration of that reality with

Oman Sail’s Masirah: the boys were newcomers

in 2008, and won the Series the following

year, despite a line-up that had stepped up

in terms of competition. Nothing was sure

until the last day in Almeria, and part of the

attractiveness of the circuit, for competitors

and for the public alike, is that there is no clear

domination by one team, anything can happen

and suspense is always on the menu.”

2010 EXTREME SAILING SERIES ASIA RESULTS

1. Oman Sail Masirah (Pete Cumming)

2. The Wave, Muscat (Paul Campbell-James)

3. China Team (Thierry Barot)

2009 SEASON RESULTS1. Oman Sail Masirah (Pete Cumming)

2. Gitana Extreme Groupe LCF Rothschild (Yann Guichard)

3. Oman Sail Renaissance (Loïck Peyron)

2008 SEASON RESULTS1. Alinghi (Ed Baird)

2. Team Origin (Rob Greenhalgh)

3. BT (Nick Moloney)

2007 SEASON RESULTS1. Basilica (Rob Greenhalgh)

2. Holmatro (Carolijn Brouwer / Andreas Hagara)

3. BT (Nick Moloney)

R-EVOLUTION

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A N E W A DDI T ION FOR T H E 2010 E X TR E M E S A ILING S E RIE S IS ON E OF T H E MOS T FA MILI A R N A M E S IN YA C H T ING. YOR K S HIR E- B A S E D P RIN T

A N D M E DI A COM PA N Y, P I N D A R IS ON E OF T H E LONGE S T S U P P ORT E R S OF S A ILING, H AV ING

F IR S T B A CK E D T H E NORT H S E A R A C E OU T OF T H E IR N AT I V E S C A R BOROU GH S OM E 3 0 Y E A R S A GO. T H E Y A R E NO W E N T E RING T H E E X TR E M E

S A ILING S E RIE S - A MO V E T H AT C H A IR M A N A N DR E W P IN DA R W IS H E S H E ’ D M A DE S O ON E R !

Pindar have been heavily involved in women’s

sailing, and were best known as the long term

backer of solo round the world sailor Emma

Richards, but have since diversified into other

areas of the sport, from Olympic contenders

to budding Class 40 sailors to World Match

Racing Tour campaigns (where they backed

double world champion Ian Williams), to their

most significant project of recent years - Brian

Thompson’s entry in the last Vendée Globe

singlehanded non-stop round the world race.

Having sampled many other areas in sailing

sponsorship, 2010 will see Team Pindar turn

their focus to the Extreme Sailing Series,

something Pindar plc Chairman, Andrew

Pindar says he wishes he had done sooner.

“I first watched the Extreme 40s

during the last but one Volvo

Ocean Race [in 2006]. Someone

tried to persuade me to get

involved with them – and I wish

S I G N I N G U P

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By James Boyd, Editor and publisher of The Daily Sail.

SIGNING UP...C O M M E R C I A L V I E W

A 40% INcREASE IN MEdIA cOvERAGEThe official media figures for the 2009 Extreme Sailing Series show a 40%

increase in the value of media coverage versus the previous year, as measured by

independent evaluation agency Havas Sponsorship Insights.

Highlights within Europe include

• over 8h 35 minutes of evaluated TV news broadcasts

• Over 535 hours of TV exposure, between news and programming, was evaluated

alongside print exposure in publications with an 82 million cumulative circulation

• 894 articles or features evaluated in printed media

• 770 articles on the internet

• 149 broadcast features evaluated on TV and radio

• 228 accredited media

A l A s t A i r M A c d o n A l d , d i r e c t o r , H a v a s S p o n s o r s h i p I n s i g h t s c o m m e n t e d ,

“Given the nature and value of the benefits delivered for the 2009 title partner, our view would be that, relative to the scale of investment involved from the sponsor, the sponsorship represents a highly cost-effective marketing investment, delivering an extremely favourable rate of return.

I n d e p e n d e n t V i e w o f t h e 2 0 0 9 M e d i a O v e r v i e w f r o m

Y A c h t s p o n s o r s h i p . c o M

“OC Group are one of the few sailing properties to value Return On Objectives as highly as the pure Return On Investment numbers.

I had done,” says Pindar. “It became clear to

me by the time that OC Events got involved

with the Extreme 40s that there was a potential

game change taking place and it isn’t often

that Mark Turner (CEO of OC Group) doesn’t

get it right. When OC Group do something, I,

over many years, have watched with particular

interest because their comprehension of where

different classes in sailing can appeal in the

media is usually a great choice.”

Pindar was spurred into action to join the

Extreme 40 Sailing Series for several reasons.

Last August he was invited to attend the event

in Cowes and he took several of his guests

from the Middle East and Bahrain, a nation his

professional sailing company Team Pindar has

strong interests in. They were able to get out on

the Extreme 40s during racing in the fifth man

slots. “I’ve seen people with great grins on their

ears helming an Open 60 at 25 knots, but the

thrills of the Extreme 40s could be delivered

to guests in short bursts and that short burst

adrenalin rush was deliverable at a more

affordable per unit cost! It was interesting to

watch the dynamics.

“For bang for buck the Extreme 40 Series is

a fabulous programme to be involved in. I

think that if I were recommending a part of the

sport – whether it is people long established

in sponsoring sailing, or people new to it –

one could hardly think of a better part of the

sailing world to be involved in than Extreme

40s.” Pindar is a big fan of the grandstand-

nature of the Extreme 40 Sailing Series where

the action can be viewed up close without

the need for binoculars. “When I first saw the

Extreme 40s in Baltimore, they were whistling

past the dockside with people craning their

necks watching them and being enthralled by

them. People who didn’t know the first thing

about sailing couldn’t help but be captivated by

these boats and the way that they were flying

hulls. In Cowes it was the same - compelling

viewing. It is great for sailing and it draws in

people – both sailors and non-sailors.”

Team Pindar is strongly associated with

Bahrain, where they have similar objectives to

those being carried out by long term Extreme

40 Sailing Series competitor, Oman Sail. Pindar

feels that such boats are ideal for nations

looking to rediscover their maritime links. “It

is very clear that an island nation like Bahrain,

where they are being reintroduced to what

the sea can offer, don’t have to just go with

keelboats. They enjoy exciting sport – from

jetskis to drag racing to motor racing, so this

is something the people in Bahrain would be

interested in. Moths are a great thing, match

racing is exciting, but Extreme 40s are going up

to the pinnacle of where you can get – because

of the short courses, in front of your eyes and

the ability to take people out. It’s a spectacle -

the thrills, spills and high speed.”

©OC

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SKIPPERS

“It’s m

y new

love! I’v

e raced

cars against J

eremy C

larkson

and played high

-goal p

olo,

but this b

eats the lo

t for

thrills. I

loved ev

ery

minute.

s i Mo

n l

E Bo

n,

F RO

NT M

AN

OF T

HE L

E GE N

DA

RY

1 9 8 0S B

AN

D D

UR

AN

DU

RA

N A

ND

AVI D

SA

I LOR

“Very ex

citing, n

oisy and

a lot of action - I

’ve neve

r

seen people w

ork so hard on

boats befo

re. I’m

really

not

used to sa

iling in

front of

a grandsta

nd but it’s b

een

great.”

I N T H E I R O W N W O R D S

IN THEIR OWN WORDST H E Y ’ V E T RIE D IT, E N J OY E D IT, A N D GAV E US

T H E IR IM PR E S SIONS U P ON S T E PPING A S HOR E !

THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES IS CHANGING THE WAY SAILING IS SEEN - BUT DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT, HEAR WHAT THE MAIN PLAYERS ARE SAYING!

J od

i E Ki d

d,

S UP E R

MO

DE L

CELEBS

“This is v

ery sim

ilar t

o Formula 1 in

that it

combines

high tech

nology, grea

t team w

ork

and accessi

ble en

tertainmen

t for t

he fans.

This type o

f sailin

g also provides

a great

commerc

ial platfo

rm fo

r companies

who like t

o particip

ate in high

quality sp

ort and w

ant to

enco

urage peo

ple fro

m all

backgrounds to

see t

he

benefi

t that s

port

provides.”

Nick Fry,

Chief Execut iv

e Of f i

cer of t

he

Formula 1

team B

rawn GP

BE n

Fo

Gl E ,

T V P

E RS O

NA

L I T Y

AN

D A

DV

E NT U

RE R

“With

each puff of w

ind, the

Extreme 4

0s ride u

p on to

one hull. A

vertig

inous drop

appears as th

ey begi

n to “fly”.

My stomach sta

rts to ch

urn

and the a

drenalin

rush lea

ves

me alm

ost brea

thless a

s we

pick up sp

eed along th

e shore

to the ro

ar of th

e crowd. W

e

are so clo

se I ca

n see what

ice cre

ams they’

re eatin

g.”

“To get some s

ense

of what it

feels l

ike to ra

ce this c

atamaran,

imagine b

eing st

rapped to

the

bonnet of Je

nson Button’s c

ar in

a mad fre

e for a

ll against

the best

rally driv

ers in

the w

orld. A

nd

most of th

e tim

e you are

on two

wheels.”

TARQUIN COOPER,

Dai ly Te legraph.

“It’s th

e new

serie

s that’s

taking

the sailin

g world

by storm

and

has just

conclu

ded procee

dings

with a th

rillin

g finale rig

ht on

our doorst

ep in

Oman.”

DAVID LIGHT,

Khaleej Tim

es,

Dubai .

PRESS“As so

on as it looked

like we w

ere doing

the multih

ull, I did th

e

A-Class and Form

ula 18,

then the E

xtreme 4

0s.”

“At la

st sailin

g that c

an

be apprec

iated by th

e

spect

ator onsh

ore. It’

s

been th

e miss

ing

piece o

f the j

igsaw

for a w

hile.”

BRENDAN

GALL AGHER,

Dai ly

Te legraph.

© Th.M

artin

ez /

Sea&

Co /

OC Ev

ents

© Th.M

artin

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Sea&

Co /

OC Ev

ents

© Th.M

artin

ez /

Sea&

Co /

OC Ev

ents

10


SKIPPERS

“With

each puff of w

ind, the

Extreme 4

0s ride u

p on to

one hull. A

vertig

inous drop

appears as th

ey begi

n to “fly”.

My stomach sta

rts to ch

urn

and the a

drenalin

rush lea

ves

me alm

ost brea

thless a

s we

pick up sp

eed along th

e shore

to the ro

ar of th

e crowd. W

e

are so clo

se I ca

n see what

ice cre

ams they’

re eatin

g.”

“To get some s

ense

of what it

feels l

ike to ra

ce this c

atamaran,

imagine b

eing st

rapped to

the

bonnet of Je

nson Button’s c

ar in

a mad fre

e for a

ll against

the best

rally driv

ers in

the w

orld. A

nd

most of th

e tim

e you are

on two

wheels.”

TARQUIN COOPER,

Dai ly Te legraph.

“It’s th

e new

serie

s that’s

taking

the sailin

g world

by storm

and

has just

conclu

ded procee

dings

with a th

rillin

g finale rig

ht on

our doorst

ep in

Oman.”

DAVID LIGHT,

Khaleej Tim

es,

Dubai .

“The seri

es, w

ith

its st

adium-style

events,

also draw

s in

spect

ators in port

cities

who relish

the t

hrills

and spills

on offer -

long may it

go from

stren

gth to st

rength.”

SIMON GRE AVE S ,

F T.com sai l ing

correspondentPRESS

“As soon as it

looked

like we w

ere doing

the multih

ull, I did th

e

A-Class and Form

ula 18,

then the E

xtreme 4

0s.”

J AM

E s sp i t h

i l l ,

WI N

NE R

OF T

HE 3

3 RD

AM

E RI C

A ’ S C

UP

“We r

eally en

joyed th

e form

at, I th

ink it’s b

een

great fo

r the s

pectators

as well

.”

yaNN Guic

hard,

Groupe Edmond de Rothschi ld

“Thanks for a

n amazing

event, i

t was fo

r sure

one

of the m

ost im

pressiv

e

setups a

t a sa

iling

event I

have ever

been to

!!!”

Pete cummiN

G,

Oman Sai l M

asirah sk ipper,

winner

of the 2

009 iShares C

up and 2010

Extreme S

ai l ing S

er ies Asia (a

bout

the 2009 C

owes event ) .

F rA

nc

K

cA

MM

As ,

GR

OU

P AM

A 4

0

S KI P P E R

, H

OL D

E R

OF T

HE J

UL E S V

E RN

E

T RO

P HY

“Apart from th

e fact

that it’s g

reat to

sail

so close t

o the p

ublic,

the circ

uit also

is

very a

ttractiv

e from

a sportin

g point of

view beca

use we g

et

to race

against

excellen

t

internatio

nal

crews.”

“At la

st sailin

g that c

an

be apprec

iated by th

e

spect

ator onsh

ore. It’

s

been th

e miss

ing

piece o

f the j

igsaw

for a w

hile.”

BRENDAN

GALL AGHER,

Dai ly

Te legraph.© GM

Rage

t/BMW O

RACL

E Rac

ing

© Th.M

artin

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Sea&

Co /

OC Ev

ents

© Y.Ze

dda/

Grou

pama

© Mar

k Lloy

d

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CLOSE COMBATTHE RACING EXPLAINED

A N E S S E N TI A L GUIDE TO FOLLOW ING A LL T H E ACTION ON A N E X T R E M E 4 0 R AC ECOU R S E : T H E V E R S ATILE N AT U R E OF E X T R E M E 4 0 BOAT S A LLOW S FOR M U LTIPLE R AC E FOR M AT S , W HI C H A DDS VA RIE T Y TO T H E “ COR E E V E N T ” OF F U LL FLE E T R ACING. LE T ’ S TA K E A CLOS E R LO OK AT W H AT H A PPE NS ON T H E COU R S E. . .

C L O S E C O M B AT

T H E S TA R T THE START IS ONE OF THE MOST

EXCITING PARTS OF ANY SAILING RACE,

and with such short races a good start is a

vital part of the winning tactics. Both the start

and finish are imaginary lines drawn between

orange flags on the race committee boat and

an inflatable Extreme Sailing Series cylinder

buoy. Generally, it will be more advantageous

to start at one end of the line (either nearer the

committee boat or buoy), due to factors such

as the wind direction, the tide, and who has

right of way. The more aggressive crews may

be fighting to start at their chosen end of the

line, while more conservative crews may start

further away from the jostling boats — but

they are likely to have the benefit of ‘clean’

undisturbed wind.

T H E S TA R T I N G P R O C E D U R EThe races are started with a countdown

involving starting guns and flag signals,

which might seem rather complicated at first,

but understanding the sequence makes the

spectacle all the more exciting! Since 2009,

the 5-minute starting procedure has been

simplified, and a flag displaying the number of

minutes remaining until the actual start will be

hoisted in a 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 sequence.

If the race committee see any part of a boat

over the line when the gun goes then there

will be a loud sound signal and the X-flag is

hoisted. In that case the boat or boats judged

over the start line

have to go back and

re-cross the start line

again, keeping out of

the way of the other

teams. Restarting is a

substantial penalty, so

the teams will be keeping a close check on this!

T H E C O U R S E Depending on the number of boats, venue,

and wind conditions, the race organisers can

decide to run racing over different shaped

courses - oval or triangular - around two or

three buoys which are large 1.8m white square

inflatable race marks . The sailors will know

which course to sail by the flags flown from the

committee boat.

When the boats are sailing upwind they will be

zig-zagging as they tack towards the first mark,

then when they sail away from the wind the

crew will hoist the huge gennaker sail at the

front of the boat using just manpower alone;

their heart-rates will be pumping.

D U R I N G T H E R A C I N GThe sailors will be shouting at other boats to

try and use the racing rules to outwit each

other, especially at the mark roundings. If any

skipper thinks another boat has infringed one

of the racing rules they can wave a red flag

and shout “protest!”. Umpires are on the water

(look for the boats with big UMPIRE flags),

and work like football referees — they decide if

any boats have committed a foul and can give

penalties (the boat has to complete a full 360-

degree turn). The umpire signifies a penalty

by whistling and pointing a red flag at the boat

that has committed the foul. If the umpire

B i l l o ’ h A r A , C H I E F U M P I R E O F T H E 2 0 0 9 E X T R E M E

S A I L I N G S E R I E S

“The courses are very small, the crews play it hard so obviously there are some contentious situations! It’s aggressive, but sensible racing.

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thinks no foul has been committed they blow a

whistle and raise a green flag. If there is a really

bad foul the umpires can show a black flag

resulting in instant disqualification!

F I NI S HFirst past the post wins - it’s as simple as that!

The Extreme Sailing Series is scored using a

‘high point’ system, so if there are 10 boats in

the fleet the winner scores 10 points, the second

placed boat gets 9 points, the third 8 points and

so on. A disqualified team gets zero! As does

a boat that does not start or finish a race. The

last race of each event scores double points,

putting the pressure on for a great finale. The

overall regatta points are calculated on the

same high-scoring system i.e. first overall has

10 points (if 10 boats are competing). The team

with the highest number of points across all the

six regattas will win the overall 2010 Extreme

Sailing Series.

1-Position on the startline is key in any

regatta, but all the more in the Extreme

Sailing Series where the races are very

short. In the narrowest venues, overtaking

opportunities are limited so an early lead is

crucial. Taming the power of the Extreme 40

catamarans until the gun goes off is not always

as easy as it seems!

2-Mark roundings are always intense

moments, with crews trying to force their way

“inside” or attempting to zone in on the buoy

with the right of way, forcing others to give

them room.

3-Right of way issues do not always end in

a collision! But with “a lot of egos and not

enough water”, as double Gold medallist

Shirley Robertson once put it, near misses

and resulting penalties are bound to happen.

Pictured is Groupama skipper Franck Cammas

raising his protest flag.

vARIETY ON THE PLAYGROUNd

In addition to classic fleet races, speed

tests have been introduced during the

Singapore event of the Extreme Sailing

Series Asia. These take place on the

same course as the fleet races, and are

essentially timed runs, to the top buoy

and back - depending on the venue, the

average length of the whole run will be

around 600 metres. Each crew gets one

go, and can chose to start whenever they

wish during the Speed Test session, which

means that the course sees a lot of action,

and the public enjoys a fast-paced display

of raw power. Alternatively, “one against

one” races can also be held: in that case,

two boats take the start at the same

time, each one being assigned a lane,

for a straight line race. Match Racing has

also been introduced during the Muscat

event of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia

and should become a fixture of the circuit.

Read our feature on page 26.

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E X T R E M E E U R O P E A N T O U R


14


EXTREME 40s ON TOUR

T H E 2 0 1 0 E U R O P E A N C I R C U I T

F I V E EU ROP E A N V E N U E S W ILL W E LCOM E T H E E X TR E M E S A ILING S E RIE S EU ROP E T HIS S E A S ON. W E TA K E A LO OK AT T H E S T U N NING LO C AT IONS W HI C H W ILL S E T T H E S C E N E FOR T HIS Y E A R ’ S R A CING - A MI X OF N E W R A C E COU R S E S A N D “ TR A DI T ION A L” HOS T CI T IE S !

THE EXTREME SAILING

SERIES WILL ONCE MORE

TAKE THE CREWS ON

A EUROPEAN TOUR OF

BUZZING COSMOPOLITAN

CITIES AND SPECTACULAR

SEASIDE RESORTS, each

carefully chosen to provide not

only the hottest racing but also the

best vantage points for spectators

to get up close to all the action.

Each regatta takes place over a

minimum of four days, with as

many as 18 fast and furious races,

each lasting just 20 minutes. Each

day is a mix of corporate sailing

races, giving VIP guests and media

a chance to get out on the water

and experience the Extreme 40,

and then the real action of the

Series racing itself — although

there will still be ‘fifth man’ guests

on board, expect the sailors to

take no prisoners in the fiercely

competitive races. Things will

step up yet another gear for the

final race of each event, which

counts for double points! Last

season every regatta went to the

wire including the overall 2009

Extreme 40 circuit winner.

S È T E , F R A N C E 27 - 3 0 M AY Sète, with its 300 days of sunshine

a year, is a city of character with

a strong identity. It is

the perfect starting

point for discovering

the spectacular

surrounding region.

A fast-growing

commercial and

leisure port, Sète is close to the

shipping routes between Suez

and Gibraltar. A shipping hub for

South Europe halfway between

Barcelona and Marseille, it is also

a major site for shellfish farming

in France (oysters and mussels

from the Thau lagoon). The only

passenger sea link with Morocco

before Barcelona, it upholds

cooperation by regular exchanges

with the port of Tangiers and

other Mediterranean countries.

Sète has a population of 45,000

with a large ethnic mix and a

cultural identity stemming from

diverse origins, especially the

Mediterranean. Sète is a major

site with a very broad outlook

on the Latin Arch. The town has

an outstanding geographical

configuration, offering a unique

circular panoramic view. Edged

with long beaches of fine sand,

it is surrounded partly by

the Mediterranean Sea and

partly by the Etang de Thau. It

is also a town of the arts, where

cultural icons such as author

Paul Valéry, songwriter Georges

Brassens, guitarist Manitas de Plata

and theatre director Jean Vilar

were born. It constantly alternates

between tradition and the avant-

garde. Sète’s participation in the

Brussels Open Days is proof of its

commitment to open-mindedness

on European issues.

C O W E S , I S L E O F W I GH T, U K 31 J U LY - 5 A U G U S T Home of the Royal Yacht

Squadron, Cowes is the birthplace

of the America’s Cup and hosts

the oldest annual regatta, Cowes

Week, during which the

UK round of the Series will

take place once again this

year. The building of an

80-ton vessel for Queen

Elizabeth II in 1589 is

believed to have initiated

the town’s shipbuilding

tradition, and its

reputation in that field quickly

grew to an international level.

Recreational sailing became a

trademark with King George

IV, who arguably gave Cowes its

“Yachting Capital of the World”

status. In 1826, the first edition of

what was to become Cowes Week

was organised by the Royal Yacht

Squadron, and the tricky emerald

green waters of the Solent soon

became a playground of choice for

yachtsmen. The town’s preserved

charm and welcoming facilities

are a coveted haven for visiting

crews, and numerous spots along

the seafront close to Cowes Castle,

home of the Squadron, offer

spectators a good view of the

action. In Cowes, everything is

about sailing and no fewer than 9

yacht clubs are to be found despite

the town’s modest size - the

population usually doubles (from

16,000 to more than

15


30,000 people) during the sailing week in early

August! World-class racing and great onshore

entertainment definitely are on the menu, with

more than 1000 boats on the various

race courses.

K I E L , GE R M A N Y 26 - 29 A U G U S T

Located on the Southwestern shore of the

Baltic Sea, Kiel is today Germany’s undisputed

sailing capital. Founded by Adolf IV, Count of

Schauenburg and Holstein, the city instantly

recognised its favourable position by the

sea. In Kiel Castle, the Russian Tsar Peter

III, was born. The city was part of the

Hanseatic League, a late Middle Ages

alliance of trading cities in Northern

Europe, and later emerged as an

intellectual centre when its first university

was founded in 1665. Two centuries later,

Kiel was declared “Imperial War Harbour”

by Emperor Wilhelm 1, the prestigious Kiel

Yacht Club was created in 1887, and at the

end of the 19th century the city grew quickly

around its shipyards. It was also the epicentre

of the sailor’s mutiny (refusing to fight a

hopeless battle against the Royal Navy) which

led in 1918 to the end of German monarchy

and the installation of the Weimar Republic.

Bombed during World War II, it has been

rebuilt and became a prominent economic

centre with high-tech boatbuilding facilities

and ferries linking Germany to Sweden,

Norway and Russia. Water is the main element

in KIEL.SAILING CITY. The Land Capital is a

dockyard and Navy city rich in tradition, with

a lively student scene, child-friendly people and

urbane charm. Kiel’s sailing tradition is alive

and kicking more than ever, notably with the

annual Kiel Week attracting more than 1000

boats, and during the 2008 iShares Cup event

more than 80,000 people watched the racing!

In June 2002, 500,000 visitors prepared a grand

welcome for the Volvo Ocean Racers on the

final leg of their race. Kiel has also twice been

a host city of the Olympic sailing games. And

the Sailing Camp 24|sieben for young people is

unique nationwide.

T R A PA NI , S I C I LY, I TA LY23 - 26 S E P T E M B E ROriginally, Trapani had been established as a

harbour for the city of Erice, which overlooked

it. Founded by the Elymians, the ancient

people who inhabited the western part of Sicily

between the Bronze Age and Antiquity, the city

owes its original name of “Depranon” to the

Greek term for “sickle”, of which the shape of

the harbour is reminiscent. Greek as well as

Roman deities are found in the various myths

about the city’s origins - did the sickle fall from

goddess of harvest Demeter’s hand, or was it

thrown in the sea by Saturn, after he had used

it to eviscerate his father Cronus? The fact is

that a statue of Saturn is on one of Trapani’s

central piazzas. Captured by Carthage then

claimed by Rome, the busy fishing port

became an important naval base and later

played a crucial role in the Crusades. After a

brief period of decay, Trapani doubled in size

during the 18th century and its traditional

activity, fishing, remains at the heart of its

economy today. The city has recently gained

international exposure on the sailing scene by

hosting two Acts of the Louis Vuitton Cup, in

the build-up to the America’s Cup… and it’s

also worth noting that Trapani is twinned with

the French port of Les Sables d’Olonne, of

Vendée Globe fame.

E X T R E M E E U R O P E A N T O U R

S È T E

C O W E S

© V

ille

de S

ète

www.sete.fr

www.cowesweek.co.uk

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A LM E R I A , A N D A L U C I A , S PA I N 9 - 12 O C TO B E R Founded by Abd ar-Rahman III, Emir

and Caliphe of Cordoba, in 955, Almeria

was established to strengthen the region’s

Mediterranean defences. Built and designed

around its harbour, the city has always

looked to the sea and rapidly became wealthy

thanks to its silk industry - on top of having

a “natural” high value due to its strategic

location. Almeria grew in terms of regional

influence, and the most visible symbol of that

golden era, the Alcazaba castle, is today the

second largest Moorish fortress of Andalucia

behind the legendary Alhambra. Unfortunately,

a series of earthquakes devastated the city

during the 16th century, and frequent

attacks by Berber pirates put its defences

to the test… but by the early 18th century

Almeria found a new prosperity when iron

mines of considerable size were discovered.

The economic growth has been particularly

spectacular during the 20th century with

the development of extensive agriculture,

Almeria becoming one of Europe’s biggest

orchards, while tourism certainly played an

important part in the city’s expansion. Hosting

the Mediterranean Games in 2005 was an

important step, and welcoming the Extreme

Sailing Series is part of the regional

government’s objective to position

Almeria as an international

reference on the world map of

sailing. Last year, over 75,000

spectators watched the racing

and the Andalucia stopover was

definitely the pinnacle of the

season - complete with free concerts,

fireworks and displays for the public.

K I E L

T R A PA N I

A L M E R I A

www.kiel-sailing-city.de | www.kiel.de

www.andalucia.org

www.provincia.trapani.it

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HONGKONG

20th

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19

A S I A , A N E W D AW N

ASIA, A NEW DAWN PUSHING BOUNDARIES

IN THE MEdIA...The Extreme Sailing Series Asia circuit received widespread media attention, not only in the countries it visited, but

internationally as the media were enter-tained by the personalities as well as the action on the water. World Sport (formerly Gillette World of Sport), the internationally distributed sports programming, included

Muscat in its weekly show broadcasted across Europe. There has been regular

coverage from the series on TV channels including a daily live feed on Oman TV, ITV Meridian and Sky Sports (UK), Eurosport

and Euronews (FRA), ATV, ORF 1 & 2 (AUT), Media Corp (SNG) and Mediaset (ITA).

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“This first Extreme Sailing Series

Asia exceeded all our expectations.

The spectacular sailing conditions

in all three locations brought us

tight racing by some of the very

best sailors and demonstrated the

potential to venue partners, key

opinion formers, government officials and the

media of what a full-scale series could bring to

their region in future years,” says Mark Turner,

CEO OC Group, owners of the organising

company OC Events.

“We developed the European circuit in exactly

the same way, starting small with a focus on

the VIP and media side and four years later

here we are with a multi-stop European tour

that saw over 200,000 people watch the action

in person in 2009. We made the call to go

for this first opening series in pretty tough

economic times, but we believe our investment

will be successful and are already in discussion

with potential new venue and

series partners for the

2010/2011 tour.”

Looking ahead, the

organisers know that

there is a big effort to

be made publicity-wise

to attract local teams,

and getting potential

stakeholders to fully grasp the potential of the

circuit is not an easy task, given the low level of

exposure sailing has in Asia - but the Extreme

Sailing Series has a very strong argument in its

favour. “In this context again,” notes OC Events

Director Gilles Chiorri, “the 5th man spot

is our key added value. There is no need for

long speeches or tedious presentations, since

our formula allows us to make our point in

the most concrete way one can think of! Once

people have joined a crew for a real race, they

fully understand what it’s all about!”

Chiorri adds: “Venturing East has been

fascinating for everyone involved in the circuit.

Culturally, it’s fabulous to reach audiences

that have never come close to our sport, so the

freshness and the curiosity of the spectators

is very motivating. When it comes to our

set up, I don’t think we could come closer

to being at the heart of a city than in Hong

Kong or Singapore. Even if those two cities

are so amazingly huge that they probably have

more than one heart! The cultural shock went

both ways, and as organisers we also had to

challenge our views, dust off our habits and

adopt a totally flexible approach, which is very

positive because we ended up questioning the

way we do things.”

“In Singapore, we raced in a basin surrounded

by a brand new development comprising an

international business centre, an amphitheatre,

a touristic zone and a casino. The place was

ideal and we certainly saw the potential of

a circuit like ours in such an environment:

there are opportunities to bring the public

and offer spectators a fabulous vantage point

on the action, whilst boosting the onshore

side of the entertainment! In terms of line-up

and participating teams, there are examples of

interesting crossovers, and at the same time the

Asia circuit opens up the game for sponsors

who are keen to get

involved but for whom

the European market isn’t

key. Both the Red Bull

team and the Oman Sail

structure have interests

in both circuits, and

we’re talking with Asian

companies which are

seriously considering boosting

their European exposure thanks to the Extreme

Sailing Series. The Asian circuit is definitely a

big part of the Extreme Sailing Series’ future,”

concludes Chiorri.

The Extreme Sailing Series ventured East in 2009 - 2010, visiting Hong Kong, Singapore and Oman and completing the first “oriental” season of the circuit. That first immersion proved to be both promising and challenging, opening new perspectives for a Series always striving to reach out to the public as well as reinventing its own rules. The Extreme Sailing Series is not only about changing the way sailing is seen - it’s also about where it happens!

ASIA, A NEW DAWN

EXTREME SAILING SERIES ASIA 2009 - 2010 RESULTS

1. Oman Sail Masirah (Pete Cumming)

2. The Wave, Muscat (Paul Campbell-James)

3. China Team (Thierry Barot)


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THE 2008 KIEL

EVENT HAD BEEN

A FANTASTIC

ONE IN TERMS

OF PUBLIC

ATTENDANCE,

WITH OVER 80,000

SPECTATORS

AND GREAT

MEMORIES FOR

THE SKIPPERS,

who were finally

offered the chance to

share their passion of sailing with the crowd.

As Alinghi skipper Ed Baird noted at the time,

“I think we’ve probably sailed in front of this

many people in a television situation, but not

in person. This is fantastic - you can hear the

crowd cheer.” Bringing the action to the heart

of cities or finding the best nautical stadiums

obviously is a key element, yet as event

Director Gilles Chiorri points out, “If we only

considered that aspect of things, we’d more

or less only appeal to the captive audience

of regatta enthusiasts, and

that is not what our circuit

is about. It’s crucial to

create a public-friendly race

village, and to make the

sport accessible to novices,

thanks for example to the

presence of commentators

who really make an effort

to explain what’s going on

in understandable terms.

We have also boosted our

efforts in terms of local

communications, working

with host venues to publicise

our events and attract the

largest crowds possible. But

of course, it has been a learning process, and

we’re constantly trying to improve our concept:

onshore entertainment is a huge part of it, and

we’re keeping up the hard work on that front.”

F I R E U P T H E “ P U E R TO ”57,000 spectators in 2007, 150,000 in 2008 and

200,000 in 2009 - with 75,000 for the Almeria

event alone! - the figures speak for themselves

With an estimated 200,000 spectators in 2009, the Extreme Sailing Series has become a real crowd-pleaser. Organisers OC Events have stepped up their game in terms of onshore entertainments, which culminated with the impressive setup - complete with fireworks and free concerts - deployed for the last European season’s grand finale in Almeria. On the Asia front, Muscat’s Al Hail beach was the hotspot where the inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia came to a close, in action-packed style.

Entertainment

Onshore action

O N S H O R E A C T I O N

Muscat was the last event

of the Extreme Sailing

Series Asia. Both the

racing and the onshore

entertainments of the

Extreme Beach Party

attracted large crowds.

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22

sporting activities

for the public to

take part in. Muscat

Municipality and

Oman Sail hosted

a two-day Extreme

Beach Party at Al

Hail beach during

the weekend, billed

locally as “Oman vs

The World”. While

the Extreme 40s

were busy fighting

it out on the water, sixty teams

competed in a five-a-side football

competition, while elsewhere on

the beach there were volleyball

matches, Red Bull hosted the

Muscat round of their “Street

Style” competition and the Oman

Sailing School gave over 200 kids

the opportunity to try sailing.

Free of charge and with live

entertainment and music from

the local radio station, over 2,500

locals and residents came to watch

the action unfold on the water.

“The public came en masse to

cheer for our two crews flying the

Sultanate’s colours,” said David

Graham, CEO Oman Sail, “and we

were also really pleased to see the

youth being so enthusiastic about

the Extreme Beach Party, joining

in and having fun. The synergy

between the show on the water

and the onshore events shows the

power of sport to inspire the next

generation and we hope we can

now grow the event and bring the

competition back to our shores

next year.”

O N S H O R E A C T I O N

and show that the organisers’

efforts have been rewarded.

“Almeria was our pinnacle last

year,” says Gilles Chiorri, “we had

conceived it as a benchmark for

the season to come. The event fell

on the National Day of

Spain, a public

holiday. So

we were not

just hosting a

sporting event

during the day,

but also a social

programme on land

with the full support

of the city of Almeria.

We took the Extreme

Sailing Series to the

next level as a complete

sporting and entertainments

package, showcasing what

could be done with vision,

local support and hard work.”

A proper “rock festival-size”

stage was installed, and the crews

were introduced to the public in

a welcome ceremony, followed by

fireworks and a free live concert

by the famous Almerian band,

El Lunatico. The following days

saw more live music, with a

special performance by renowned

musician, Kiko Veneno. Local

bands also played every night at

the famous Jo’s “Pirate” Bar, which

was packed every night until the

small hours! Finally, to celebrate

the Port of Almería’s centenary,

the city’s Symphonic Orchestra

gave a breathtaking concert

attended by around 5,000 people.

A LL A B O A R D I N M U S C ATBringing the Extreme Sailing

Series Asia to a close, the Muscat

event has benefited from the same

public focused approach, with

the emphasis put on shorebased

POSITIvE IMPAcTThe report produced by the Council

of Tourism, Commerce and Sport for

Andalucia confirmed that the Almeria

event had generated 2.7m Euros of return

on their investment. An additional total

of 15,000 tourists visited the city, 92%

because of the event and 80% of visitors

expressed their intention to return. Hotel

occupancy was up by 19.2 per cent

compared to the same time in 2008.

Spanish national star Kiko Veneno attracted crowds of

around 4,000 when he performed on the main stage of the

Extreme Sailing Series race village in Almeria.

Celebrating the centenary of the Port of Almeria, the city’s

Symphonic Orchestra gave a free concert in the race village.

© Mark Lloyd

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>4/06

K-LIVE

>9-13/06

QUAND JE PENSE À FERNANDE

>16-23/06

ACTEIII SC.7

>8-11/07

WORLDWIDE FESTIVAL

>12-17/07

JAZZ À SÈTE

>24-30/07

VOIX VIVES, DE MÉDITERRANÉE

>1-7/08

FIEST’À SÈTE

Herbie

Hancock - Salif

Keita - G

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Jacques Hige

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Benjamin Biolay -

Cocorosie

Brand New Hea

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Alain Souchon - Gille

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Georges B

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Angelo Debarre

- Avis

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The Muscat event of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia has seen the circuit innovate this winter, with the introduction of match racing, a form of competition that many people believed would never be successfully performed in multihulls! Six crews proved that opinion wrong - not only is it viable, it’s also extremely spectacular! We talk to Paul

Campbell-James, skipper of The Wave, Muscat and match racing expert.

IN AVIATION TERMS, IT’S BLUNTLY

REFERRED TO AS A DOGFIGHT. IT’S A FAST

AND MERCILESS GAME, WITH ITS OWN

EXTENSIVE AND SUBTLE SET OF RULES.

On the water, it’s a one on one battle, during

which crews try to push each other towards the

edges of the race course, and force each other

to commit mistakes resulting in penalties.

Aggressive by nature, that tricky game becomes

all the more exhilarating when played on board

high-performance catamarans like the Extreme

40s. Introducing that discipline during the

Oman stopover of the Extreme Sailing Series

DUELSMATCH RACING

HIGH speed

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Asia, organisers OC Events have yet again

pushed the boundaries of the circuit, keeping

true to their mission of “changing the way

sailing is seen”. And done, for that matter.

Paul Campbell-James, skipper of The Wave,

Muscat, has been British National Match Race

Champion three times, Student Match Race

World Champion and finished 2nd in the

Youth Match Race Worlds. He says: “Match

racing in the Extreme 40s was awesome. The

closing speed on the dial-ups is a little scary

but good fun. Holding the boats head to wind

afterwards, not to jump the gun, is pretty

tricky. In the end, as is generally the case in

match racing and Extreme 40 sailing, it came

down to the last 30 seconds of the pre-start

and good boat handling.”

“ F LY I N G O V E R ” Y O U R R I VA L ? ? ?Paul continues: “The main difference

between match racing and fleet racing is that

it doesn’t really matter how fast you go

round the course as long as you

beat your opposition. Often on

the start you purposely slow the

boat down after the starting

signal

to further hinder

your competitor, not really

something you’d do when there

are lots of boats in the race as

everyone else would sail past

you. Another difference is if

you infringe a rule, you can

choose where on the course

you can be penalised.

For example if one

boat hits the starting mark, they could choose

to do their penalty on the finish line. This

produces some interesting tactical scenarios

where the “guilty boat” might sail the other

guy miles out to the side in an attempt to turn

in the opposite direction and do their penalty

without losing too much.”

“The Extreme 40s are capable of high speeds,

but are also slow to tack or gybe which affects

the tactics as much, if not more. Ducking

upwind boats is also very important in match

racing, obviously in monohulls all you have to

worry about is your bow and their stern but if

you can do it in a cat you can fly your windward

hull over the back of the port boat’s leeward hull

gaining you a heap when you come to the next

cross, it’s real dodgy and high risk though, and

you don’t want to be messing it up!”

“Match racing is great to watch and easy

to understand, which is what

the Extreme Sailing Series is

all about. I think

it will have a

bigger part

of the

circuit, as it’s

a fantastic complement to

fleet racing, which offers the

awesome the sight of 10 or

more of these machines

coming off the start all

lined up next to each

other flying a hull.”

THE DIAL-UP: a crucial phase in match racing.

Basically the 2 boats come into the starting

area going at full speed straight towards each

other and at the last moment turn up into the

wind and stop side by side. If you turn too

early you stop too far apart, which is normally

good for the boat coming in from the right.

But if you leave it too late you collide going

at full speed, which in Extreme 40s is

ridiculously fast!

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Was the spectacle factor high on the

agenda when you first started to work

on the initial concept?

“The priority was to bring the sport to

the public and of course the boats had

to be spectacular. We wanted a class

that could both be challenging for the

sailors and really entertaining for the

spectators.”

The Extreme 40 proved tricky and great

fun right out of the box: did you then

think that it would take a bit of time for

the sailors to get used to its raw power?

“The power to weight ratio

makes these boats a handful

in stronger breezes, but

I believe they should

be difficult and the top

sailors in the world have

to be pushed to the

limits, otherwise we are

not demonstrating the sport to its full capacity.”

How often do crews feel they’re reaching a limit in terms of control?“Not that often in under 10 knots, but after that the limits are stretched, and sometimes too far. But that is the challenge - who will push the boat the hardest?”

Startlines are crowded and often very narrow, how are they best dealt with?“The important thing is to be careful not to get locked outside the lay lines and watch for any port tackers (note: crews which do not have the right of way). In that class once you’re out you’re out, every mistake is paid at full price. It’s full on!”

Once the race is underway, crews rush to the first buoy, and boat crossings are often very intense, hence risky.“The race for the first mark is always a huge risk. Keep in mind we are doing

3 lap races, sometimes in less than 15

minutes, so you get to the first buoy

very quickly and mostly at the same

time as the other boats. Really tricky!”

Once at the top of the course, crews

bear away and set the gennaker - when

the breeze kicks in, the risk of being

overpowered is important at that

stage, no?

Definitely, and the sea state plays a

big part as well. As has been the case

often in Cowes, breeze and chop

make the bear away difficult since the

bows can dig into the waves while

the rush of power generated by the

big downwind sail is very sudden. A

lot of teams push so hard to set the

gennaker they don’t even round the

mark before setting!”

Now in some cities like Amsterdam,

and to a lesser extent Almeria, the race

course is surrounded by walls…

“Yes, but UNLESS the wind is very

gusty and the only escape is a big

“bear away”

then the

danger is

the leeward

boat has

right of

way and

can cause

a capsize

of the

windward boat… Not to mention the

quays, that are not exactly inclined to

move out of your way!”

HITTING THE RED ZONE

CRASH AND BURN

EXTREME 40 CO-CREATOR AND 10 TIMES WORLD CHAMPION MITCH

BOOTH TALKS US THROUGH ALL THE TRICKY SITUATIONS THAT ARE LIKELY

TO ARISE ON THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES RACE COURSE.

“Crash and Burn is the essence of Extreme 40 racing. The Series has to push the World’s best sailors to the limits.

H I T T I N G T H E R E D Z O N E

MITcH BOOTH’S AMAZING cvHaving captured two Olympic medals

- bronze in Barcelona, 1992, and silver in Atlanta, 1996 - Mitch Booth has been

Sailor of the Year twice in his native Australia. The man has taken part in a staggering 64 World Championships,

winning a total of 10 of them in Tornado, Hobie and Formula 18. Offshore, he’s cap-tured two world records (aboard the maxi multihulls Club Med and PlayStation), and also took part in the 1995 America’s Cup.

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ZOOMS TR A IGH T F ROM T H E R A C E COU R S E

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It’s SIMPLE, BIG and POWERFUL. It requires great handling skills, and nerves of steel are a definite plus. And no, brakes do not come as standard… Meet the EXTREME 40 CATAMARAN, the speed machine that gave birth to the most exciting international inshore racing circuit.

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Created with the public in mind, the Extreme 40 class had to be spectacular, and able to race in tight venues in order to really bring the action to the public. Herbert Dercksen, CEO of TornadoSport, which developed the 40ft catamaran in 2005 and build the boats, elaborates on the initial idea: “The origins of the Extreme 40 are the Olympic Class Catamaran, the Tornado. Yves Loday, the designer, is an Olympic Tornado medallist and both I and Mitch Booth, who were involved from the start, have a lot of experience in the Tornado. Basically, the Extreme 40 is a scaled-up version of the Tornado, all of the dimensions are relative to the Tornado, it is just twice as big and incredibly fast.”

T U R N U P A N D TA K E O F F

U N D E R P R E S S U R EBoth light - for better speed and acceleration

potential - and very stiff - to withstand the

huge efforts put on the structure - the Extreme

40s are made of a honeycomb core trapped

between two carbon fibre skins. These skins

are pre-impregnated

with resin, and the

various elements

of the boat (hulls,

crossbeams etc) are

cured under pressure

in an autoclave.

The resin hardens

while the pressure

ensures that the

honeycomb / carbon

fibre sandwich

is as compact as

possible. The whole

boat — including

sails — weighs about

the same as a Mini

Cooper. The finished

catamaran fits inside

a standard 40ft

shipping container,

and the crew can

assemble it in just a

few hours – then

just add water for

instant fun!

FA S T E N Y O U R S E AT B E LT SThe magic of multihulls lies in their absence of

counterweight, which makes them extremely

light and responsive. The stability is provided

by the shape of the structure, the Extreme 40

being a “rectangle” sitting on the water, but

things change very quickly when the wind

kicks in and one hull starts to fly: it’s a treat

for spectators, and a real challenge for the

crew who have to maintain the balance whilst

making the most of the boat’s potential! As

Dercksen explains, “The Extreme 40 is capable

of reaching speeds of 40 knots - if you want

an idea of what that feels like, it is like putting

your head out of the window in a car when it

is raining at 45mph (73kph)! Also, the Extreme

40 often flies a hull, sometimes over three

metres above the water, giving the sensation of

gliding like a bird.”

The generous sail area allows the Extreme 40s

to sail faster than the wind, which might seem

puzzling at first - in just 15 knots of wind, an

Extreme 40 is capable of traveling at over 25

knots - but as Herbert explains: “If you get on a

push-bike on a still day and start pedaling, the

faster you go the more wind you feel on your

face. This wind is created by your speed; sailors

call it the apparent wind. The sails are designed

and are adjusted by the crew to harness this

wind and use it to increase the boat’s speed.”

tHECrEW

1. HELMSMAN: Steers the boat using extended

tiller arm

2. MAINSHEET TRIMMER: Controls the biggest

sail on the boat and how much horsepower the

boat can handle

3. HEADSAIL TRIMMER: Controls the small

triangular sail (jib) which is used to find

balance and build speed

4. Bow CREw: Super agile crew at front of boat,

deploying and retrieving sails

5. FIFTH MAN: A place set aside for a VIP guest

2

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www.kiel-sailing-city.de �• www.kurskiel.de

A warm welcome to Extreme Sailing Series Europe and all participating teams.

KIEL.SAILING CITY – the maritime Capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Baltic Sea

The Heart of the Economic and Cultural Region Schleswig-Holstein | Seat of the Government |

The Hub of Education and Services | Expanding Ports | State-of-the-Art Cruiseliner Terminals |

A Place of Internationally Renowned Research on the Climate and the Oceans | A Centre of

Higher Learning and Science | Naval Base and Home to Highly Specialised Shipyards | World-

Class Water Sports | A Port in the City Centre | Main Holiday Destination within

Northern Germany | 235,000 People Live in and Love Kiel

Welcome to KIEL.SAILING CITY!

Kiel. visit and enjoy.

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THE 2010 LINE-UPEXTREME SAILING SERIES TEAMS

9 TEAMS, bringing together 36 of the most talented sailors on the planet from 14 different countries, are competing in the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series. ROUND-THE-WORLD RACERS, WORLD CHAMPIONS, OLYMPIANS and AMERICA’S CUP COMPETITORS battle it out for your viewing pleasure - here’s who to watch out for on the race course! Read our detailed form guide on page 44.

Team & Nationality

Skipper

Crew

About the skipper

About the crew

2009 position

Nominated charity€5,000 will be donated to the winning team’s charity

Team URL

T H E 2 0 1 0 L I N E - U P

Mike Golding is one of Great Britain’s most accomplished singlehanded sailors ever, with two IMOCA world champion titles, a 3rd place in the Vendée Globe and a westabout solo circumnavigation record to his name. After a first Extreme 40 experience last year, Mike is back with higher ambitions and intact enthusiasm.

Ecover’s cat sailing skill will receive a shot in the arm this year as taking the helm is Leigh McMillan, Team GBR’s catamaran helmsman at both the Athens and Beijing Olympics. Experienced Extreme 40 trimmer Will Howden and bowman Jonathan Taylor complete the crew. Ecover is now in its second Extreme Sailing Series season.

E C O V E R S A I LI N G T E A M

( E U R )

S K I P P E R

Mike Golding( GB R )

HELM Leigh McMillan (GBR)

TACTICIAN Will Howden (GBR)

TRIMMER Mike Golding (GBR)

BOWMAN Jonathan Taylor (GBR)

9th Europe

Water Aid

www.ecoversailingteam.com

Fresh from his Jules Verne triumph around the world, having become the first skipper to sail around the globe in less than 50 days, Franck Cammas is a busy man, preparing for the solo Route du Rhum and the next edition of the round the world fully crewed Volvo Ocean Race. A force to be reckoned with for his second Extreme Sailing Series season.

Former America’s Cup sailor Tanguy Cariou is Cammas’s faithful tactician and occasionally helmed the Extreme 40 last season. Groupama will be picking their crew from a squad of around six this year, including four time America’s Cup sailor Benoit Briand and France’s Tornado representative in Beijing, Christophe Espagnon.

GR O U PA M A 4 0( F R A )

S K I P P E R

Franck Cammas( F R A )

H E LM Franck Cammas ( F R A )

TACTI CI A N Tanguy Cariou ( F R A )

T RIM M E R Benoit Briand ( F R A )

BOW M A N Christophe Espagnon ( F R A )

4th Europe

Prader-Willi France

www.cammas-groupama.com

Loïck is arguably France’s most experienced multihull sailor. A legend in his own right, he has bettered Eric Tabarly’s score by winning the OSTAR / Artemis Transat three times! He also has been a driving force behind the evolution of modern racing multis, and stepped on the podium last year for his first Extreme Sailing Series season.

Peyron this year joins the 2009 winning team which includes Pete Cumming - who has been appointed team manager - British Olympic Tornado sailor Mark Bulkeley and America’s Cup sailor David Carr. Masirah’s strength is obvious on the water: the men have worked hard over the past two seasons and know each other perfectly.

O M A N S A I L ,M A S I R A H

( O M A )

S K I P P E R

Loïck Peyron( F R A )

H E LM Loïck Peyron ( F R A )

TACTI CI A N Mark Bulkeley ( GB R )

T RIM M E R Pete Cumming ( GB R )

BOW M A N David Carr ( GB R )

1st Europe1st Asia

Dar Al Atta’a

www.omansail.com

GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD

( F R A )

S K I P P E R

Yann Guichard( F R A )

H E LM Yann Guichard ( F R A )

TACTI CI A N Pierre Pennec ( F R A )

T RIM M E R Hervé Cunningham ( F R A )

BOW M A N Nicolas Heintz ( F R A )

2nd Europe

Peace Foundation

www.gitana-team.com

A very experienced offshore multihull sailor - having notably broken the Atlantic Ocean record with the Orange team in 2006 - Yann Guichard has also represented France in the Tornado class at the Sydney Olympics. On the water, Yann shows nerves of steel and consistency, and the results obtained last year place him among the favourites.

Guichard is sailing once again with his 2000 Olympic helmsman Pierre Pennec, the multi-talented Hervé Cunningham, and new recruit Nicolas Heintz. Having won the opening event of the 2009 season in Venice and secured second place overall, Guichard’s men have proved extremely competitive right “out of the box”.

42

14 Nationalities 61 World Championship titles 39 Records held/broken

37 European Championship titles

32 Olympians 20 Round the World navigations

20 America’s Cups sailed

4 Olympic Gold Medals

1 Olympic Silver Medal 1 Olympic Bronze Medal

Former 49er Olympic campaigner Paul Campbell-James has been a participant on the circuit since his first campaign with Conrad Humphreys in 2007. He has proved incisive on the race course and clearly enjoys pushing the Extreme 40, often flying a hull in spectacular fashion! “CJ” is also an experienced match racer, which makes him aggressive on the starts.

The Wave, Muscat has confirmed that Omani crew, Khamis Al Anbouri, who has been training hard, will race this year. In addition to ex-Shirley Robertson crew, Nick Hutton, The Wave, Muscat will see the return to the class of talented Alister Richardson, originally with Extreme 40 Series winner Basilica and then Team Aqua.

T H E WAV E , M U S C AT

( O M A )

S K I P P E R

Paul Campbell-James( GB R )

H E LM Paul Campbell-James ( GB R )

TACTI CI A N Alister Richardson ( GB R )

T RIM M E R Nick Hutton ( GB R )

BOW M A N Kamis Al Anbouri ( O M A )

3rd Europe (Oman Sail Renaissance)

2nd Asia

Dar Al Atta’a

www.thewavemuscat.comwww.omansail.com

Dutch - Australian Mitch Booth, co-creator of the Extreme 40 boat, has an amazing 10 World Champion titles to his name. He also secured two Olympic medals (bronze in Barcelona, 1992, and silver in Atlanta, 1996) and has been Sailor of the Year twice in his native Australia. He comes back to the circuit in 2010 with a Slovenian-backed crew.

Mitch Booth will be sailing with his regular dinghy cat crew Pim Nieuwenhuis, Extreme 40 regular Sander Speet – both ex-Holmatro crew – and Tomaz Copi who has represented Slovenia three times at the Olympics in the 470 doublehander class. The Ocean Racing Club can rely on a solid Extreme 40 background to shine on the course.

T H E O C E A N R A C I N G C L U B

( S LV )

S K I P P E R

Mitch Booth( A U S )

H E LM Mitch Booth ( A U S )

TACTI CI A N Pim Nieuwenhuis ( N E D )

T RIM M E R Tomaz Copi ( S LV )

BOW M A N Sander Speet ( N E D )

Not Applicable

MS Australia

www.oceanracingclub.com

From the America’s Cup to the Route du Rhum, the Vendée Globe and the Jules Verne Trophy, Nick Moloney has seen it all! Now in his fourth season on the circuit, skippering the Team Pindar entry, the Australian sailor is clearly one of the most experienced entrants to line-up this season, and as such is one to watch closely.

Helming for Nick Moloney is British Tornado sailor Andrew Walsh. Joining them will be ex-Shirley Robertson and Mike Golding crewman and round the world sailor Fraser Brown (from New Zealand), a very experienced “Extreme 40er” and Team Pindar’s Olly Smith. This combination of talent and experienced is rather promising.

T E A MP I N D A R

( GB R )

S K I P P E R

Nick Moloney( A U S )

H E LM Andrew Walsh ( GB R )

TACTI CI A N Nick Moloney ( GB R )

T RIM M E R Fraser Brown ( N Z L )

BOW M A N Olly Smith ( GB R )

Not Applicable

Earth Watch Institute

www.teampindar.com

Hugh Styles, now in his fourth Extreme Sailing Series season, is this year helming the new Chinese entry Xin Yi Dai, which like Red Bull Extreme Sailing cut their teeth in the Extreme Sailing Series Asia, where they finished third, and are now continued on into Europe. Styles is a former GBR Olympic team member in the Tornado class.

In addition to young British cat sailor Adam Piggott, Xin Yi Dai is joined by two accomplished sailors, Tan Wearn Haw from Singapore and China’s Wang Jue, both of whom competed in the America’s Cup in 2007 with China Team. Like Oman Sail’s programme, Xin Yi Dai aims to encourage local sailors into fast, high adrenalin sailing.

X I N Y I D A I( H K G )

S K I P P E R

Hugh Styles( GB R )

H E LM Hugh Styles ( GB R )

TACTI CI A N Tan Wearn Haw ( S N G )

T RIM M E R Adam Piggott ( GB R )

BOW M A N Wang Jue ( C H N )

3rd Asia (China Team)

One Drop

www.sailingevents-asia.com

Hagara has taken part in the Olympic Games six times and on two occasions – in Sydney and Athens – brought the Gold medal back to his native Austria. Hagara and Red Bull Extreme Sailing joined the class for the first Extreme Sailing Series Asia and are continuing on to the European series this year.

Racing alongside Hagara will be his long term Olympic crew Hans Peter Steinacher, Gabriele Olivo and David Vera who both participated in the last Volvo Ocean Race with the Spanish Telefonica team. Red Bull Extreme Sailing boasts a good balance between offshore and inshore racing experience and talent.

R E D B U LL E X T R E M E S A I LI N G

( A U T )

S K I P P E R

Roman Hagara( A U T )

H E LM Roman Hagara ( A U T )

TACTI CI A N Hans Peter Steinacher ( A U T )

T RIM M E R Gabriele Olivo ( I TA )

BOW M A N David Vera ( E S P )

5th Asia

Wings For Life.com

www.redbull.com

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This year nine teams are expected to

be regulars on the Extreme Sailing

Series, joined at each regatta by an

additional local team and other

occasional one-off participations.

“There is good momentum,” says Race

Director, Gilles Chiorri. “I am pleased

to have nine teams. If you look at the

level of the guys – it is consistently

high.”

Oman Sail’s Masirah remain the hot

favourites, however without their

2009 series-winning helmsman, Chris

Draper, who is now concentrating

on his Olympic 49er campaign for

London 2012. As a result there have

been some musical chairs within

the two boat Oman Sail team. Loïck

Peyron, recently Ernesto Bertarelli’s

shotgun helmsman aboard the Alinghi

5 maxi-catamaran in the America’s

Cup, has jumped from the helm of

Oman Sail’s ‘blue boat’, Renaissance

in 2009, onto the Omani team’s red

2009 winner, Masirah. Here he joins

Draper’s 2009 crew of Pete Cumming

- who has been appointed team

manager, British Olympic Tornado

sailor Mark Bulkeley and America’s

Cup sailor David Carr.

Two of the strongest teams to the

circuit will once again be from

the world’s most pro-multihull

country, France, in the form of Baron

Benjamin de Rothschild’s team,

Groupe Edmond de Rothschild,

skippered by France’s Tornado

representative at the Sydney

Olympics, Yann Guichard. Guichard

is sailing once again with his 2000

Olympic helmsman Pierre Pennec, the

multi-talented Hervé Cunningham,

and new recruit Nicolas Heintz.

Having won the opening event of the

2009 season in Venice and captured

another victory in Amsterdam,

Guichard’s men have proved

extremely competitive right “out of

the box”. They gave a hard time to last

year’s winners, Oman Sail Masirah,

and eventually captured a second

place overall - the final outcome was

not decided before the last race! A

busy Yann Guichard - who is also

concentrating on his Route du Rhum

solo effort - commented: “2009 was

the year we discovered the Extreme

Sailing Series and the style of Extreme

40 regattas: the notion of sport as

a spectacle! We soon learnt that

consistency pays and to perform well

in this series and to post good results,

you need to navigate really well and

not have any on-the-water contact

with your competitors. The Extreme

Sailing Series is a good school to

learn self-control. I really like the

intensity of the regattas and the shot

of adrenalin you get. In an Extreme

40, racing is never clear cut and it isn’t

over until you cross the finish line.”

Much has happened to Franck

Cammas and his Groupama team

since last year. Over the winter they

successfully, on their third attempt,

claimed the Jules Verne Trophy, sailing

their 105ft maxi-trimaran Groupama

3 around the world non-stop in a

record time of 48 days, 7 hours and

44 minutes, breaking the previous

record by more than two days. The

Groupama team are now building

up for Cammas’ participation in the

Route du Rhum this autumn followed

by the 2011-2 Volvo Ocean Race,

and to maintain the momentum are

returning to the Extreme 40 Sailing

Series. “It is great - a new format to

have short races close to the shore,”

says Groupama tactician Tanguy

Cariou. “In the beginning you get

Hotshots from the America’s Cup, the Olympics as well as the skipper of the fastest boat to sail non-stop around the planet are among the impressive line-up for the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series Europe. By James Boyd, Editor and publisher of The Daily Sail.

N I N E T E A M S F O R A T I T L E

NINE TEAMS FOR A TITLE

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Winning the first event they took part in (Venice, 2009), Yann Guichard and his men are among the hottest favourites for 2010.

45


upset because it is not usual for most

of the sailors but after a few days you

enjoy it a lot, because it is a new kind

of racing and it is very interesting.”

Cariou reckons that the teams will

be much improved this year, not so

much through training, which he

admits is important – they carried

out two four-day sessions prior to the

opening regatta of the season - but

just through the increased level of

experience gained by the teams in

past seasons. As a former America’s

Cup sailor Cariou is also relishing

the prospect of some match racing

being added to the event schedule

this year. Groupama will be picking

their Extreme 40 crew from a squad

of around six this year including four

time America’s Cup sailor and match

racing expert Benoit Briand and

France’s Tornado representative in

Beijing, Christophe Espagnon.

Two other venerable names from

Olympic Tornado sailing will be

skippering boats in the Extreme

Sailing Series this year. Mitch Booth

has sailed the Olympic cat at five

Games over the years and is no

stranger to the 40 – it was he who

originally conceived it back in 2004

with his then crew Herbert Dercksen.

Last year Booth started the season

standing in for an injured Darren

Bundock on BT before taking the

helm of his original boat, Holmatro,

for the latter half. “I think the

principles of what the class and the

event was intended for have really

been maintained,” says Booth of how

he feels the class has progressed since

he started it. “Those same values of

taking the sport to the people and

keeping the race format really short

and right in front of the spectators -

all those values have been maintained.

It is really pleasing to me that the

formula that we all thought would

work, has stuck.” This year Booth

has set up an entirely new team with

backing from Slovenia, his campaign

run by The Ocean Racing Club.

He will be sailing with his regular

dinghy cat crew Pim Nieuwenhuis,

Extreme 40 regular Sander Speet -

both ex-Holmatro crew - and Tomaz

Copi who has represented Slovenia

three times at the Olympics in the

470 doublehander. Booth will be

lining up against his old Tornado

foe, Roman Hagara. The veteran has

been to the Olympics six times and

on two occasions – in Sydney and

Athens – brought the Gold medal

back to his native Austria. Hagara

and Red Bull Extreme Sailing joined

the class for the first Extreme Sailing

Loïck Peyron takes the tiller of Oman Sail’s Masirah for 2010, while Pete Cumming becomes team manager.

“It is really, really good fun, it has got all the best parts of sailing, like the 49er does, but even closer..

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Series Asia and are continuing on to

the European series this year. Racing

alongside Hagara will be his long term

Olympic crew Hans Peter Steinacher,

and Gabriele Olivo and David Vera

who both participated in the last

Volvo Ocean Race with the Spanish

Telefonica team.

Since the Extreme 40 Sailing Series

Asia, Oman Sail’s other boat,

Renaissance, has been rechristened

The Wave, Muscat, and manned by

an entirely new team led by Paul

Campbell-James. Another 49er

Olympic sailor like Draper, Campbell-

James has been a participant on the

circuit since his first campaign with

Conrad Humphreys in 2007. “It is

really, really good fun,” says Paul C-J

of the racing. “It has got all the best

parts of sailing, like the 49er does, but

even closer. It is more full-on which

is the bit I really love.” For this season

he has been able to pull together his

own team. Significantly following

Oman Sail’s participation in the last

two Extreme Sailing Series seasons,

so The Wave, Muscat has confirmed

that Omani crew, Khamis Al Anbouri,

who was part of the team who secured

The Wave, Muscat’s second place

behind their Omani stable mate

Masirah in the Asian series, will now

continue as a full time member of the

sailing team in Europe. Having spent

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Cammas and his Groupama 40 crew have warmed-up in 2009 - expect to see them at the front of the fleet this year.

Mitch Booth has taken his faithful wingman Pim Nieuwenhuis onboard again this year.

N I N E T E A M S F O R A T I T L E46


The Wave, Muscat has an all-new line-up including full-time Omani crew Khamis Al Anbouri.

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the last two years being taught by the

team between races and learning the

ropes in the non-participation, fifth

man slot, it shows that the Oman Sail

programme of developing local talent

is now starting to show through. In

addition to Shirley Robertson’s former

crew, Nick Hutton, The Wave, Muscat

will see the return to the class of

talented Alister Richardson, originally

with Extreme 40 Series winner

Basilica and then Team Aqua. The

Wave, Muscat went into action over

the northern hemisphere winter,

competing on the Extreme Sailing

Series Asia where they finished second

to Masirah. “Training time is going

to be huge,” says Campbell-James. “I

don’t think the French have put in as

much time as we have. I think we’re

good for hours on the water.”

British Tornado hotshots are the

driving force in three other teams

participating this year. Ecover

will once again be skippered by

singlehanded round the world

sailing legend Mike Golding, but

their cat sailing skill will receive a

shot in the arm this year as taking

the helm is Leigh McMillan, Team

GBR’s catamaran helmsman at both

the Athens and Beijing Olympics.

Coming back for a second season,

Golding clearly enjoyed the “culture

shock” (from wide open oceans to

in-harbour race courses, can the

contrast be starker?) and has had great

fun despite a steep learning curve.

McMillan’s Team GBR predecessor,

Hugh Styles is this year helming the

new Chinese entry Xin Yi Dai, which

like Red Bull cut their teeth in the

Extreme Sailing Series Asia, where

they finished third, and are now

continuing on into Europe. “The team

is a new concept, based out of Asia,

with the guys organising it trying to

enthuse and encourage everyone who

is in that part of the world into fast,

extreme and exciting racing,” says

Styles. This is Styles’ fourth season

in the Extreme 40 having been on

the BT boat with Nick Moloney and

Darren Bundock in 2007, skippering

iShares two years ago and crewing

on mainsheet and tactics for double

Olympic gold medallist Shirley

Robertson last year. “It is a little bit

different, getting looked down at by

people who are sitting in tower blocks

or taking people out and giving them

the full ‘wow’ factor when they realise

the windward hull is flying and they

aren’t connected to anything other

than mesh netting. You see their faces

light up – it is quite rewarding,”

says Styles.

Like Oman Sail’s program, Xin Yi Dai

aims to encourage local sailors into

fast, high adrenalin sailing, as well as

to let the rest of the world know that

China is interested in this avenue of

the sport. To this end in addition to

young British cat sailor Adam Piggott,

they are joined by two accomplished

sailors, Tan Wearn Haw from

Singapore and China’s Wang Jue, both

of whom competed in the America’s

Cup in 2007 with China Team. Tan

Wearn Haw is a former Olympic

470 sailor who has since turned his

hand to match racing, while Jue was a

Laser sailor before he signed on with

China Team. Another new recruit to

the Extreme Sailing Series this year is

Team Pindar. No stranger to sailing

following their lengthy experience

backing IMOCA 60s, match racing

teams, Olympians and female sailors,

the new campaign is to be skippered

by Vendée Globe, Volvo Ocean

Race and America’s Cup Australian

all-rounder Nick Moloney, while

British Tornado sailor Andrew Walsh

will steer. Joining them will be ex-

Shirley Robertson and Mike Golding

crewman round the world sailor

Fraser Brown from New Zealand and

Team Pindar’s Olly Smith. Australian Nick Moloney will race his 4th season skippering Team Pindar.

Hugh Styles now skippers the Hong Kong Xin Yi Dai entry.

Round-the-world solo expert Mike Golding is back for a second Extreme 40 season.

Having made a debut on the Asia circuit, Roman Hagara and his crew are now taking on Europe...

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“The commentary starts around midday

when the guests are back in for lunch, again

building the atmosphere in the VIP Lounge

and anticipation of the racing. It’s when all

the guests rush to the terrace to watch the

boats circle round each other for the pre-start

sequence and they are fully captivated, that you

get that buzz that they are having a fantastic

day and the objective has been achieved.”

Louise Close, in charge of hospitality for

OC Group, has been ruling the VIP lounges

of the Extreme Sailing Series for the past

three seasons and knows every little detail

it involves… and you can believe her when

she says that there are a lot of vital details!

“Logistically, it’s like running a boutique

restaurant, our chef Sarah Churcher and her

team make sure everything is to a very high-

standard - they always source local produce

and never let routine settle in their kitchen.

On the equipment front we always have to be

prepared, it’s important to

be able to react if suddenly

100 guests turn up when

we were expecting only 50.

But naturally, it’s not only

a matter of counting glasses

and dealing with logistics

issues, it’s also about the

intangible factors, making

sure whatever the situation,

no stress is ever apparent.”

AT M O S P H E R E - AT T H E H E A R T O F I T A LL“The proximity between the guests, the crews

and the celebrities is a key element: there are so

many sporting events with a VIP label where

you can’t actually get to have a chat with the

players themselves, we want everyone to mix

because that’s what makes a real difference.

The feedback we get proves that this aspect is

extremely important, and our guests leave not

only having sailed with Olympic medallists

or world champions, they also had a relaxed

talk with them whilst sipping a coffee or a

glass of champagne… We always have to bear

in mind that a lot of our guests go to very

important events throughout the year, and as

a consequence are not easily impressed - but I

think one of the key elements of the Extreme

Sailing Series is our ability to really place them

at the heart of the action, and that’s why we get

such a fantastic feedback.” Louise Close reigns

in the VIP lounge, and as a perfect hostess,

has developed a sixth sense allowing her to

precisely gauge the atmosphere or know when

she needs to step in.

A S E N S I B L E A P P R O A C HNot willing to compromise on quality, OC

Events nevertheless considers the impact of

its hospitality operations and works towards

making the event more sustainable. Energy

consumption, waste management and

improving practices in terms of transportation

are under scrutiny. The use of “disposable”

items, for example, is gradually being

eliminated, and when it comes to food supplies

- which play a pivotal role - the catering team

work with local producers, hence reducing

foodmiles and making a positive economic

impact in ther regions visited. Other solutions,

notably in terms of energy micro-generation,

are currently being investigated, and a full

audit is to be carried out, to try and improve

evey aspect of the setup.

Behind the scenes

Running the show

W E L C O M I N G T H O U S A N D S O F V I P G U E S T S , T H E T E A M I N C H A R GE O F T H E H O S P I TA L I T Y O N T H E E X T R E M E S A I L I N G S E R I E S C I R C U I T

R U N S A T I G H T, P E R F E C T LY M A I N TA I N E D A N D V E R Y C O M F O R TA B L E S H I P ! L E T ’ S V E N T U R E

B A C K S TA GE , A N D M E E T T H E P E O P L E W H O M A K E T H E D AY S O E N J O YA B L E .

R U N N I N G T H E S H O W

The Extreme Sailing Series traveling circus

is a self-sufficient organisation, that

carries all it needs and can set up its race

village virtually anywhere! This includes

a fully fitted out kitchen, run by Chef

Sarah Churcher, whose team only offers

freshly made meals using local produce

- you won’t find a frozen or industrially

processed dish anywhere on the village.

During a typical Extreme Sailing Series event...

• 700 apples are consumed

• 3000 cups of coffee are brewed

• 450 sandwiches are made

• 600 canapés are created

• 1880 pints of beer are poured

• 500 potatoes are peeled

• The kitchen is buzzing between around

05:00 and midnight every day

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Running the show

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Henri Lloyd is widely regarded as one of the market leaders in technical sailing and lifestyle apparel, and has pioneered the development of fabrics, garment design and product development for over 45 years.

Founded in Manchester, England in 1963,

Henri Lloyd began as a manufacturer of foul

weather clothing for sailing and outdoor

activities and quickly became a world leader in

specialist marine clothing.

Henri Lloyd’s focus on developing new

technology allows innovative thinking to be

a part of the design process and as a result

every product in the 2010 marine range has

been meticulously crafted and rigorously

tested from concept stage to final design.

This results in a range of technical clothing

that contains some of the most important

breakthroughs in marine product development

and shall be worn by the Extreme 40 teams as

well as the Extreme Sailing Series race officials

and shore team on the 2010 Circuit.

As a result of working alongside the Extreme

Sailing Series in 2009, Henri Lloyd have further

developed their Sports Keelboat range, to

ensure both sailors and the race officials have

the ultimate in sailing apparel for the high

octane environment that is the Extreme Sailing

Series Circuit.

This range of

clothing will include

the DAME award

winning TP2 Shadow

2G range, Octane

WINDSTOPPER®

range; the lightest

windproof garment

on the market and Octogrip Stealth trainer,

developed to offer extreme grip with

maximum flexibility.

p A U l s t r Z E l E c K i , H E N R I L L O Y D J O I N T C H I E F E X E C U T I V E

“We are thrilled to announce the continuation of our official partnership with the Extreme Sailing Series, and we look forward to seeing some exciting racing throughout the 2010 circuit

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Official Clothing

Henri Lloyd - Official Technical Clothing Partner

www.henrilloyd.com

52


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OFFICIAL TECHNICAL CLOTHING PARTNER

IMAG

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YD IM

AGES

HL_Extreme40_ad.indd 1 13/04/2010 09:15

From the to theCITY

Athlete and campaign management

Passion and commitment to get results for our projects and partners

AnAward Winning

Team

OC Group - a global sports marketing company specialising in sailing.

s & Rights Owner

www.ocgroup.com

23 beautiful beaches within 23 miles.

Isle of Wight surprising discovery No 46

Nestled amongst the Isle of Wight’s stunning coastline you’ll find some of Britain’s finest beaches, including 13 award-winners, all within close proximity of wherever you stay. Visit our easy-to-use website where you can book everything you need for the perfect Isle of Wight holiday, from fantastic ferry fares to a wide range of award-winning accommodation.

www.redfunnel.co.uk 0844 844 9988

For more surprising discoveries visit

• catalogues and brochures from the experts •

Pindar has been a wide supporter of sailing campaigns for 30 years and helps companies improve their online and offline

publishing strategies through provision of print and electronic media, seamlessly integrated using leading

product management software AgiltyCMS®.

www.pindar.com

Official Print Supplier toExtreme Sailing Series

Official Partner

ABOUT THE CIRCUITE X T R E M E O N LI N E Follow all the action, learn more

about your favourite teams, get up-

to-the minute news and results, and

watch fantastic footage from the

racing at the event website. You can

also sign up for email updates and

view the website via your mobile

phone.

To find out more go to


Become a fan on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/

extremesailingseries

Follow the action on Twitter

http://twitter.com/extremesailing

M E D I A

Press and media users can sign

up for updates, download high-

resolution photographs, videos

and read the latest press releases

by accrediting at http://media.

extremesailingserieseurope.com/

register.asp (ESS Europe) or http://

media.extremesailingseriesasia.com/

register.asp (ESS Asia)

A B O U T. . . T H E O R G A NI S E R S OC Events is responsible for

organising the Extreme 40 sailing

series, which is now in its fourth

season and has expanded beyond

Europe. OC Events began with

The Transat in 2004, the oldest

transatlantic solo race in history,

first won by Sir Francis Chichester

in 1960 — and raced for again in

2008. In 2005 OC Events launched

a new concept in offshore racing

— the Barcelona World Race.

This double-handed, non-stop,

round the world race will see its

second edition leave Barcelona in

December 2010, with OC Events

supporting new oraganisers FNOB.

It has become a reference among

round-the-world sailing events.

OC Events also established

a circuit encompassing

the Far East, when

Ellen MacArthur

completed the

inaugural Asian

Record Circuit,

and through the

development of the

Indian Ocean 5 Capes

Race. With the Extreme

Sailing Series taking place

both in Europe and Asia, OC

Events continues to push the

boundaries, both conceptually and

geographically.

www.ocevents.org

A B O U T. . . T H E E X T R E M E 4 0 C L A S STornadoSport originated the

concept of the Extreme 40 and build

new boats. Since the class launched

in 2005 the fleet has expanded, and

TornadoSport have now built 18

Extreme 40 catamarans.

[email protected]

CONTACT US

OC Events t: +44 (0)1983 282797e: info@ocevents .org

PR - Emily Caroee: emily@ocevents .org

Events Manager - Stuart Whitmane: stuart@ocevents .org

A B O U T T H E C I R C U I T 56


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Marine equipment

HANDLES

HYDRAULICCYLINDERS

CONTROL PANELS

WINCHES

All the Extreme 40’s

are equipped with

Holmatro winches and

Holmatro hydraulic

systems.

Our products help the

top-level sailors in the

Extreme 40 Sailing Series

to control the huge loads

involved when sailing these

racing machines. They

are developed to improve

performance, convenience

and safety... A few of our

key values.

ME_extreme_Magazine_240x320mm_DEF.indd 1 20-04-2010 14:52:18

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2009-2010EXTREME SAILING SERIES

VITAL STATS

IN FIGURES

178 R A C E S H E L DVenice 17 - Hyères 19 - Cowes 20 -

Kiel 19 - Amsterdam 17 - Almeria

16 - Hong Kong 20 - Singapore 26 -

Muscat 24.

E V E N T W I N S • Oman Sail Masirah: 7 (Hyères,

Cowes, Kiel, Almeria, Hong Kong,

Singapore, Muscat)

• Gitana Extreme - Groupe LCF

Rothschild: 2 (Venice, Amsterdam)

3 C A P S I Z E SHolmatro (Cowes practice day) -

Ecover (Kiel) - Red Bull (Muscat)

6 C O LLI S I O N SOman Sail Renaissance > Ecover

(Hyéres) - Oman Sail Renaissance

> WIRSOL Team Germany (Kiel)

- Gitana Extreme > WIRSOL

Team Germany (Kiel) - Oman Sail

Renaissance > Ecover (Amsterdam,

practice day) - BT > Oman Sail

Masirah (Amsterdam) - The Wave,

Mucat >z Rumbo Almeria (Hong

Kong).

9 D I S Q U A LI F I C AT I O N SGroupama 40 (Venice); Oman Sail

Renaissance (Kiel); Holmatro, Team

iShares and BT (Amsterdam); LUNA

and Team iShares (Almeria); The

Wave, Muscat (Hong Kong); Oman

Sail Masirah (Singapore).

V I TA L S TAT S 58


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W W W . E x t r E M E S A i l i N G S E r i E S . C O M

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