Extreme Sailing Series, Roman Hagara and the Red Bull team win first event of the 2015 season

From the following press release on the Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/rivalries-dominate-the-start-of-the-season-as-red-bull-sailing-narrowly-den

- Down to the wire battle sees Roman Hagara snatch Red Bull Sailing Team’s first ever Act victory from the hands of the Danish SAP Extreme Sailing Team in the final metres of the final race. Replay the final races here.
- Thousands get up close and personal over four days as the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series™ kicks off on one of the most iconic city centre stadium racecourses on the global tour. Watch the highlights here.
- Land Rover recognises youth sailing talent, awarding the Above and Beyond Award to Red Bull Sailing Team protégé, Jason Waterhouse for a stunning debut performance.
- Next stop – Muscat, Oman. 11-14 March
Double Olympic gold medallists Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher and their team on Red Bull Sailing Team have won the opening Act of the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series™, soaking up the pressure of expectation in front of the crowds in Singapore to become kings of Marina Bay after 32 hard fought races. The team from Austria had the points advantage heading into the final day and held their nerve, despite the onslaught from SAP Extreme Sailing Team in a cut and thrust battle that went down to the last few metres of the final race that eventually denied SAP Extreme Sailing Team the Singapore trophy by just five points. With The Wave, Muscat rounding out the podium positions, the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series is well and truly up and running!

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Extreme Sailing Series, video of day 4 of racing in Singapore

Extreme Sailing Series, video of day 3 of racing in Singapore

Extreme Sailing Series, video of day 2 of racing in Singapore the first event of the 2015 season

Extreme Sailing Series update, Launch of 2015 Extreme Sailing Series at Dusseldorf Boat show and venues announced for the upcoming season

From the following press release on the Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/extreme-sailing-series-2015-full-starting-grid-8-iconic-global-venues-9th-y#.VL966q8cR8Q

2015 heralds the ninth year of this award-winning elite level stadium racing circuit that visits eight iconic venues, including a return to Germany for the first time since 2010: a world tour spanning three continents. Once again, another full eight-team grid, representing seven nations will line up in a few weeks time like gladiators in an amphitheatre, ready to do battle for the ultimate accolade of becoming the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series Champions.

20 January, 2015 – Düsseldorf Boat Show, Germany:

The Extreme 40 skippers and sailors presented today to the media and public at the Düsseldorf Boat Show confirm once again the very high calibre of competitors for the season ahead. The commercial and competitive appeal of the original stadium sailing circuit shows no sign of abating: “The Series is now firmly established in the arena of world class professional sailing, and we have built that reputation by continually attracting some of the very best sailors in the world, supported by global brands, in iconic and attractive venues – competing annually and on a global scale,” commented Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of OC Sport, the organisation behind the Series. “And whilst the event has never changed its core DNA – racing in a stadium environment where exciting sailing is brought right to the audience – there remains a great deal to do. We must continue to innovate, to break new ground, change people’s perceptions of our sport, find new ways to share it and engage with new audiences around the world. That’s our ongoing challenge.”

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Extreme Sailing Series, Morgan Larson the laid back champion

From the following press release on the Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/morgan-larson-the-chilled-out-champion#.VLDdZ68cR8Q

The defending Extreme Sailing Series™ champion Morgan Larson tells Ed Gorman why winning the Series in 2014 is the biggest success of his career.You are rarely going to find a more chilled out, self-effacing success story in the cut and thrust world of professional sport than the new Extreme Sailing Series championship-winning skipper Morgan Larson.

The laid-back Californian and his crew on Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi dominated the 2014 Series with consistently good boat speed and cool tactics and eventually confirmed a convincing overall win at the final Act in Sydney in December after 11 months of globetrotting.

Larson, aged 43, has sailed in some big fleets and prestigious events in his long and successful career, not least in two America’s Cup teams, but he was happy to admit that wining the Extreme Sailing Series in his third season is his biggest success. But there is no bragging from Larson about that. In fact he delivers that assessment more as a compliment to his rivals in the Series than as a statement about his own ability.

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A video of the final day of the 2014 series won by Morgan Larson and the Alinghi team:

Extreme Sailing Series, Alinghi win final event of the year (Sydney) and the Extreme Sailing Series for 2014

From the following news article on the extreme sailing series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/alinghi-crowned-2014-sydney-champions-in-the-best-days-racing-of-the-year#.VJEGC68cR8Q

- Alinghi snatch Act victory in Sydney and with it become 2014 Extreme Sailing Series™ Champions after 231 races this year.
- Second place for The Wave, Muscat while Realteam take third in Sydney and in the Series.
- Capsize for GAC Pindar cuts their regatta following a collision with Realteam.
- Replay today’s edge of the seat final races from Act 8 Sydney presented by Land Rover here – you don’t want to miss it!
- Just over seven weeks until the 2015 global tour kicks off in Singapore, 5th February, including a full starting grid of top international teams!

It is mission accomplished for Ernesto Bertarelli’s Swiss team Alinghi, as Morgan Larson and the team grabbed victory with both hands at Act 8 Sydney, presented by Land Rover, and with it the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series™ title – and Larson’s words say it all: “We’ve had an amazing season with an amazing team. To win the season and the Act on the last day in the conditions we had here in Sydney, which is the best sailing venue in the world, is a special moment that’s going to take a long time to sink in. The level of confidence that we have on our boat just made me realise I can win anything with these guys. This is the best feeling I’ve had all year and probably in the whole of my sailing career, so I’m going to cherish it.”

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Extreme Sailing Series, Video links for the final event in the 2014 season which is being conducted on Sydney Harbour

Extreme Sailing Series, Alinghi team victorious in Nice

From the following press release on Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/morgan-larson-has-one-hand-on-the-2014-series-trophy-after-alinghi-snatch-v#.VDHxEq8cTrd

- Realteam narrowly denied their first Act win, after an edge of the seat final race shoot out.
- J.P. Morgan BAR take their second podium position of the year finishing third – the Brits are getting stronger and stronger.
- Only four days of racing left in 2014 with mathematically five teams – Alinghi, The Wave, Muscat, Emirates Team New Zealand, Realteam and J.P. Morgan BAR - capable of a podium position as the fleet head Down Under to Sydney, Australia, for the final Act of the year.
- Land Rover ‘Above & Beyond Award’ goes to Oman Sail boat builder Suleiman Al Manji who received the ultimate sporting call-up when he swapped his Omani kit for the Emirates Team New Zealand shirt to become an integral part of the pro race team on day two.
Morgan Larson and the Swiss team Alinghi snatched victory from the hands of their fellow countrymen Realteam in the final race at the Extreme Sailing Series™ in Nice, to take victory on French waters in front of thousands of spectators – and with that they now have one hand firmly placed on the 2014 Series trophy. With only one Act to go this year, Alinghi have extended their lead at the top of the Series leaderboard to eight points over The Wave, Muscat, but with 20 points up for the taking in Sydney, and five teams capable of a podium position, it’s not over until it’s over, and as Larson commented, it is just getting harder and harder to win races. “We were confident at the start of the year that we had a little bit of an edge, but now the rest of the field are showing some real force. I think now you are seeing the future. More than half the fleet have the ability to win an event, and that’s exactly what we’re going to see going into Sydney.  That event is going to be worth double points, and if we go out with a bad performance and The Wave, Muscat or Emirates Team New Zealand come in with a strong one - we’re going to lose. So we’ve got to go out and try and get back on the podium.”

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Extreme Sailing Series returns to Nice for Act 7 of the 2014 season

From the following press release on the Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/tensions-high-ahead-of-penultimate-showdown#.VC0wIK8cTrc

The 2014 Extreme Sailing Series™ is nearing its final stages with just one European Act left on the global tour, taking place this week in Nice, Cote d’Azur, before the final in Sydney, Australia. For the 11-strong fleet, it’s crunch time, and Freddie Carr gives his predictions on the leaderboard battles, at this pivotal point in the Series.

The whole event in Istanbul (Act 6) for me had a bit of needle about it, and to be honest, it really picked up from the double points final race in Cardiff, Wales at Act 5. We predicted Istanbul to step up a level in terms of aggression, and it really did. Going into the final race in Turkey where Morgan Larson’s Alinghi had third position pretty much locked in, the team turned it around and basically sailed The Wave, Muscat to the back of the fleet, doing all they could to make sure the Omani team didn’t win, and ensuring Emirates Team New Zealand did. Tensions were running high. I’ve known Leigh McMillan (The Wave, Muscat skipper) for 20 years and I haven’t seen him as emotional and as upset as he was after that double points final race in Turkey. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that we’re going to pick up from where we left off in Nice for the penultimate Act of the 2014 season.

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Extreme Sailing Series, Emirates Team New Zealand wins Instanbul event

From the following press release on the Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/istanbul-delivers-four-days-of-spectacular-racing-for-act-6-of-the-land-rov#.VBaEmK8cTrc

- Four days of spectacular racing closes in Istanbul with Emirates Team New Zealand snatching victory in the final race on final day.
- The Land Rover ‘Above and Beyond’ Award presented to Groupama sailing team for their persistence, commitment and tactical performance on the water.
- Taking on the Bosphorus Strait: Traffic shut down on one of the world’s busiest shipping channels for an incredible Extreme 40 showdown.

The stunning city of Istanbul has delivered in spades for Act 6 of the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series™ with four days of spectacular action in the Land Rover backed Stadium Racing circuit. Near perfect conditions saw the 12 international teams compete in 31 action-packed races, as the stars of the international sailing world came together in the city where ‘east meets west’ for the sixth Act on the global Series calendar.

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Extreme Sailing Series, Alinghi clinch victory in St Petersburg event

From the following press release by the Extreme Sailing Series:
http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/five-team-final-race-shoot-out-sees-alinghi-clinch-victory-in-a-game-of-rus#.U7Csma-KDrc

After four days and 22 races, Act 4 of the Extreme Sailing Series™ in Saint Petersburg presented by Land Rover came down to an edge-of-the-seat final race shoot out, with five teams gunning for the podium and no room for error.

The game of Russian roulette between The Wave, Muscat and Alinghi continued until the final double pointer, but the Omani team needed seven boats between them to overhaul the Swiss – which proved too tall an order for Leigh McMillan, and Alinghi comfortably took their third Act win of the season.

With the Series now at the halfway mark, helmsman Morgan Larson has already turned his attentions towards the bigger picture: 'It’s nice to put a little stamp on our win and to let the guys know that we’re here to try and win the whole Series this time. The team is working well together and we finally feel confident that we can do it. Saying that, the heat is on, some teams are working really hard and we know that we’ll have to step up if we want to stay head.'

Hoping the Omani team would trip up and waiting in the wings to pounce for second place was Emirates Team New Zealand – and they almost did – until a last minute roll of the dice by Leigh McMillan and the team paid off, and a fifth place in the final race was enough for the boat flying the colours of Oman to take second place. But more importantly, keeping them in touch with Alinghi on the overall season leaderboard.

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 And the highlights video is here:

 

Extreme Sailing Series, video of Day 2 of racing in St Petersburg

Soft conditions render Day 2 rather less than extreme and bring focus onto tactical maneuvers:

Extreme Sailing Series, underway in St Petersburg

From the following press release on the Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/david-freddie-carr-looks-ahead-to-act-4#.U6wEYK-KDrc

In 2014, David ‘Freddie’ Carr, a former winner of the Extreme Sailing Series™ provides an expert insight into the global tour, as part of the live commentary team. Freddie, who was recently announced as a crewmember with Ben Ainslie Racing for the British America’s Cup challenge, looks ahead to Act 4, Saint Petersburg, where he predicts the potential for a shake-up in the Series standings.

I think you can draw a line in the sand after the first three Acts, and now it’s time for the new teams on the block for 2014 to stop talking about being the new teams. We’ve had two stadium venues (Singapore and Qingdao) and one open water venue (Muscat) so far this year, and it’s been no surprise that at the stadium venues, in the really tricky Extreme 40 style conditions, that the old hands - The Wave, Muscat and Alinghi have come to the fore. Whereas in Muscat, a more open water venue, with what you could call more ‘classical sailing’ we saw a top six boat shoot-out. Going into Saint Petersburg we’re moving into what could be the trickiest sailing venue of the year and arguably of all time. One of the main reasons for that is the current.

Having spoken to the boys building the boats out in Russia today, they’ve taken a look at the racecourse already – it’s super light, and the current is ripping. This racing will always be about boat speed and boat handling, but in this new venue I really believe the pre-race strategy where the teams will talk about the way they’ll manoeuvre in these conditions will be so important. I think it’s going to be really tricky like Singapore, but magnified.

Looking at the results so far it’s been about The Wave, Muscat and Alinghi, but you can’t look too far beyond Emirates Team New Zealand, who are the newest team to have come in and effectively done the best. Dean Barker came in and did a great job at the first two Acts, and then the team changed to Pete Burling. There was a lot of pressure on Pete, and people were looking at the team thinking, this might be the time they have their wobble, but to be fair to him, he’s sailed superbly and got a third in China. The team have changed crew again, and in my opinion they’ve arguably got one of the best, if not the best tacticians in the world with Ray Davies, and this might be the perfect place for Ray to come and join the fleet. Having sailed a bit with Ray, what he’s awesome at is the bits in-between the races (obviously he’s amazing at the racing!). Ray’s one of those guys that can look up the course, read the water superbly well and then really communicate his plan to the crew, so that everybody’s reading off the same hymn sheet. We’ve seen from our SAP Analytics that Emirates Team New Zealand do well in the light winds – but I wonder if this is the event where they go and lift the cup.

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Extreme Sailing Series update, St Petersburg event 26-29th of June

From the following press release by the Extreme Sailing Series:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/fresh-faces-join-the-line-up-for-act-4-saint-petersburg-presented-by-land-r#.U6Ne06-KDrc

- Olympic gold medallist Nathan Wilmot takes the tiller of GAC Pindar.
- Two home teams for Extreme Sailing Series™ Russian debut.
- Series Technical Partner and Saint Petersburg Host Venue Partner SAP launch the ‘SAP Speed King Challenge’. Watch the teaser video here.
- Watch the promo video here including an insight to the Saint Petersburg racecourse from Land Rover Global Brand Ambassador Hannah White. 

The 34 Extreme Sailing Series™ containers, housing the Extreme 40 racing multihulls, support vehicles and the huge amount of event paraphernalia needed to stage one of the world’s largest spectator-friendly sailing grand prix, will arrive this weekend in Saint Petersburg courtesy of logistics partner, GAC Pindar. Over the next seven days the riverbanks and waters of the Neva will be transformed into the temporary residence for the assembly of the fleet of Extreme 40s ahead of the four days of Stadium Racing, 26-29 June. The Race Village is located right in the heart of Saint Petersburg on Zayachii Island, against a historical backdrop that includes the world-famous Palace Embankment and the Peter and Paul Fortress, between the famous Troitskiy and Drovtsovyy Bridges. At the halfway stage of the globe-trotting 2014 season, Act 4 is expected to throw up a mix of challenging conditions for the sailors, with strong tidal currents and a compact racecourse demanding maximum concentration, in what will be one of the biggest scale professional sailing events ever held in Russia. Watch the promo video here to find out what the sailors think about it.

Needless to say, the Russian public will undoubtedly get fully behind the two home nation teams – Gazprom Team Russia and RussianFirst. Gazprom Team Russia skipper Igor Lisovenko – who represented Russia at two Olympic Games and is currently fifth on the overall Series leaderboard - shared his local knowledge to explain what the fleet can expect. “We have a week to go and the weather promises to be very tricky. Add the current to the mix and you’ll have a formula for one of the most dramatic Acts so far.” Lisovenko continued to talk about the significance of the Act for his team. “As we’re approaching the season’s halfway stage we aim to move up the leaderboard and defend our position from our competitors. Also, it is important to us to perform well in home waters as our fans expect us to. So this puts an additional pressure to us. Nevertheless, I’m confident in our team as we continue to improve and we are ready to deliver the best result in Act 4.”

Russia’s top multihull and Olympic sailors will compete with the invitational team RussianFirst, led by Olympic silver medallist Georgy Shayduko. Shayduko commented: “To have two home boats competing in the Russian debut of the Series shows that sailing in our country is gaining popularity. Racing in front of our fans gives us lots of motivation and we will use that motivation to fight for a good result. I am sure not only the sailors, but also the fans on the shore, will enjoy the racing in Russia.”

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Extreme Sailing Series, video of fourth and final day of racing in Qingdao

Extreme Sailing Series, Video of Day 3 of Racing in Qingdao

Extreme Sailing Series, video of day 2 of racing in Qingdao

Extreme Sailing Series, strong and gusty conditions challenge Extreme 40 crews on second day of competition in Qingdao

From the following press release on the Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/full-pressure-day-as-the-extreme-40-fleet-battle-huge-gusts-on-the-qingdao#.U2QjeK-KDrc

It was a full pressure day as the fleet moved into the stadium racing mode at the Land Rover Extreme Sailing Series™ in Qingdao, described by the skippers as ‘radical’, ‘full-on’, ‘unpredictable’ and gnarly’, with gusts up to 32 knots weaving their way through the surrounding skyscrapers like bullets screaming across the stadium racecourse. The racing was right on the edge, and the teams used all their strength to muscle their speed machines expertly around the track, tackling a huge wind range of over 20 knots. The experience of both Alinghi and The Wave, Muscat was evident, and the teams relished today’s big breeze as much as yesterday’s light winds, remaining first and second respectively, while one first and two second places for the Kiwis on Emirates Team New Zealand upgraded their overall position to third, ahead of tomorrow’s penultimate day’s racing.

There was plenty of hull flying, bows down and extremely close mark rounding’, with the fleet reaching top speeds of 25 knots as they tried to predict the huge wind shifts which saw the breeze go from 10 to 32 knots in a second. Before racing, Race Management made the call to split the fleet, first into groups of eight, and then groups of four, to minimize the chance of collisions on the tight race track. Leigh McMillan, skipper of The Wave, Muscat who is out to defend his title in Qingdao, commented: “We like it when the breeze is up, today was pretty radical. Gusts and big shifts is quite a handful. But we’re happy to have made it through the day with no big collisions which is great - it was pretty full on out there.”

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A short highlights video from day 2 in Qingdao:

Extreme Sailing Series update, day 1 of Qingdao event presents light conditions and tactical racing

From the following press release on the Extreme Sailing Series website:

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/testing-light-winds-on-day-one-as-the-home-team-make-best-ever-debut-by-an#.U2KD0q-KDrc

- Start line collision between Oman Air and GAC Pindar see the Omani team knocked out before racing even begun and with a long night of repairs in the pitlane ahead.
- Team Extreme Qingdao has best ever start for a home nation invitational team, challenging the more experienced crews to finish day one in third place.
- Alinghi dominate in the testing conditions, staking an early 14-point lead over second placed The Wave, Muscat.
- Series Main Partner Land Rover strengthens its commitment to the Extreme Sailing Series™ with the new Above and Beyond Award. Read more here.

Racing began in China’s Olympic sailing city today at the Land Rover, Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 3 Qingdao, for the ‘Double Star Mingren’ Cup, where five different race winners emerged from the eight races sailed, in a day that saw the fleet struggle for consistency and the leaderboard reshuffle after every race. On the open water racecourse, the Swiss team Alinghi dominated in testing light winds and strong tide, to edge ahead on the leaderboard at the end of day. But it was the local boat, Team Extreme Qingdao, who will be grabbing the headlines tonight after an outstanding debut performance sees the team in third place at the end of day one - the best ever performance by a home nation invitational team.

Unfortunately for Oman Air, their day was over before it had a chance to begin, after a collision with GAC Pindar in the start line tussle of the first race left the team with severe damage to their port hull, forcing them back to the pit lane. Rob Greenhalgh, skipper of Oman Air - who has welcomed the talents of America’s Cup winner Kyle Langford to the team this week - explained what happened: “Just after the start of the first race, GAC Pindar tacked onto port and misjudged the dip on us and T-boned us pretty hard – we have a pretty big hole in the side of the boat. These things happen unfortunately. The shore guys will work hard tonight and get the boat ready for racing tomorrow. We will lick our wounds and be back. It’s a disappointment – we were pumped to race.”  The team will be given a redress and will likely be awarded average points from their races over the next two days by the international jury.

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