Extreme Sailing Series, report from first days racing in Rio de Janeiro

The following article is from the Extreme Sailing Series website

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/news/view/alinghi-in-pole-position-as-the-final-showdown-begins-in-rio-de-janeiro

The final showdown of the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series™ has begun in Rio de Janeiro under the gaze of the world famous statue of Christ the Redeemer on a race course that is quickly earning itself a reputation as one of the most beautiful the Extreme 40s have ever raced on. Alinghi were the undisputed stars of the show today and two race wins for the Swiss America’s Cup winners sees them top of the leaderboard at the end of day one and in a podium position for the first time this year.

Six races were sailed in glamour sailing conditions – 12 knots of breeze with gusts of 15, and a brilliant Brazilian sunshine. A reaching start saw the teams power off the line for a short sprint to the first mark providing the spectators on the cable cars at the top of Sugar Loaf mountain with a real spectacle. Pierre-Yves Jorand the man in charge of Alinghi in Rio commented on their perfromance. “We had a good day the first day and were lucky enough to make some big gains in races two and three at the top mark which worked in our favour. We tried to take it easier and sail a smart way - not complicate things, take an easy approach and at the end it paid off”.

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