extreme 2012

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STADIUM SAILINGPushing the world’s best sailors to the limits

A GLOBAL CIRCUIT8 host venues spanning 3 continents

2012 FORM GUIDEThe teams to watch

04 Full on! The powerful Extreme 40 requires expert handling.

06 Sailing to the Extreme

Sailing journalist Justin Chisholm looks at how the Extreme Sailing Series redefined the concept of sailing as a spectator sport.

09 Cutting the surf America’s Cup legend Dean Barker gives an insight into his transition to multihulls on the Extreme 40.

10 Meet the skippers The all-star skipper line-up for 2012.

12 2012 team line-up Meet the crew, the men behind the machines.

18 2012 championship title Who will win in 2012? James Boyd, editor of thedailysail.com gives us his low-down on the teams to watch.

22 Valuable asset David Fuller, editor of yachtracing.biz asks what makes the Extreme Sailing Series different and an interesting property for investors.

24 In their words Rock stars, super models, F1 supremos, sailors and the media give their take on stepping on board an Extreme 40 for a ride.

26 Close combat An essential guide to following all the action on an Extreme 40 racecourse.28 Umpire’s View Umpire’s insight into how best to keep tabs on the most dynamic sailing series in existence!

30 The courses The Extreme 40 racecourses explained.

CONTENTS

32 Extreme 40s on tour Take a look at the 2012 international venues in detail.

40 On the map Where is the Extreme Sailing Series 2012 going?

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

46 A wild ride BBC Sport correspondent Rob Hodgetts, on his wet and wild Extreme 40 ride.

48 Creating an event for the public More than just a top-sporting event, the Extreme Sailing Series is a festival of entertainment on and off the water!

50 Hitting the red zone Extreme 40 co-creator Mitch Booth discusses the ‘crash and burn’ nature of the circuit.

52 Zoom The action, straight from the racecourse.

74 Vital stats The vital stats & facts for the 2012 season.

You can follow the circuit at:

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

Editedby:OC ThirdPole Production

Editor:Lou Newlands

Contributors:James Boyd, David Fuller, Justin Chisholm, Rob Hodgetts

Design:Wez Maynard, James Geoghegan, Tom Ayliffe

Photography:Mark Lloyd - www.lloydimages.com

Copyright:OC ThirdPole

Allrightsreserved.V2PublishedMay2012

An OC ThirdPole event

EXTREME // The Official Extreme Sailing Series magazine for 2012

V E N U E P A R T N E R S

O F I C I A L S E R I E S P A R T N E R S

PEOPLE SOMETIMES UNDERESTIMATE THE DIFFICULTY OF DOING THAT, WORkING WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, WITH A RHYTHM OF EvENTS THAT, IN TERMS OF ORGANISATION, DOESN’T STOP. It’s not only the challenge of being in new cultures or new venues, but also venues that never hosted sailing before or at least not this kind of sailing! It was a big year, a huge year and 2012 is shaping up to be another great year as this circuit grows both in stature and appeal.

2012 is about evolution not revolution…. We have 8 international venues this year and are consolidating our host venues for 2013 and beyond. The bid process opened in late March with only three venue slots open from 2013 onwards and the successful host bid cities will join an already very strong, iconic line-up of venues. We will continue to grow our media footprint (currently standing at over €25 million of value in 2011 as audited by independent agency, Havas Sponsorship Insights) with Tv continuing to provide the lion’s share with the Tv series broadcast worldwide on leading channels, such as, Eurosport, Bloomberg, ESPN, CNBC and Al Jazeera bolstered by the increasing number of hours of live Tv broadcast. Last year, the Extreme Sailing Series Acts were broadcast live

on national channels in Oman, Turkey and Italy, and regionally in Qingdao. We have 8 world-class teams competing for the overall championship with additional 1 or 2 wildcard entries at some Acts (8 is the optimum number for us in terms of stadium sailing) crewed by sailors who would be ‘ranked in the premier division’ representing up to 15 nationalities, combined with a great global fan base to continue to nurture and develop. The stadium format, which is absolutely at the heart of the Extreme Sailing Series, remains our focus and we will continue to widen the on-land entertainment experience too whilst sailing fans around the globe can watch the race coverage live online – at the same time, ensuring the Series continues with its very high level of professional sailing competition.

The important thing for us as organisers is to have this core set of teams with the majority of them having a commercial objective, because the whole structure has been set up for that. They must care about the hospitality side and they must care the public is there. Our objective is to get brands involved - brands that activate and use their sponsorship. We are fortunate that we have a great mix of historical and well-known sailing brands, like Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and Alinghi, competing alongside commercially-backed teams, like Red Bull, GAC,

Oman Air and now SAP, who proactively leverage their involvement through media, marketing and hospitality activities. To have these teams is very important so we must continue to ensure a great ROI for this particular group of stakeholders.

What is important for the Extreme Sailing Series is that the sporting action is as entertaining as it can be, in this order. The Extreme 40 multihull is 7 years old this year and the design philosophy as vocalised by co-creator Mitch Booth “of creating a boat that could be both challenging for the sailors and really entertaining for the spectators” is still being borne out. We will never run this event with a boat that doesn’t work from a sporting point of view or that won’t provide a fair winner, which doesn’t mean to say that the Extreme 40 design won’t evolve in the future. When you have the public on site in their tens of thousands, almost 100% non-sailing, and when a boat lifts a hull or accelerates very quickly, and places change right in front of the audience, people cheer, they lean forward to catch every moment of the action, they take photos and videos, they are part of the event. We don’t want that to change – EvER.

The future of the Extreme Sailing Series is bright thanks to all our stakeholders – sponsors, host venue partners, sailors, suppliers, the media and the public – who all make this circuit so special. And, last but not least, the amazing team at OC ThirdPole who behind the scenes make it happen time and time again.

WE ARE NOW GOING INTO OUR S IXTH YEAR AND I WOULD SAY THAT 201 1 WAS A P IVOTAL YEAR FOR THE EXTREME SAIL ING SERIES, GOING FROM A EUROPEAN CIRCUIT TO A GLOBAL, INTERNATIONAL C IRCUIT.

Executive Chairman, OC ThirdPole

Mark Turner

2012 is about evolution not revolution….Leading the way...

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FULL ON! A H A N DF U L IN S TRONGE R BR E E Z E S , T H E P O W E R F U L E X TR E M E 4 0 R EQUIR E S E X P E RT H A N DLING.


www.twitter.com/extremesailing // www.facebook.com/extremesailingseries // www.youtube.com/extremesailingseries

Designed to redefine yacht racing as a spectator sport, the Extreme Sailing Series offers a grandstand experience within a whisker of the high-speed action. By Justin Chisholm

Despite being recognised as one of the largest participation sports in the world, sailboat racing has historically struggled to effectively position itself as a spectator sport. The primary reasons being that – while there is generally no lack of action on the water – typically racing takes place too far away from land for people to make any sense of what is going on, and the complexities of the sport of sailing are difficult for the uninitiated observer to comprehend. However, six years ago both of those issues went out of the window with the advent of the Extreme Sailing Series – an innovative and uncompromising format designed to redefine the concept of sailing as a spectator sport.

The Extreme Sailing Series essentially threw away the established regatta rulebook to refocus on the needs of the spectator and to align itself with those of the highly competitive sailors attracted to the new multihull racing

EXTREMEABOUT THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES

SAILING to the

S A I L I N G T O T H E E X T R E M E6


format. A new class of lightweight high-speed 40ft multihulls (known as the Extreme 40) was already in production, designed by Mitch Booth and Yves Loday, and international venues were selected primarily for their capability to run racing within meters of the shore, guaranteeing spectators a grandstand view of the fast and furious action.

The challenge of racing the Extreme 40 catamarans attracts some of the best professional sailors in the world and from the very first regatta the Extreme Sailing Series was nothing short of a sensation. Huge crowds gathered to watch Olympic champions, America’s Cup veterans and World Champion professional sailors battling each other at breakneck speeds around minuscule courses set within touching distance of the shore. The potential for disaster is a big draw for sporting spectators ( just ask a Formula 1 or NASCAR fan) and the Extreme Sailing Series had it by the truckload. The power and speed of the Extreme 40 cats means that the sailors are often on the edge of losing control. As a result, high speed wipe-outs, crashes and dramatic capsizes are all simply part of the game. A runaway

success from the very first event, the

Extreme Sailing Series had changed the face of sailboat racing forever.

GOING GLOBALThe fact that the Extreme Sailing Series has so far survived

the highly turbulent economic times which scuppered several other long established professional regatta circuits, and continues not merely unscathed, but rather firing on all cylinders and seemingly stronger than ever, is a testimony to the nerve, vision and guile of its creator, Mark Turner. Turner is Executive Chairman of global sports marketing company OC ThirdPole – an operation specialising in ‘professional sailing and outdoor events ranging from running, cycling and biathlon, with an eye on more extreme sports including adventure and trail running races’. After a foray into the East in 2009/10, which saw highly successful Extreme Sailing Series regattas staged across Asia, in 2011 OC ThirdPole announced a fully international nine-Act circuit starting in February and concluding in December, comprising nine events taking in North America, Europe, Arabia and Asia.

“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,” said Turner.

Without doubt, the Extreme Sailing

Series has benefited from the

happy coincidence that the 34th edition of sailing’s oldest and most high profile event, the America’s Cup, is no longer to be raced in monohulls but in...

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...super-fast carbon catamarans. In exactly the right place at exactly the right time, the Extreme Sailing Series attracted entries from well-known America’s Cup campaigns from the past, present and future, such as Emirates Team New Zealand, Artemis Racing, Alinghi and Luna Rossa – three of those urgently needing to hone their multihull skills for the 34th America’s Cup in 2013, and in the process helping to raise the ante of the Extreme Sailing Series.

IN THE THICK OF ITIn whatever capacity, a visit to an Extreme Sailing Series regatta is an utterly unforgettable experience – a reason perhaps why every event is thronged with crowds made up of sailing fanatics, the general public as well as flocks of VIP corporate guests enjoying full hospitality packages. From morning until night there is never a dull moment, with the racing action on the water matched by equally frenetic onshore activities. Each regatta venue is transformed into a stylish tented regatta village, featuring bars, live entertainment, a public viewing area and a glitzy VIP lounge. But the racing is the undisputed star of the show, with teams scrapping it out for valuable Series points just a few feet away from the crowd of often wildly cheering spectators. The atmosphere can only be described as electric and makes for a totally unique experience.

For the lucky few, the chance to sail aboard one of the boats in the much sought after guest spot, delivers a heart-pumping and truly memorable experience. As a guest on an Extreme 40 your main priorities are simple: hold on tight, make sure you don’t fall off, and enjoy the ride. Even for an experienced sailor, getting aboard an Extreme 40 in full racing mode is nothing short of breathtaking. You will never get closer to the action than this and although you are not required (or indeed allowed) to get involved in racing the boat, you cannot help but marvel at the skill and

stamina of the sailors as they manhandle their carbon flying machines around the racecourse at mind boggling speeds. The moment you feel your boat power up, instantly accelerate to top speed, and then almost literally take off, rocketing along with one hull flying high above the water, is one even the most battle-hardened corporate guest or journalist will never ever forget. Back ashore, the fun doesn’t stop when the racing finishes, with the regatta bars serving up plenty to drink along with top quality live acts late into the evening.

Justin Chisholm is Editor of Sail Racing Magazine www.sailracingmagazine.com

6 YEARS OF THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES

As the Extreme Sailing Series redefined the sport of sailing for the public, so others are following suit and that can only be a good thing for the sport as a whole. Long may it continue.

1st LUNA ROSSA, ITA (Max Sirena)

2nd GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD, FRA (Pierre Pennec)

3rd EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND, NZL (Dean Barker)

4th THE WAVE, MUSCAT, OMA (Torvar Mirsky/Leigh McMillan)

5th ALINGHI, SUI (Tanguy Cariou)

6th RED BULL SAILING TEAM, AUT (Roman Hagara)

7th OMAN AIR, OMA (Sidney Gavignet/Ben Ainslie/Chris Draper)

8th ARTEMIS RACING, SWE (Terry Hutchinson)

9th TEAM GAC PINDAR, GBR (Ian Williams)

10th TEAM EXTREME, EUR (Roland Gaebler)

11th NICEFORYOU, ITA (Alberto Barovier)

2011

S A I L I N G T O T H E E X T R E M E8


SINCE PLAYING A VITAL ROLE IN THE LEGENDARY TEAM NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE OF THE AMERICA’S CUP BACK IN 2000, Dean Barker has become one of the most high profile players on the world yachting stage. In his formative years he followed the classic Kiwi sailing route – starting his racing career in Optimist dinghies before achieving significant success in the popular and highly competitive P-Class single-handers. Graduating then to the Olympic Laser Class, in 1990 he won the Youth World Championship with a race to spare. Following a couple of unsuccessful Olympic qualification attempts, Barker was introduced to the art of match racing when

the world’s most well known sailor, fellow New Zealander Russell Coutts, invited him to join his match racing team. This introduction set Barker on the America’s Cup trail, leading to Barker becoming Coutts’s sparring helmsman in the lead-up to the 2000 Cup, and ultimately successfully taking the helm of the Team New Zealand boat for the final race of their 5-0 series win.

Barker’s commitment to bringing yachting’s oldest and most prestigious trophy back to New Zealand once more is as strong now as when he first got involved back in 1995. As skipper of the Kiwi national team, re-branded as Emirates Team New Zealand, the decision was made to transform America’s Cup racing by moving from monohulls to new high-speed wing-sailed catamarans. Barker did not hesitate in beginning the task of reinventing himself and his squad as multihull sailors. The Extreme Sailing Series suddenly became the best game in town for any aspiring America’s Cup team hungry for speed and close-combat catamaran experience. At the second of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series events in Qingdao, China Barker led his crew to second place overall; an impressive feat given that this was just their third-ever Extreme 40 regatta.

Asked to explain how he had gone about making the transition to multihulls, he had this to say: “In the last few years we had invested a lot of time and money into making Emirates Team New Zealand the best possible monohull sailing team that it could be. We reaped the rewards too, dominating both the Louis Vuitton and the TP52 Audi MedCup Series for a few seasons. Clearly multihull sailing requires quite a different skill set from the monohull based campaigns which we had built our team around. We have only been focusing on multihulls for just over a year but it is strange how quickly we have picked things up. That said, the more you sail, the more you realise how much you still have to learn,” said Barker.

Barker readily admits to the total hours he had spent multihull sailing previously being zero. Starting from scratch, Barker decided that the most important thing was to get his head around the fundamentals of catamaran sailing as quickly as possible. For this he secured the services of Olympic medallist and multiple world champion Glenn Ashby. “Glenn had previously coached the current holders of the America’s Cup – Oracle Racing. Glenn steered us towards the A-Class cat, a 5.5m/18ft single-handed, high-tech, trapeze catamaran, and that’s where I rapidly learned the fundamentals of trimming and steering a multihull. To develop ourselves as a crew, we got involved in the Extreme Sailing Series where at each event you can be doing up to 30 races. You get the benefit of lots of starting practice, gain some understanding of the potential tactical situations, and have the opportunity to dramatically improve your teamwork and boat handling. You learn a lot in a very compressed time period and our Extreme 40 crew have gone on to become the core of our larger America’s Cup squad as we move forward,” Dean Barker concludes.

Emirates Team New Zealand is competing in the America’s Cup World Series this year, raced in

45ft catamarans ahead of the 2013 Louis Vuitton Challenger series and America’s Cup finale. www.

emiratesteamnz.com

Dean Barker competed in the 2011

Extreme Sailing Series as

part of Emirates Team New

Zealand’s preparation to

reclaim the ‘oldest trophy

in the sport’.

1st LUNA ROSSA, ITA (Max Sirena)

2nd GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD, FRA (Pierre Pennec)

3rd EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND, NZL (Dean Barker)

4th THE WAVE, MUSCAT, OMA (Torvar Mirsky/Leigh McMillan)

5th ALINGHI, SUI (Tanguy Cariou)


7th OMAN AIR, OMA (Sidney Gavignet/Ben Ainslie/Chris Draper)

8th ARTEMIS RACING, SWE (Terry Hutchinson)

9th TEAM GAC PINDAR, GBR (Ian Williams)

10th TEAM EXTREME, EUR (Roland Gaebler)

11th NICEFORYOU, ITA (Alberto Barovier)

1st BASILICA, GBR (Rob Greenhalgh)

2nd HOLMATRO, NED (Carolijn Brouwer / Andreas Hagara)

3rd BT, EUR (Nick Moloney)

1st ALINGHI, SUI (Ed Baird)

2nd TEAMORIGIN, GBR (Rob Greenhalgh)

3rd BT, EUR (Nick Moloney)

1st OMAN SAIL MASIRAH, OMA (Pete Cumming)

2nd GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD, FRA (Yann Guichard)

3rd OMAN SAIL RENAISSANCE, OMA (Loick Peyron)

1st OMAN SAIL MASIRAH, OMA (Pete Cumming)

2nd THE WAVE, MUSCAT, OMA (Paul Campbell-James)

3rd CHINA TEAM, CHN (Thierry Barot)

2009/10ASIA

2009

2008

2007

1st THE WAVE, MUSCAT, OMA (Paul Campbell-James)

2nd GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD, FRA (Yann Guichard)

3rd ECOVER SAILING TEAM, GBR (Mike Golding)

4th OMAN SAIL MASIRAH, OMA (Loick Peyron)

5th GROUPAMA 40, FRA (Franck Cammas)


7th THE OCEAN RACING CLUB (Mitch Booth)

8th TEAM GAC PINDAR, GBR (Nick Moloney)

2010

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Ernesto Bertarelli – AlinghiNationality: SUI Born: 22.09.65 Lives: SwitzerlandPersonal status: Married with children

Smooth as a bar of Swiss chocolate – a successful businessman and syndicate head of the Swiss team Alinghi that has been a titan in the sailing world, winning the America’s Cup in 2003 and then successfully defending it in 2007. As a multihull sailor

and helmsman Bertarelli is no novice, with some 20 years’ experience racing on Lake Geneva where his catamarans have won the famous Bol d’Or six times against many of the top Swiss and French multihull sailing pros. But officially classified as an amateur sailor, he has ‘come to learn’ the Extreme 40 ropes in a stylish looking Swiss boat that is perfectly prepared.

Jes Gram-Hansen & Rasmus Kostner – SAP Extreme Sailing TeamNationality: DENBorn: Jes 26.09.71 Rasmus 17.05.78 Live: Jes Denmark Rasmus Denmark Personal status: Jes lives with girlfriend / Rasmus married

The ‘apprentices’ with an unknown Extreme 40 track record. The Danish match racing pros vowed to one day have their own Extreme 40 team and now they have achieved it. It is yet to be seen how quickly these match racing experts can think on their feet and adapt to quick-fire cat racing which will ultimately decide their place on the leaderboard. Gram-Hansen is one of the most talented match racing helms of his generation, best known for his position as starting helmsman in the 2007 America’s Cup aboard Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team, on which kostner also sailed. However their performance will depend on how quickly they take to the Extreme 40 short course stadium format and, in particular, the move from one to two hulls.

Morgan Larson – Oman AirNationality: USABorn: 04.03.71Lives: USAPersonal status: Married

The ‘new kid’ on the block this year who dominated the first Act of 2012, securing an event win and ruffling a few feathers! A surfing mad Californian, his laid back persona belies his killer instinct on the racecourse. A background in the clinical

world of America’s Cup sailing, having been tactician for three leading campaigns, makes him one of the skippers to watch this year. He is also accomplished in the 49er Olympic skiff, reaching the World Championship podium on three occasions. Sailing a high performance lightweight 49er is a discipline not dissimilar to that of a catamaran and he intends to continue as he started, and finish at the top of the podium.

Roman Hagara – Red Bull Sailing TeamNationality: AUTBorn: 30.04.66Lives: AustriaPersonal status: lives with girlfriend

A double Olympic gold medallist in the Tornado class who made the switch into Extreme 40s in 2009, Hagara is one of the most experienced skippers on the circuit but also one of the most frustrated as the overall podium is still proving elusive. With

a sixth sense for close-quarter racing, Hagara is hoping to maximise his race wins and climb up the leaderboard this year. known for his, at times, hair-raising boat positioning, Hagara is not afraid of chucking his boat into some tight situations : “He has no problem slamming it in front of you and making you avoid him pretty hard,” said a rival. “He must be pretty good at judging it or very lucky, because he doesn’t get crashed into very often.”

LINE -UPSTARALL

THE‘APPRENTICES’

THE‘NEWKID’ON

ATITANINTHESAILINGWORLD

ADOUBLEOLYMPICGOLDMEDALLIST THEBLOCK

A L L S TA R L I N E U P

THE CHARACTERISTICS, PERSONALITY NUANCES AND DIFFERING ATTITUDES THAT PUT THESE MEN AT THE TOP OF THE CLASS...

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Ian Williams – GAC PindarNationality: GBRBorn: 26.04.77Lives: UKPersonal status: Married

A lawyer by profession and a match racing expert, impressively winning the ISAF World Match Racing Tour Championship three times, working his way up the Extreme 40 fleet after his baptism of fire in 2011. He is a thinker, clinical, cool and calm

combined with impressive tactical skill who ‘never gives up’. Williams is now more familiar with the intense short course fleet racing on the Extreme Sailing Series and the quirks of racing a catamaran, as opposed to the world of one-on-one monohull match racing.

Pierre Pennec – Groupe Edmond de RothschildNationality: FRABorn: 19.04.77Lives: FrancePersonal status: Lives with girlfriend and 2 children

Labeled ‘Mr Intense’ in his first foray in Extreme 40 racing last year as skipper of the smart, all-French team who finished runners-up, Pierre Pennec appears in a new relaxed version this year as ‘Mr Favourite’.

His team would love to claim the overall championship having finished second in the past two seasons. A former Tornado Olympian, who if he wasn’t a professional sailor lists being an astronaut or a diver as his career of choice. This will be Pennec’s second year in the driving seat and with a personal mantra of “Go On” his team are the ones to watch.

MRFAVOURITE

Erik Maris & Loick Peyron – ZouLouNationality: FRABorn: Erik Maris 16.02.64 Loick Peyron 01.12.59Live: FrancePersonal status: Both married with children

Erik Maris, principal skipper and helm of ZouLou, is sharing those duties with French sailing star Loick Peyron who will act as stand-in helm for the first 2 Acts of the season.

Loick Peyron is a French multihull sailing sensation, holding more records than you can shake a stick at. Not only that, he is a lovely guy, uber cool, a legend and with a skill set that has propelled him to the top of his sport. Peyron has spent some 30 years at the forefront of offshore multihull racing, culminating earlier this year in a record breaking non-stop lap of the planet on the 40m long maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire. He is no newcomer to Extreme 40 racing, having sailed Oman Sail Masirah to fourth place in 2010.

Erik Maris is a successful businessman and former Mumm 30 World Champion. He is also no stranger to the Extreme Sailing Series as he previously sailed his Extreme 40 LUNA to fourth place on the 2009 circuit. He has since been honing his multihull racing skills on the Swiss D35 catamaran circuit and is looking forward to his next foray into this close-quarter circuit.

UBERCOOLSAILINGSENSATIONS

Leigh McMillan – The Wave, MuscatNationality: GBRBorn: 24.10.80Lives: UKPersonal status: Single

The youngest skipper on the tour who on the Extreme 40 battlefield has proven himself equal to his peers. A happy-go-lucky and pretty laid back guy on shore, his persona transforms in the intensity of

battle! A born and bred catamaran sailor, McMillan is one of the more seat-of-the-pants style sailors, known to get hot headed on occasions, he doesn’t hold back from expressing himself to his rivals. He has constantly proved himself a force to be reckoned with, particularly coming into his own when the breeze is up and remains the only skipper to have won two Acts back to back in 2011.

THEYOUNGESTSKIPPERONTOUR

ATHINKER,CLINICAL,COOLANDCALM MEET

THESKIPPERS

(PREVIOUSLYKNOWNASMRINTENSE)

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THE 2012 TEAM LINE-UPEXTREME SAILING SERIES TEAMS

The team rosters include world-renowned sailors from a multitude of backgrounds representing 15 different nationalities. French sailing superstar Loick Peyron, Britain’s three-times ISAF World Match Racing Champion Ian Williams and Austria’s double Olympic gold medallist Roman Hagara return to the circuit, whilst

Team & Nationality

Crew

About the team

Team URL

Ernesto will be joining Alinghi as skipper and helm for his Extreme 40 racing debut. However, he’s no stranger to racing at the highest level in sailing having competed in the 31st, 32nd & 33rd America’s Cup’s – winning two! He’ll get off to a flying start as he has plenty of multihull experience in the D35 class.

America’s Cup veterans who will now be pushing their Extreme 40 to the max in their third season of competition with new skipper Ernesto Bertarelli. This team has a wealth of experience from the America’s Cup – winning the Cup in 2003 then successfully defending in 2007 - to the D35. Alinghi won the penultimate Act in 2011 in Almeria and having an experienced multihull crew on board will ensure the Swiss team will be a force to be reckoned with.

SK IPPER

Ernesto Bertarelli

H e l m .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ernesto BertarelliTa c T i c i a n .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tanguy CariouT r i m m e r .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nils FreiB o w m a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yves Detrey T r av e l l e r .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre Yves Jorand

5th

www.alinghi.com

Ian has taken home the ISAF World Match Racing Tour Championship title three times in 2007, 2008, and 2011 as well as the Farr 40 North American Championship crown in 2007. Another match racing expert on the Extreme 40 circuit will ensure some lively action in the starting blocks.

William’s made his debut on GAC Pindar in 2010 and adapted to Extreme 40 racing quickly, even showing the seasoned sailors some new tricks. For their second season this team will be sure to continue their gutsy approach to racing and aim to minimize crew changes in 2012 to improve consistency to drive them up the leaderboard.

SK IPPER

Ian Williams

H e l m .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ian WilliamsTa c T i c i a n .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark IveyT r i m m e r ( m a i n s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark BulkeleyB o w m a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam PiggotT r i m m e r ( H e a D s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Walsh

9th

www.sailing.gacpindar.com

ALINGHI GAC PINDAR

About the skipper

Skipper

2011 position

T H E 2 0 1 2 T E A M L I N E U P12


A true multihull sailor whose first professional race and best sailing achievement were both onboard multihulls, including representing his country at the Sydney Olympics in the Tornado class. He skippered Groupe Edmond de Rothschild to 2nd place in 2011, and his eyes are firmly on the 2012 trophy this year.

This all-French team have been runners-up in 2009, 2010 and 2011 losing out by a mere whisker – fuelling their thirst for the 2012 title, against another strong line-up. The team won in both Muscat and their home waters of Nice last year and this highly competitive team will be hoping its fourth time lucky in 2012. This highly experienced Extreme 40 team will be the ones to beat.

SK IPPER

Pierre Pennec

H e l m .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre PennecTa c T i c i a n .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jean-Christophe MourniacT r i m m e r ( m a i n s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hervé CunninghamB o w m a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bernard Labro TRIMMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adeline Chatenet

2nd

www.gitana-team.com

Morgan has four America’s Cup campaigns under his belt as well as having won three Maxi World Championships. Morgan will be transferring his many years of regatta winning experience into the multihull world, and will be one to watch in 2012 as he finds his Extreme 40 feet.

This team is part of the Oman Sail well-managed project that aims to help Omani sailors excel in the sport. To this end skipper Morgan Larson will have Omani sailors alongside him on the team and will kick start their second season racing in their home country providing their supporters with plenty of Extreme 40 action.

SK IPPER

Morgan Larson

H e l m .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morgan LarsonTa c T i c i a n .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Will HowdenT r i m m e r ( m a i n s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlie OgletreeB o w m a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nasser Al Mashari T r i m m e r ( H e a D s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Max Bulger

7TH

www.omansail.com

15 Nationalities 48 World Championship titles 12 Records set/broken

33 European Championship titles

22 Olympic campaigns

2012 TEAM*

* As at January 2012

American Olympic silver medallist Charlie Ogletree and five-times America’s Cup sailor Bernard Labro from France are two new faces gracing the roll-call. The teams boast an array of Olympic, America’s Cup, match racing and round the world credentials, as well as a sprinkling of ocean racing record setters.

GROuPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD OMAN AIR

13


The only team to have two full-time skippers this year with Jes Gram-Hansen at the helm and Ramus kostner as tactician taking joint control. A new duo to the mix this year who both come from an America’s Cup and match racing background. They competed in the 32nd America’s Cup together and have dreamed of having their own Extreme 40 team since.

An almost all-Danish team, they have another America’s Cup and match racing expert as their trimmer in Mikkel Rossberg. Jonas Hvid-Neilsen is on the bow alongside Brit Pete Cumming, who won the Series in 2009 onboard Oman Sail Masirah. Between them they boast America’s Cup campaigns, a host of world championship wins and Atlantic crossings.

CO - SK IPPERS

Jes Gram-HansenRasmus Kostner

c o - s k i p p e r / H e l m .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jes Gram-Hansen c o - s k i p p e r / Ta c T i c i a n .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rasmus KostnerT r i m m e r ( m a i n s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete CummingB o w m a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonas Hviid-Nielsen T r i m m e r ( H e a D s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mikkel Røssberg

Did Not Compete

www.sapextremesailing.com

Hagara is an Olympic sailor with an impressive duo of gold medals secured from attending the Olympics an impressive six times in the Tornado class. He is going into his fourth season with his eyes on the prize, a podium finish for the Red Bull Sailing Team in 2012.

A veteran Extreme 40 team who have competed on the circuit since 2009 will be approaching their fourth season totally focused. This team has a ‘hard and fast’ attitude ensuring there is never a dull moment on the racecourse for this outstanding team who demonstrate moments of winning brilliance. If they can consistently deliver that winning form they will end up within striking distance of the podium.

SK IPPER

Roman Hagara

H e l m .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roman HagaraTa c T i c i a n .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hans Peter SteinacherT r i m m e r ( m a i n s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matt AdamsB o w m a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graeme Spence T r i m m e r ( H e a D s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pierre Le Clainche

6th

www.redbullextremesailing.com

RED BuLL SAILING TEAM

SAP EXTREME SAILING TEAM

T H E 2 0 1 2 T E A M L I N E U P

Team & Nationality

Crew

About the team

Team URL

About the skipper

2011 position

Skipper

14


A new name for 2012 is ZouLou, headed up by Frenchman Erik Maris. It’s not Maris’ first Extreme 40 experience however having competed on ‘LUNA’ in the 2009 Series. This time he will be ably supported by an experienced multihull crew with the added caché of French sailing superstar Loick Peyron, recently returned from setting a new Jules verne round the world record, as helmsman for the first two acts in Muscat and Qingdao.

Maris will be sailing with a top cast. Philippe Mourniac is a three time America’s Cup veteran and former Olympic Tornado sailor. Match racer Bruno Jeanjean was a member of Franck Cammas’ Groupama trimaran crew, setting a new round the world record in 2010. Six-time World Champion, Jean-Sebastien Ponce is another heavily capped sailor who has competed in a wide range of classes from the Farr 30 to ORMA 60 trimarans.

CO - SK IPPERS

Erik MarisLoick Peyron

H e l m .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erik Maris ACTS 3-8

H e l m .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Loick Peyron ACTS 1-2

Ta c T i c i a n .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Philippe Mourniac T r i m m e r ( m a i n s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jean-Sébastien PonceB o w m a n . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bruno Jeanjean

T r i m m e r ( H e a D s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Antoine Joubert

Did Not Compete

N/A

Leigh McMillan is a multihull expert who has raced on the Extreme 40 circuit since 2006. He’s no stranger to podium finishes, finishing 2010 in 3rd onboard Ecover, with 2011 seeing him secure two event wins back to back finishing in 4th place overall. Leigh represented Great Britain at two Olympic Games in the Tornado class.

This is the second Oman Sail team competing this season alongside Oman Air. They had an impressive year in 2011 securing two event wins back to back and narrowly missing out on a podium finish. This team is a serious contender and 2012 could be their year to bring the Extreme Sailing Series title back to Oman following Oman Sail’s back to back Series win’s in 2009 and 2010.

SK IPPER

Leigh McMillan

H e l m .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leigh McMillanTa c T i c i a n .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed SmythT r i m m e r ( m a i n s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter GreenhalghB o w m a n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hashim Al Rashidi T r i m m e r ( H e a D s a i l ) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Williamson

4th

www.omansail.com

33 America’s Cup campaigns

4 Olympic Gold Medals2 Olympic Silver Medals

1 Olympic Bronze Medal

7 Round the World navigations

2012 TEAM*

* As at January 2012

ZOuLOuTHE WAvE, MuSCAT

15


FOR MORE INFORMATION ON NEW AND USED BOAT SALES AND CHARTER, VISIT:

WWW.EXTREME40.ORG

The all-carbon high-performance Extreme 40, main act of the Extreme Sailing Series,

is available to buy*

* THE FAINT-HEARTED NEED NOT APPLY

• Prepreg carbon/Nomex autoclave construction• North 3DL Carbon Kevlar sails• Race spec equipment• Easy assembly and disassembly• Optional road trailer

2012 Form Guide by James Boyd, Editor of thedailysail.com

WHO WILL WIN IN 2012? WE FEEL THERE IS ONE STAND-OUT TEAM, BUT WITH LITTLE TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE REMAINDER, THE PODIUM

IS WIDE-OPEN THIS SEASON. IN SHORT THE FIGHT FOR THE OVERALL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IS LIKELY TO BE THE TIGHTEST WE HAVE EVER SEEN IN THE HISTORY OF THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES…

2012 TITLE

This year, the line-up looks to be ever more competitive, making predicting the outcome even harder,

combined with the fact that for the last three years the overall Extreme Sailing Series title has only been decided on the final day - often in the very last race. That this occurs is phenomenal given that more races are held per annum on this circuit than any other – in 2011, across nine events, 302 races were sailed in total.

In terms of the form for this season we feel that, on paper at least, there is one stand-out team, but with little to choose between the remainder, any of which is capable of getting on the podium for the overall Series title. With the departure of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series overall champions Luna Rossa, Emirates Team New Zealand (3rd) and Artemis Racing (7th) – now vying in the AC45 World Series - so this will open up some fresh opportunities both for the long term repeat customers and the new players coming into the Extreme Sailing Series this season.

We expect 2012 to be the year Groupe Edmond de Rothschild finally comes good. Most distressingly for the team, they were runner-up not only last year but for the two seasons before that, on each occasion the overall Series win going to the wire. In 2011 Groupe Edmond de Rothschild lost to Luna Rossa by a mere point, as they did in 2009 to Oman Sail Masirah, while in 2010 they finished two points adrift of The Wave, Muscat.

Baron Rothschild’s team is considered to be one of the ‘fastest’ in all conditions, but especially when the wind is light. For this

season half of her French crew has changed. This will be former Tornado Olympian, Pierre Pennec’s second year in the driving seat, having taken over from Yann Guichard at the beginning of 2011. All-rounder Hervé Cunningham remains with the team, with he and Pennec joined by former F18 World Champion Jean-Christophe Mourniac and ex-Alinghi and Luna Rossa America’s Cup crewman, Bernard Labro.

As a skipper Pennec is known for the level of intensity and drive he puts into his sailing, but recently he is said to have mellowed. Judging from the team’s performance in past years, if they can overcome whatever it was that caused them to fall repeatedly at the final hurdle, then they will be powerful contenders.

If a combination of standard textbook ‘plays’ and seat of the pants improvisation is what it takes to win the Extreme Sailing Series then a team that holds both these qualities in spades is Oman Air. While this team went through three skippers in 2011, including British Olympic legend Ben Ainslie, this year two Americans and a Brit are joining Omani bowman Nasser Al Mashari on board. Oman Air’s new American skipper Morgan Larson has a background in the clinical world of America’s Cup sailing, having been tactician for three leading campaigns. He is also accomplished in the 49er Olympic skiff, reaching the World Championship podium on three occasions. Sailing a high performance lightweight 49er is a discipline not dissimilar to that of a catamaran and having won the opening Act of this season in Muscat, Oman, Larson seems to have picked up Extreme 40 racing with formidable speed.

Larson is joined on board Oman Air by American Charlie Ogletree, the Athens Olympic Tornado silver medallist, and British cat sailor and Extreme 40 old hand, Will Howden. For Ogletree getting to events is not without drama. He and his wife live on a boat in Panama and reaching the nearest airport requires a boat trip, followed by a 2.5 hour jeep ride through the mountains before boarding a plane!

Ogletree sailed in the Extreme Sailing Series’ first season and he and Larson seem able to keep a level head even when they are in the thick of the action. As he explains: “It is more than just sailing resumes. It seems that we are gelling really well together. Nasser gave us a big complement when he said we were some of the calmest people he’d ever sailed with at a high level. I think in this type of racing you are going to be last and second to last and you are going to win some races. We try not to panic or put pressure on ourselves, we just keep looking forward all the time and keep a positive attitude.”

The other Oman Sail-managed entry, The Wave Muscat, will be looking for more consistency this season. The team’s overall victory in 2010 with Paul Campbell-James at the helm (Campbell-James went on to victory again in 2011 as helmsman for Luna Rossa) could not be repeated last year. British Olympic Tornado sailor Leigh McMillan took over the helm halfway through last season from young Australian match racer Torvar Mirsky and the team put in some stirling performances, winning two Acts back to back. This year he is joined by some heavy hitters: Ed Smyth is a former 49er World Champion and long term America’s Cup sailor, while Peter Greenhalgh was part of his brother

2 0 1 2 T I T L E18


of their Extreme 40 properly aligned and a new suit of sails fitted.

On board GAC Pindar is Mark Bulkeley, who represented Team GBR in the Tornado with Leigh McMillan at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, Adam Piggot on bow and tactician this season is American all-rounder and one time Team Racing World Champion, Mark Ivey.

Before he became a professional sailor Williams qualified as a lawyer and is very meticulous and organised in his approach. A grand master of the water-borne chess game that is match racing, he is known to be a big thinker on the water, but the success of his team this year will also depend on how well Williams is also able to pick up some of the freestyle, improvisational ability his long term cat sailing competitors know so instinctively.

When it comes to this kind of seat-of-the-pants skill, French multihull legend Loick Peyron is the guru. Peyron has spent some 30 years at the forefront of offshore multihull racing, culminating earlier this year in a record breaking non-stop lap of the planet on the 40m long maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire. He is standing in for owner Erik Maris aboard Zoulou for two

Robert’s winning Basilica team in the Extreme Sailing Series’

first year in 2007, the Greenhalgh brothers continuing the following year

on TeamOrigin. The Wave, Muscat crew this season will be showing the ropes to their new

Omani crewman Hashim Al Rashidi.

A born and bred catamaran sailor, Leigh McMillan is one of the more seat-of-the-pants style sailors on the

Extreme Sailing Series and his peers say he has been known to get hot headed on occasions. He has constantly proved

himself a force to be reckoned with, particularly coming into his own when the breeze is up.

If some of the strongest sailors on the Extreme Sailing Series have come from the Olympic Tornado catamaran, then the Austrian duo of Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher and their Red Bull Sailing Team should be dominating having taken home the gold medal from both the Sydney and Athens Olympic Games. In fact, since joining the circuit for the Asia tour in 2009/10 they have been consistently mid-fleet, finishing sixth in the last two seasons.

This year the Austrians are hoping to raise their game. Among their crew, Britain’s Matthew Adams continues with the team while America’s Cup grinder Craig Monk has been replaced by Graeme Spence, part of Torvar Mirsky’s The Wave, Muscat match racing crew in 2011.

Roman Hagara is known for his, at times, hair-raising boat positioning. “He isn’t afraid of chucking his boat into some tight situations,” one of his competitors admitted. “He has no problem slamming it in front of you and making you avoid him pretty hard. He must be pretty good at judging it or very lucky, because he doesn’t get crashed into very often.”

GAC Pindar return for a second full season with triple World Match Racing Tour winning skipper Ian Williams at the helm. If 2011, when they finished ninth, was a year with training wheels for the team, this year they are making a whole scale effort to raise their game. Williams is now more familiar with the intense short course fleet racing on the Extreme Sailing Series and the quirks of racing a catamaran, as opposed to the world of one-on-one monohull match racing. This season he will benefit from competing with a more consistent crew, and one that has spent more time on the water training. In particular, prior to Muscat, they had time to get their boat fully prepared, which included getting the hulls, rudders and daggerboards

“This year, the line-up looks to be ever more competitive, making predicting

the outcome even harder.”

19


events at the start of this season. No newcomer to the Extreme Sailing Series, having sailed Oman Sail Masirah to fourth place in 2010, the charismatic Peyron on board is unflappable. One of two ‘amateur’ helms on the circuit this year, Erik Maris is a former Mumm 30 World Champion, who previously sailed LUNA to fourth place on the 2009 Extreme Sailing Series. He has since been honing his multihull racing skills on the Swiss D35 catamaran circuit.

Maris will be sailing with a top cast this year. Philippe Mourniac is a three time America’s Cup veteran and former Olympic Tornado sailor and match racer. Match racer Bruno Jeanjean was a long-standing member of Franck Cammas’ Groupama team, setting a new round the world record on the Groupama 3 maxi trimaran in 2010 and on board Cammas’ Extreme 40 during 2009. Six-time World Champion, Jean-Sebastien

Ponce is another heavily capped sailor who has competed in a wide range of premier league classes from the Farr 30 (winning the super competitive Tour de France à la voile no less than five times) to maxi-boats and ORMA 60 trimarans.

Perhaps the biggest unknown on this year’s circuit is how Alinghi will perform. The Swiss team has been a titan in the sailing world, winning the America’s Cup in 2003 and then successfully defending it in 2007. Alinghi won the Extreme Sailing Series in 2008 with Ed Baird at the helm and rejoined the circuit last year finishing fifth overall

with Yann Guichard steering and Tanguy Cariou calling tactics. This year Team Principle Ernesto Bertarelli is taking the helm himself. As a multihull sailor and helmsman Bertarelli is no novice, with some 20 years’ experience racing on Lake Geneva where his catamarans have won the famous Bol d’Or six times, ahead of many of the top Swiss and French multihull sailing pros. On board there remains Tanguy Cariou, supported by old hands from Bertarelli’s America’s Cup winning team, Nils Frei and Yves Detrey. How they perform this year will depend how quickly Bertarelli gets to grips with the Extreme Sailing Series’ stadium-style, ultra-short races.

At the start of the Extreme 40 learning curve is SAP Extreme Sailing Team, the first Danish team to compete in the circuit, which is

co-skippered by Danish match racing veterans Jes Gram Hansen and Rasmus kostner. Gram Hansen is one of the most talented match racing helms of his generation, best known for his position as starting helmsman in the 2007 America’s Cup aboard Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team, on which kostner also sailed. They are joined by British hotshot, Pete Cumming, skipper of Oman Sail Masirah, winner of the Extreme Sailing Series in 2009.

On the match racing circuit Gram Hansen is known for being one of the most aggressive helmsmen. From the World Match Racing Tour he will be used to the short course, however his performance this year will depend on how quickly he takes to the Extreme Sailing Series short course stadium format and, in particular, the move from one to two hulls.

It will be interesting to see if the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series goes to the wire yet again or if one of the teams can pull ahead and hold their advantage. With this year’s line-up, we doubt it.

“When it comes to this kind of seat-of-the-pants skill, French multihull legend

Loick Peyron is the guru.”

James Boyd’s 2012 Rankings*:

Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA) 1st

Oman Air (OMA) 2nd

The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 3rd

GAC Pindar (GBR) 4th

Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 5th

Alinghi (SUI) 6th

ZouLou (FRA) 7th

SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 8th

2 0 1 2 T I T L E

*Rankings the opinion of James Boyd, Editor of thedailysail.com at the beginning of the 2012 Series.

20


VA L U A B L E A S S E T

It’s the kind of statement that sits in glossy brochures and proposals and means everything – because every word is true, but also means nothing – because if you swapped out Extreme Sailing Series for another sporting or entertainment sponsorship opportunity, then it would also be true.

Before we get onto things like Return on Investment (ROI) and media value and hospitality opportunities, it’s worth considering another change that has happened recently. The organiser of the event is a leading outdoor sporting and entertainment group – OC Thirdpole. The company based out of the UK, Switzerland and France but operating worldwide managing events like the Extreme Sailing Series, the Geneva Marathon, the Biathlon World Cup and the new

multi-stage Haute Route cycling event to name just a few, ensure this range of events exposes the operators of the Extreme Sailing Series to best practise outside the bubble of professional sailing and allows sharing of ideas to make all the properties better.

But innovation is not new to the Extreme Sailing Series. From day one, the circuit has been unashamedly open about combining sporting excellence with entertainment. Multiple formats have been tested. Rules have been changed. The phrase ‘it can’t be done’ has been met with the response – ‘Why not?’

Why not put a guest on the boat during a points scoring race?

Why not run 20 races a day instead of one or two?

Why not combine sailing with music concerts and DJs?

Why not run races in the heart of cities right in front of the public?

The Extreme Sailing Series has done all of these things to adapt the product to its various audiences, both business and consumer.

While the Series began as a business-to-business product driven by the title sponsorship of the financial brand iShares, there has always been a focus on making the event attractive to land-based spectators. In 2011, the Extreme Sailing Series went global and offered even more to the public – because the more people get involved, the better the returns for sponsors and partners. As Executive Chairman of OC ThirdPole, Mark Turner explains: “The B2B experience is enhanced by the fans being there in bigger numbers because the VIPs feel more like VIPs. The B2B experience is enhanced by the media coverage, and media coverage is hard to get from a pure B2B event because the media need to feel there is a big event going on.”

VALUABLE

IN 2012, THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES WILL VISIT EIGHT DISTINCT INTERNATIONAL MARKETS. THE CIRCUIT, WHICH HAS BEEN TRIED AND TESTED OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, IS NOW IN A POSITION TO OFFER GLOBAL EXPOSURE FOR BRANDS WISHING TO USE THIS EXCITING MARKETING PLATFORM TO ACHIEVE MULTIPLE SPONSORSHIP GOALS.

SO WHAT MAKES THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES DIFFERENT?

But so what?

Asks David Fuller, editor

of yachtracing.biz,

the all-encompassing

yacht racing and sailing

business news website.

22

clients in a unique environment may be enough to justify an investment in the Extreme Sailing Series. A single deal may pay for the sponsorship several times over. Of course different companies do sponsorship for different reasons and a large part of the ROI calculation is based on traditional measures like media value.

In a world where everyone with a mobile phone can be a television producer and global audiences can be reached via sites like YouTube, the measurement of media value is not what it used to be. Until new ways of measuring these new-media platforms can be agreed between rights holders and sponsors, calculations are still based on television and ‘press’.

The organiser of the Extreme Sailing Series has invested heavily in third-party measurement of their media returns. While some sports operators still claim

billions of potential television viewers, OC Thirdpole prefer to be realistic about the numbers. This kind of openness and transparency might not get the big headlines in the sailing press, but is welcomed by potential sponsors.

In 2011, Havas Sponsorship Insights final media evaluation confirmed a near three-fold increase in value from ¤9.5m in 2010 to ¤25.9m – putting the relevance of the absolute numbers aside, the increase in coverage year on year is an important result for this event as it goes into its sixth season.

Notable numbers from the report include:

As online platforms continue to have an ever-increasing presence and usage, the media value of this medium has shot up to ¤1,465,632, a 296% increase on 2010.

So as the Extreme Sailing Series adds new territories to its global tour – China, USA, Turkey in 2011 and Brazil in 2012 - the potential for media exposure increases. Organisers are delivering partners a platform that includes vIP hospitality, event activation to fans and spectators and media coverage on traditional and new-media.

“The most important thing for us is the continued strong progression of our global result across all forms of media, and the specific returns this generates for our stakeholders – team sponsors, host cities and event partners,” said Turner.

Few can argue, that the global Extreme Sailing Series has developed into a great property for investors and this trend looks set to continue for 2012 and beyond.

It’s just not possible for a guest to ride on the same bike as valentino Rossi in a MotoGP race. It is unthinkable for a guest to be in the scrum in an international rugby game. Golf can offer the chance to play alongside the best in the game, but the score of the star will not be affected.

Being able to offer guests the chance to sit onboard the boats during points scoring races is unique. For some, it is an unforgettable chance to ride with their sporting heroes, but perhaps it is the guests who have never been sailing who get the most of the experience.

In a world where the power of peer-to-peer recommendation is becoming more important and people are sharing their experiences, often in real-time via the internet, the cumulative word-of-mouth effect of this kind of experience is incredibly powerful.

For some businesses, this ability to interact with a small group of special

When it comes to the vIP experience, the Extreme Sailing Series has something that no other sport can compete with.

23


EDD IE JORDANFORMULA 1

NIck FRy

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE FORMULA 1 TEAM BRAwn GP

“This is very similar to Formula 1 in that it combines high technology, great team work and accessible entertainment for the fans. This type of sailing also provides a great commercial platform for companies who like to participate in high quality sport and want to encourage people from all backgrounds to see the benefit that sport provides.”

C E L E B S“This is Formula 1 on the sea, and the most exciting thing I have seen for a very long time.”

INTHEIROWNWORDST H E Y ’ V E T R I E D I T , E N J O Y E D I T , A N D G A V E U ST H E I R I M P R E S S I O N S U P O N S T E P P I N G A S H O R E !

“I don’t think there is a better representation of sailing in the whole world, this is where it’s at.”

guy cR Ibbs wInDSURFInG wORLD CHAMPIOn

“Very exciting, noisy and a lot of action. I’ve never seen people work so hard on boats before. I’m really not used to sailing in front of a grandstand but it’s been great.”

s IMON LE bONFROnTMAn OF THE LEGEnDARY 1980S BAnD DURAn DURAn AnD AVID SAILOR

I N T H E I R O W N W O R D S24


“With each puff of wind, the Extreme 40s ride up on to one hull. A vertiginous drop appears as they begin to “fly”. My stomach starts to churn and the adrenalin rush leaves me almost breathless as we pick up speed along the shore to the roar of the crowd. We are so close I can see what ice creams they’re eating.”

bEN FOgLETV PRESEnTER AnD ADVEnTURER

TARQuIN cOOPER Daily Telegraph

“To get some sense of what it feels like to race this catamaran, imagine being strapped to the bonnet of Jenson Button’s car in a mad free for all against the best rally drivers in the world. And most of the time you are on two wheels.”

ED bA IRDALInGHI EXTREME 40 SKIPPER 2008

“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”.

ROb HODgETT sBBC Spor t

“You’ve given me the flipping ride of my life.”

P R E S SPAuL c AMPbELL- JAMEs

2010 & 2011 EXTREME SAILInG SERIES wInnInG SKIPPER

“We pushed the limit hard, sometimes a little too hard but we got away with it!”

s IMON gREAVEs FT.com

“The series, with its stadium-style events, also draws in spectators in port cities who relish the thrills and spills on offer - long may it go from strength to strength.”

S K I P P E R SJOD IE k IDDSUPERMODEL

“It’s my new love! I’ve raced cars against Jeremy Clarkson and played high-goal polo, but this beats the lot for thrills. I loved every minute”.

25


C L O S E C O M B A T

THE -RACING -

EXPLAINEDAn essential guide to

Fol lowing al l the action on an Extreme 40 racecourse. . .

EACH ACT WILL BE TRUE TO THE CORE ASPIRATIONS OF THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES™ ETHOS – HIGH SPORTING INTEGRITY COMBINED WITH ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE PUBLIC – DELIVERING A MIX OF ONE DAY OF ‘OPEN-WATER’ RACING OUTSIDE THE CONFINES OF THE ‘STADIUM’ AND THREE DAYS OF ‘STADIUM’ ON SHORT-COURSES RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE PUBLIC. ON-WATER UMPIRING IS A KEY FACTOR AS THE REFEREES [LIKE ON A FOOTBALL PITCH] MONITOR THE RACING FOR FAIR-PLAY ISSUING PENALTIES AND FOR SERIOUS INFRINGEMENTS, POSSIBLE BLACK-FLAG DISQUALIFICATION. READ THE CHIEF UMPIRE’S REVIEW TO GET THE INSIDE STORY ON THE ROLE THEY PLAY IN

MAINTAINING A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD.

C L O S E C O M B AT ©

Pau

l Wye

th26


FINISHFirst past the post wins - it’s as simple as that! The racing is scored using a ‘high point’ system, so if there are 10 boats racing in an Act then 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 Act scores double points, putting the pressure on for a great finale. The overall regatta points are also calculated on a high-scoring system regardless of the number of boats in the event ie first overall has 10 points. The team with the highest number of points across all the regattas wins the overall Extreme Sailing Series to claim the new overall trophy designed by Richard Vasey.

THE START The start is one of the most exciting parts of any sailing race and with such short races, (each race lasts between 10-12 minutes), a good start is a vital part of the winning tactics. Generally, it will be more advantageous to start at one end of the line (either nearer the committee boat or the 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.

THE STARTING pROCEDuREThe races are started with a 4-minute countdown set to music – even the sailors listen to it to time their runs to the start line! Giant flags displaying the number of minutes remaining until the start are flown from the race committee platform, hoisted in a 4 - 3 - 2 – 1 – and

Go! sequence. If the race committee see any part of the hulls are over the line when the starting gun goes then there will be a loud sound signal. 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 avoid this at all costs if possible!

THE COuRSE Depending on the number of boats, venue, and wind conditions, the race organisers can decide to run racing over different shape courses around a number of large, easily identifiable coloured inflatable race marks. The sailors will know which course to sail by the flags flown from the committee boat and announcements over the radio.

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 man-power alone and their heart-rates will be pumping.

DuRING THE RACINGThe 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 yellow and red diagonally striped flag and shout “protest!” Umpires are on the water and work like football referees — they decide if any boats have committed a foul and can give penalties (the boat has to complete a penalty turn, bit like a drive-through penalty in F1 racing). The umpire signifies a penalty by whistling and pointing a red or yellow flag, depending on the type of penalty, at the boat that has committed the foul. If the umpire thinks no foul has been committed they blow a whistle and raise a green and white flag. If there is a really bad foul the umpires can show a black flag resulting in instant disqualification!

27


as the race unfolds so we have to read the race as quickly as possible and react to get in position.

The concept of using on-the-water umpiring is to ensure that all rules incidents are dealt with during the race so that the results are as the spectators see them. Of course, as in any sport, there are the occasional technical or procedural protests which may involve hearings to determine the right action – fining a team or giving a points penalty – but these are increasingly rare.

Umpiring is, undoubtedly, a challenging job and things can get heated but, ultimately, with the number of races we have over the season, the good guys who might see a decision go against them in a race, always come out on top.

EWAN MCEWAN, CHIEF UMPIRE & JURY CHAIR

‘left’ (relative to the wind direction) just behind the boats – not a good idea to be in front when the sailors ‘pull the trigger’, there simply isn’t time to get out the way!

As the fleet spreads out keeping up is almost impossible with the Extreme 40s charging along at 30 knots plus, so then we go to a ‘zone’ based positioning system making sure we have an umpire boat in each of the key spots around the course. Of course, we don’t see every incident – like most referees, we don’t have eyes in the back of our heads! We use radios to handover developing situations to the umpire patrolling the next part of the course to ensure we keep up with the action.

For me, as Chief Umpire, the key thing is to make sure we are in the right place at the right time to monitor the ‘pressure points’ of the race – these are the points in the race where the biggest advantage can be gained by breaking a rule – and by so doing we make sure the race is as fair as possible for all the competitors. But these ‘pressure points’ are always moving

The racing rules of sailing are designed to keep boats apart and avoid contact.

The first written edition of the Racing Rules of Sailing was in the 1700s and were used to stop Sunday races between London’s merchant trading companies Thames sailing barges from destroying each other, not good for work on Monday morning! However, the Extreme Sailing Series is all about putting the world’s best sailors in very fast boats on small racetracks, massively increasing the chance of incidents. And the result… lots of high-octane fuelled incidents requiring quick-fire decisions throughout the fast and furious race.

The umpires, who are all accredited International Umpires by the International Sailing Federation, provide a service to the sailors to ensure, as much as possible, that every team has an equal chance to win. To make sure as many incidents as possible are seen we have at least three umpire boats, each with at least two umpires spread out around the racetrack. When the fleet is close together, especially at the start, the umpires work in orientation to the fleet in positions ‘right, ‘middle’ and

UMPIRE’S VIEWU M P I R E S V I E W

Veteran umpire &

Extreme Sailing Series chief

umpire, Ewan McEwan gives

us a background into sailing

umpiring and keeping tabs

on the most dynamic

sailing series in existence!

28


A unique opportunity to step onto an Extreme 40 for the ride of your life! Summer sailing programme onboard the Tommy Hilfi ger Extreme 40 at Pampelonne beach, Saint Tropez, France.We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

© M

edia

brei

n C

once

pt

adv_ESS_1/1_240x320.indd 1 21-03-12 15:06

- COU R S E A - - COU R S E B -

- COU R S E C - - COU R S E D -

THE COuRSES

Th i s c ou r s e i s a w i nd w a rd -lee w a rd c ou r s e a nd i s bas ed on a tac ti ca l a na lys i s f r om E x tr eme 4 0 cr e w to play w i th the w i nd s h i f ts by tack i ng ( w hen goi ng upw i nd ) or g ybi ng ( w hen goi ng do w nw i nd ) . The f i n i s h i s judged a f ter t w o or th r ee lap s.

Th i s c ou r s e i s a v a r ia nt o f c ou r s e A w i th s ome h ig h speed r u ns a nd a spec tac u la r g ybe w hen r each i ng the tr ia ng le ma r k ( yel lo w on th i s d iag ra m ) . The f i n i s h i s a f ter t w o or th r ee lap s.

The ‘ Velo d r ome’ c ou r s e i s us ed f or a duel rac e one - to -one be t w een t w o E x tr eme 4 0 tea ms , i t i s ma i n ly bas ed on pu r e speed. The f i n i s h i s a f ter t w o or th r ee lap s.

Th i s c ou r s e i s s haped to f i t the geome tr y o f the rac e a r ea i ns ide the ha r bou r a nd the w i nd c ond i t ions. Tw o or th r ee lap s a r e sa i led bef or e f i n i s h i ng.

WIND WIND

WIND WIND

L A RGE CONI C A L R A CING M A R K S IN Y E LLO W, R E D, GR E E N, OR A NGE A N D W HI T E M A R K OU T T H E R A C ECOU R S E . T H E R A C E COM MI T T E E

COM M U NI C AT E S TO T H E T E A MS A N D P U BLI C T H E OR DE R IN W HI C H T H E R A CING M A R K S M US T BE ROU N DE D DE P E N DE N T ON T H E C HOS E N

COU R S E , A H E A D OF T H E COU N T DO W N S EQU E NC E FOR E A C H R A C E .

T H E C O U R S E S

The UK round of the award-winning Extreme Sailing Series now in its sixth year will be staged in Cardiff the capital of Wales between the 30th August – 2nd September 2012.

visitwales.com

Wales – we love a big occasion

WG15240 Extreme Sailing Advert.indd 1 19/03/2012 15:22

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The UK round of the award-winning Extreme Sailing Series now in its sixth year will be staged in Cardiff the capital of Wales between the 30th August – 2nd September 2012.

visitwales.com

Wales – we love a big occasion

WG15240 Extreme Sailing Advert.indd 1 19/03/2012 15:22

ON TOUR

The 2012 Extreme Sailing Series™ circuit will span Europe,

Arabia, Asia and South America - 8 events, spanning 3 continents. The global circuit starts in the Sultanate of Oman in February before heading back to Qingdao, China for Act 2. Istanbul, Turkey, the gateway between Europe and Asia, will host Act 3 before the Extreme 40 fleet

heads to Porto, Portugal - a new host venue in 2012. Another new venue is Cardiff in Wales which plays host to the Uk round in August, before the circuit returns to the Sicilian port of Trapani for the third consecutive year. The iconic city of Nice will be the final stop in Europe before the 2012 finale, staged in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the very first time.

2 0 1 2 G L O B A L T O U R32


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1

2 0 1 2 G L O B A L T O U R

2The 2012 Extreme Sailing Series will kick off in the Sultanate of Oman with Muscat hosting the opening round for a second year in a row with four days of racing from the 28th February to the 2nd March 2012. Perched on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula, stark beauty and vastly contrasting landscapes typify Oman: arid desert, secret oases, awe-inspiring mountains and a lush shoreline.

Muscat was originally referred to as Cryptus Portus, the Hidden Port by Greek geographer Ptolemy in the 1st Century. Its geography has made it an ideal setting for the Extreme Sailing Series, providing spectators with a natural stadium where the racing can be watched from the waters edge. The Race village will be based at The Wave, Muscat – a new development with over 4,000 apartments, townhouses and villas spread over 2.5 million square meters offering contemporary architecture with subtle Middle Eastern influences.

Until recently much of Oman was undiscovered by tourists but it has developed into a high-end tourist location and a destination for foreign investment. The country has initiated and developed a national sailing program in recent years under the banner of Oman Sail. Oman Sail is a scheme set up to revitalise Oman’s rich sailing history and connect with young Omanis, whilst offering them the chance to compete internationally. khamis Al Anbouri made history in 2010 racing onboard The Wave, Muscat, when they won the Extreme Sailing Series and became the first Omani to win an international sailing event having only taken up the sport three years earlier. Oman’s other famous sailor is of course the legend of Sinbad whose tales are still told today.

Now known as the City of Sailing, Qingdao became the host venue for sailing for Beijing’s 2008 Olympic Games boosting its profile to an international audience. Perfectly located on the Southeast peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Yellow Sea, Qingdao is now China’s premier sailing destination with first class facilities at its International Sailing Center. The Extreme Sailing Series will be racing from the 17th to 20th April. In 2011 Qingdao provided the Extreme Sailing Series fleet with plenty of high octane drama, including a record four capsizes and one broken mast in one day. The Chinese public had never seen anything like it before!

For the second year running the Extreme Sailing Series Race village will be located on the breakwater overlooking Fushan Bay, which was also the home of the Olympic village in 2008. Originally opened to tourism in 1984 the city now attracts 15 million visitors a year and is the fourth largest manufacturing port in the country. Framed by miles of golden sandy beaches, a warm climate combined with steady winds that make it a perfect racing location.

Qingdao is a city steeped in China’s 20th century history. Now a tourism hotspot in China, the sprawling city has a population of 7.5 million and a vibrant economy. The Downtown skyline can rival that of any major city with an impressive array of cultures, cuisines and lively nightlife. Tsingato, the most popular beer in China operates their headquarters and main brewery in Qingdao. The brewery is open to visitors who can take a tour around the oldest working brewery in China, whilst the brewery can be observed in action and guests can enjoy the beer tasting afterwards!

“Each Act is staged over 4 days and opens to the public for 3 days with free access to the race village.

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3 4The Extreme 40 fleet will be racing in a new location this year from the banks of Istanbul’s old town with the famous Blue Mosque providing an iconic backdrop. In 2011 the Extreme Sailing Series fleet completed a record number of 43 races during Act 3 with the biggest crash of the year between the Swiss team Alinghi and Team Extreme. The racing area this year is at the intersection of the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus. Istanbul has consistent steady winds that will treat spectators to some truly Extreme racing. The Race village will be on the waters edge in Istanbul’s historic surroundings, providing spectators with the opportunity to be just a few steps away from the delights of the city and the Extreme 40 racing.

Istanbul is the city where East meets West, set on the border between Europe and Asia, Istanbul has a unique historic cultural heritage providing an iconic backdrop for the Extreme 40 fleet. Situated on the Bosphorus coast, this has ensured a long history in sea trading and was previously the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

Dating back to the 7th millennium BC, Istanbul has a wealth of historical sites to explore, including the spectacular Blue Mosque. The city’s Bazaars are a treat for visitors, from the touristy Sultanahmet district to the more local ones, without the crowds, which can be found down hidden alleyways throughout the city. visitors are left in awe by the stunning Imperial Ottoman architecture that can be found across the city.

The Extreme Sailing Series will make its debut in Portugal for Act 4, which will be staged from the 5th to the 8th of July. Racing during Act 4 will be on both the Douro river for the ‘Stadium racing’, with the ‘open water’ racing held outside the river mouth. On the Douro the Extreme 40s will be racing just meters off the river banks where spectators can watch the action up close from the race village and public areas that line the river.

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal with a population of 1.3 million, located along the famous Douro river estuary. Porto is one of the oldest European centres and a registered UNESCO site. One of Portugal’s most famous exports, port wine, is named for Porto, since the area is renowned for its production. Rivalling Lisbon in its economic power, Porto is also home to some outstanding architecture including the Romanesque Cathedral. Like any other European city, football is the most popular sport in Porto, and the city is also home to northern Portugal’s only cricket club! In 1958 and 1960 its streets hosted the Formula1 Portuguese Grand Prix, in addition to the World Touring Car Championship.

2 0 1 2 G L O B A L T O U R36


5 6The Uk round of the award-winning Extreme Sailing Series™ now in its sixth year moves to a new venue – the Welsh capital of Cardiff. In a three-year deal, Cardiff won the bid to host the Uk round of the Extreme Sailing Series. The Extreme 40s will race on Cardiff Bay, Europe’s largest waterfront development, and Act 5 coincides with the annual Cardiff Harbour Festival. The Race village will be based in the inner harbour where spectators will be able to watch the racing unfold amongst the buzzing atmosphere of the Festival with an abundance of shops and restaurants that surround the harbour.

The Welsh capital already plays host to a variety of world class sporting events from top class football and rugby to newer events, like the Extreme Sailing Series. In 2010 the Cardiff International White Water centre opened and more and more watersports events are coming to Cardiff helping to build a new audience for Cardiff and Wales.

2 0 1 2 G L O B A L T O U R

This venue is a favourite amongst Extreme Sailing Series competitors, and 2012 will be the third consecutive year that the Extreme 40s have raced in this stunning location. Trapani is known for its steady winds, which provide the perfect racing conditions for the Extreme 40s to fly around the race course in front of the thousands of spectators who come to the event every year. Last year national Tv broadcaster RAI Tv, broadcast live from the event.

Trapani, the ancient Drepanon and its surroundings represent the western part of a unique, intriguing and varied Sicily. A multicultural place, containing ancient styles and traditions, where history and myth merge to provide an atmospheric setting for the Extreme Sailing Series.

Greek temples, theatres, churches and castles, post-modern architectural traditions, treasures of religious and pagan celebrations can all be found in Trapani and the surrounding areas. The authentic flavours of the local gastronomy and its recipes, are a popular treat to visitors. Trapani also boasts many places full of art and archaeology: Selinunte, Segesta, Mozia and the Arab-Norman architecture of Mazara, Castelvetrano and Salemi, the medieval town of Erice. In 2009 the city 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. It is also worth noting that Trapani is twinned with the French port of Les Sables d’Olonne, of vendée Globe fame.

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7 8The Extreme Sailing Series will make its South American debut in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the final Act of the 2012 circuit. The event will be the culmination of 11 months of global touring for the eight Extreme 40 teams and the city is delighted to welcome the Series for the first time.

Rio is no stranger to hosting global sailing events having hosted a volvo Ocean Race stopover in 2009, as well as earlier editions of the race when it was the Whitbread Round the World Race. Brazil’s sporting heritage is continuing to go from strength to strength - not only will they host the 2016 Summer Olympics, the cities Maracanã Stadium will also host the final match for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

known as the cidade maravilhosa – or marvellous city – Rio de Janeiro has been enticing visitors for years and for good reason. Flanked by iconic mountains, white-sand beaches, lush rainforests and with a bustling city centre at heart of it all, Rio seems to have it all.

Racing will take place against the backdrop of Brazil’s most widely recognised landmark, the Corcovado mountain which has a 38-metre statue of Jesus, known as Cristo Redentor or Chrisr the Redeemer, on its peak. This globally recognised landmark is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the world and will be watching over the Extreme 40s as they make their debut in South America.

The Extreme Sailing Series will be heading back to Nice on the French Riviera for Act 7 of the 2012 global circuit. In 2011 it was the first time the Extreme 40s had visited Nice and the French team of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild scored a home victory taking the top spot on the Nice podium.

Positioned between the sea and the mountains, Nice provides an ideal setting for all sports, particularly sailing due to its stunning waterfront location. The Extreme Sailing Series Race village will be located on the Promenade des Anglais in front of the historic Théâtre de verdure.

A diverse international city rooted in history but looking towards the future, Nice is the capital city of the Cote d’Azur nestled between Cannes and Monaco in the heart of the French Rivera. The city is enjoying a new dynamism under the direction of its Mayor Deputy, Christian Estrosi, with the fifth largest population in France and the second most popular tourist destination with more than 4.5 million visitors a year who travel to Nice to enjoy the exceptional climate of this Mediterranean city. Nice’s shoreline boasts a long promenade with a mix of cafés and restaurants where locals and tourists mix together to relax and enjoy the unique French ambience. Spectators will be able to watch the Extreme 40 close quarter action unfold just a few steps away from the Race village and shoreline.

Act 8, Rio de Janeiro

6th - 9th December

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Nice, France

Cardiff, uK

Trapani, Italy

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Porto, Portugal

ACT 1 Muscat, Oman 28 Feb - 2 Mar

ACT 2 Qingdao, China 17 - 20 April

ACT 3 Istanbul, Turkey 7 - 10 June

ACT 7 Nice, France 18 - 21 October

ACT 6 Trapani, Italy 13 - 16 September

ACT 8 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 6 - 9 December

ACT 5 Cardiff, uK 30 Aug - 2 September

ACT 4 Porto, Portugal 5 - 8 July

2012*

E X T R E M E S A I L I N G S E R I E S T M 2 0 1 2

*Each Act consists of 1 day of open water racing, followed by 3 stadium-style racing days. Each Act is open to the public on day’s 2-4.

40


Istanbul, Turkey

Muscat, Oman

Qingdao, China

EXTREME SAILING SERIESTM 2012

41


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

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.

TURN UP and

42


TRAMPOLINE:Held

taut between the

two hulls and made

of lightweight but

tough nylon mesh,

this allows the crew

to move from side

to side

43


© O

nEdi

tion

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

LENGTH 40FT / 12.2M WIDTH 23FT / 7M

MAST 62FT / 18.9M (WEIGHT 100KG)MAINSAIL 246FT SQ / 75M SQ

JIB 82FT SQ / 25M SQGENNAKER 256FT SQ / 78M SQ

WEIGHT 1,250KGTOP SPEED 40 KNOTS / 46 MPH / 74 KPH

uNDER pRESSuREBoth 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!

FASTEN YOuR SEATBELTSThe 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. 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 travelling at over 25 knots – if you get on a push-bike on a still day and start pedalling, 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.

Discover 5,000 miles of unspoiled seashore, thousands of pristine beaches and countless idyllic islands knowing that a reliable marina operator is ready to assist you.

[email protected] www.brmarinas.com.br

Your safe haven in Brazil

LAT 23º00’131” SLON 44º18’004” W

Estrada Municipal, 200Praia do Jardim - Angra dos ReisRio de JaneiroBrazilTel: +55 (24) 3365-4089

LAT 22º59’52,48” SLON 44º14’59,91” W

Rodovia Rio - Santos, Km 469,5Jacuecanga - Angra dos ReisRio de JaneiroBrazilTel: +55 (24) 3421-4090

44


Discover 5,000 miles of unspoiled seashore, thousands of pristine beaches and countless idyllic islands knowing that a reliable marina operator is ready to assist you.

[email protected] www.brmarinas.com.br

Your safe haven in Brazil

LAT 23º00’131” SLON 44º18’004” W

Estrada Municipal, 200Praia do Jardim - Angra dos ReisRio de JaneiroBrazilTel: +55 (24) 3365-4089

LAT 22º59’52,48” SLON 44º14’59,91” W

Rodovia Rio - Santos, Km 469,5Jacuecanga - Angra dos ReisRio de JaneiroBrazilTel: +55 (24) 3421-4090

A W I L D R I D E

IMAGINE THE BOUNCIEST BOUNCY CASTLE, A BUCKING BRONCO THAT REARS 20FT HIGH AND THE WETTEST, WILDEST LOG FLUME IN THE WORLD.

Welcome to Extreme 40 catamaran sailing. What a rush! One of these monsters was my steed for a quick dash around the Isle of Wight on Saturday morning before most people were awake.

The 40ft missiles are designed for flat-water blasting on the Extreme Sailing Series™, and the pre-race talk in Cowes was of records – or boats – being broken. “They’re flying machines but

they’re not designed for this,” says my skipper Nick Moloney. “When things go wrong, they go wrong very quickly.”

The annual 55-mile Round the Island Race is the fourth largest participation event in Britain, with over 1,700 boats and 14,500+ people taking part. Some will take about 10 hours but with a top speed of 40 knots in the right conditions, we’re eyeing the multihull record of three hours, eight minutes and 29 seconds. “Looking forward to coming second today?” I ask Dame Ellen MacArthur, who is skippering one of the other three Extreme 40s in the fleet, as we ready the boats in the dark. “Not a chance,” she fires back.

I’m racing with Australian Nick Moloney, a three–time round-the-world veteran, and his three crew. “You alright with the ‘f ’ word?” he asks in his Aussie drawl as we slip the dock in the half-light. “It might help.”

Crewmen Charles Darbyshire, Dave “Freddie” Carr and Alec Fraser ready the boat for our 0510 BST start. There’s a calm but businesslike air on board. “Ten minutes to our starting gun,” says Charlie. The tension mounts when the hydraulics for hauling in the sails fail. “Five minutes,” warns Charlie. We waste valuable time but when it’s fixed we turn for the line and make a late run. “Full knacker here guys,” shouts Nick from

A WILD

BBC Sport’s online

correspondent, Rob Hodgetts

raced on board an Extreme

40 in the classic Round the

Island Race – a 55-mile high-

speed dash around Britain’s

Isle of Wight. Read his

account here…

46


his perch at the stern. We accelerate smoothly, deceptively and the windward hull lifts, leaving the six of us perched high in the air. “Ellen’s leading,” says Charlie. “Can’t have that,” fires Nick.

INSpIRINGThe first leg of the race is left out of Cowes, towards the rocky promontory of the Needles at the western tip of the Island. We slice through the fleet chasing MacArthur and the other Extreme 40s ABN Amro and Basilica. We’re also hunting the largest boat in the race, a £6m 100ft giant called Leopard, which started 10 minutes before us. It’s out to break the monohull record of its predecessor of four hours, five minutes and 40 seconds.

Looking back, there’s a wall of sails filling the Solent. “I can’t believe there’s that many people who sail in this country,” says Nick. The boat hums and creaks and the crew keep up a constant dialogue - where’s the best wind, when to tack, where are the opposition. The communication, teamwork, leadership and camaraderie are inspiring. “We’ve got good pace here boys. We’re dropping Basilica like third grade French,” says Alec. We seem to be gaining on the leaders until we make a hash of a tack off Yarmouth, but we hook into another windy patch and get a slingshot down the coast.

CALAMITYJust before rounding the Needles we tack and are hit by three waves in succession. There’s a mound of bodies, and when we disentangle ourselves, Charlie is missing. Nick cries the dreaded

and we all lunge over the side to grab a piece of Charlie as he clings on desperately. He’s spluttering and trying to keep his head above water but miraculously, his glasses are still on.

But we’re going too fast to haul him in so we let him go, to be picked up by the RIB (rigid inflatable boat) which is trailing us. We keep racing and round

the Needles at 0630 BST, fourth behind Leopard and the other two Extreme 40s. (Basilica turns back with a technical problem). The RIB delivers the dripping Charlie back to us and we settle back into race mode. “Sorry about that,” he says. “I flew into the air and when I came back down the boat had gone.”

WET AND WILDWe hoist the gennaker, the big downwind sail at the front, and accelerate down the swells. The sensation of speed as the ocean rushes between the hulls is awesome. But with it comes the waterworks - it’s like sitting in front of a giant fire hose. Our speed nudges 26 knots - plenty fast enough to water ski behind - and even the pros

are having fun. “This is the absolute buzzcocks,” says Freddie (he actually uses another word – this is the Beeb after all).

But the whoops and hollers are silenced by a volley of “nautical” language from Nick. He can’t control the steering. And without that, at these speeds and with so much sail up, we’re in big trouble. “Freddie, help me here, I can’t hold it,” he screams.

One of the rudders has lifted, and we have to slow before Alec can force it back. “Let’s get back in this game,” says Nick as we speed up again. Surfing down the steep waves, the danger is that the leeward hull will dig into the wave in front and stick, causing us to “pitch-pole”, the same as going over the handlebars on your bike.

“Come up, come up,” urges Freddie as he stares at the hull. Soon, Nick’s shouting again. The rudder’s lifted and two of us dive onto the tiller bar to help steer. The fourth time it happens, off ventnor, something breaks and we have to raise the rudder altogether. It seems our race is over but Nick is confident we can get home on one rudder. “I don’t mind coming third but I want to bloody finish,” he says.

STRESSFuLTurning back into the Solent, we head back into the wind and when the hull flies, we’re able to slam the rudder back in place. Without it, we couldn’t sail on port tack. The leading Extreme 40s are

too far gone to catch but it’s neck and neck with Leopard until we get stuck on the bottom at Ryde Sands for a few minutes. “Anything else want to go wrong?” says Nick. Freeing the daggerboard, we press on and cross the line a couple of 100 yards

behind Leopard in four hours and 15 minutes. “At least we got close enough to give them the bird,” says Nick.

Ellen won but an unfavourable wind direction meant there are no records this year. And after all that, it turns out the blighters “retired” us for receiving “outside assistance” when we lost Charlie over the side. “That’s probably the most painful four hours’ sailing I’ve had in years,” says Nick. “There were times when I was wondering where the limit was. It was really stressful when we lost the steering. You could probably tell by the tone of my voice. And sorry we couldn’t give you any quotes without swearing.”

No flaming worries, mate. You’ve given me the flipping ride of my life!

© P

aul W

yeth

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OvER A MILLION SPECTATORS HAvE WITNESSED

ON SITE THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES™ WITH THEIR OWN EYES SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 2007. The ethos of the circuit has always been to deliver a top professional sporting competition that is also a great entertainment package: “With a sailing product like the Extreme Sailing Series™ where we are already putting the boats in to a ‘stadium’ environment right in front of the public, we realised the importance of creating more than just a sailing event,” commented Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of the organisers OC ThirdPole. “The dramatic sailing action itself attracts sailing fans and non-sailors alike, but we know we need to attract the public to the race village for a variety of different reasons, and

equally keep them there outside of the Extreme 40 racing.”

With the support of the host venue partners, the circuit is developing further the public events side, and in 2011 the organiser raised the game to deliver an eight-hour mix of entertainment on the public days. On the water a number of support acts, like the NeilPryde Racing Series for windsurfers, kite-boarding and Moth dinghy demo sailing built to entertain the crowds alongside the main Extreme 40 headline act. With live commentary and audio from on board the boats, the action comes alive right in front of the spectators.

Wrapped around the on-water competition is a comprehensive on-shore entertainment programme within the race village from interactive entertainment to music, alongside bars

THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES™ IS MORE THAN JUST A TOP SPORTING EVENT, IT IS A FESTIVAL OF ENTERTAINMENT THAT APPEALS TO BOTH SPORTS FANS AND THE MAINSTREAM PUBLIC…

ONSHORE ACTION

Creating an event for the public

C R E AT I N G A N E V E N T F O R T H E P U B L I C

Crowds throng to the

public Race Village to

watch the Extreme 40s

in action.

© P

aul W

yeth

48


© P

aul W

yeth

from a wide demographic,” concluded Turner.

In addition to the public side, the organiser has a progressive social responsibility programme in place at each venue. Local children will be given the chance to go sailing each morning of the event using the 12-boat Optimist dinghy fleet made available by the organisers and, at the same time, get to meet or even learn from their sailing heroes as the skippers proactively take part. The organisers also encourage a volunteer programme to provide a valuable working experience to local people of

all ages who are interested in working in events.

A global event such as this has a significant ‘footprint’. The ongoing environmental audit is used as a benchmark to improve all aspects of the event’s energy, waste and water footprint going forward. This particular challenge has no finish line, but the race has begun.

and food outlets. Music acts will also take centre stage under the Extreme Sailing Series ‘Sailing Remixed™’ banner at selected venues following on from the successful 2009 event in Almeria which saw folk legend kiko veneno open the event before the city’s Symphonic Orchestra performed a free concert

on the final night. “The Extreme Sailing Series™ events have the capability to attract serious consumer footfall and that in itself attracts sponsors and retailers who can access a captive audience

pOSITIVE IMpACTA report produced by the Council of

Tourism, Commerce and Sport for Andalucia

in 2009 confirmed that the Almeria event

had generated 2.7m Euros of return on

their investment of just a fraction of that.

A 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 played in front of a

capacity 4,000-strong crowd when he performed on the

main stage of the Extreme Sailing Series race village

in Almeria.©

Th.

Mar

tinez

/ Se

a&Co

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

Symphonic Orchestra gave a free concert in the race village.

© Th.Martinez / Sea&Co

49


Was the spectacular 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: teams 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 often more than one lap in less than 15 minutes, so you get very quickly to the first mark 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. The breeze and the 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 venues, 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.

“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 Championship, winning a total of 10 of them in Tornado, Hobbie and Formula 18. Offshore, he’s captured two world records (aboard the maxi multihulls

Club Med and PlayStation), and also took part in the 1995 America’s Cup.

50

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O F F I C I A L T E C H N I C A L C L O T H I N G p A R T N E R

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Partnerships with world class teams and events are an intrinsic part of Marinepool’s marketing strategy. The collections - like the “Extreme Sailing Series™ Collection” which is available at Extreme Sailing Series events and online - produced for these projects demonstrate Marinepool´s expertise, creativity and the passion of their design team.

Using only the best materials and state of the art production technologies, no detail is omitted to ensure every product is optimized before it reaches the market. More than 20 years of experience and design excellence, plus the invaluable input of the world class athletes proudly wearing Marinepool garments, guarantee the products are at the cutting edge of technology.

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Sponsorship evolves around people’s interests and lives, transmitting a strong message and increasing the profile of Marinepool as a brand, leading to increased global brand awareness. Through partnerships with events and teams such as the Extreme Sailing Series™, Oman Sail, Energy Team - Challenger 34th America’s Cup and many others the Marinepool brand achieves a global reach and appeals to a wider audience gaining contact with a vast fan base. Partnerships focus on more than just products and enable Marinepool to strengthen the corporate identity and profile, allowing a higher degree of customer involvement and offering significantly better opportunities to develop customer relations.

The world class teams, yacht clubs, federations, events and circuits who are partners of Marinepool are an invaluable source of input into the development of ever better and more sophisticated products and the best ambassadors for the Marinepool brand nationally, internationally and on the race courses around the globe.

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MARATHONNOVEMBRE

FESTIVITÉSDE NOËLDECEMBRE

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& FACTS

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8 T E A M S ( U P TO 4 W I L D C A R D E N T R I E S A L LOW E D P E R AC T )1 5 N AT I O N A L I T I E S*

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32 DAYS O F RAC I N G W I T H OV E R 20 0 RAC E S

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780 km7 days / 7 time staged

21,000 meters of ascent600 participantsMore than 30 nationalities

The toughest and highest cyclosportive in the world will take place from the 19th to the 25th August 2012, covering 780 km and 21,000 meters of ascent and featuring seven world-famous cities and mountain resorts. Starting from ‘Jardin Anglains’ in Geneva, stopping in Megève, Courchevel, Alpe d’Huez, Risoul, Auron and finishing on the ‘Promenade des Anglais’ in Nice.

19 mythical Alpine cols will challenge cyclists over the 7 timed stages, including Madeleine, Glandon, Izoard, Cime de la Bonnette and the most famous climb to Alpe d’Huez for an epic individual Time Trial. The Haute Route will continue to highlight the cols and ascents that have created the legend of cycling.

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19 - 25 August 2012From Geneva to Nice

2nd editionHaute Route

The Toughest and Highest cyclosportive in the world!

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extreme 2012

Documents

wild extreme

contents32 extreme

dynamic sailing series

concept of sailing

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