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.”

read more here