Oman Sail's Masirah Day 2 of Extreme Sailing Series Asia (Photo by Th. Martinez/Sea&Co / OC Events)
Day 3, Singapore: The fleet had everything thrown at them today as they contended with an intense 15 minute rainstorm, wind that peaked at 12 knots and then they were left crawling around the racecourse as the wind dropped to just 1.2 knots, but still the boats raced on, battling it out for the top spot. Consistency paid off today for event leaders Oman Sail Masirah as they extended their lead by 10 points over second place Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team, with China Team hot on their heels just 1 point behind.
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The fleet in Singapore had everything thrown at them today as they contended with an intense 15 minute rainstorm, wind that peaked at 12 knots and then they were left crawling around the racecourse as the wind dropped to just 1.2 knots. But still the boats raced on, battling it out for the top spot. |
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 Consistency paid off today for event leaders Masirah as they extended their lead at the top of the board by 10 points over second place Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team. But hot on their heels is China Team, with local Singaporean sailor Tan Wearn Haw onboard, trailing by just 1 point.  The testing conditions challenged the race committee as the wind swung wildly across the race course, but five races were completed with fifth man VIP guests racing in the heart of the action onboard the 40 foot catamarans.  Racing onboard Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team as the fifth man guest was Hafiz Koh, 22 years old, the youngest driver for the Singapore A1GP team. “That was totally amazing. I’m going to change from motorsports to sailing!” he laughed.  “This sailing is so different from the normal type of sailing I do around the world, it’s totally different. It’s like doing a marathon and then doing the 100 metres; it goes so quickly and very fast and a totally different concept of sailing. I’m enjoying it a lot.”  The penultimate day of racing commences tomorrow, Monday 14 December from 2pm. |
Extreme 40 Sailing In Hong Kong (Photo by Marco Hong/OC Events )
As the inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia gets off to a successful start in Hong Kong (20-24 November), OC Events, organisers of the Extreme Sailing Series, take a look back at the highlights of the 2009 iShares Cup, revealing the key statistics from the series third season, and preview the 2010 European Extreme Sailing Series.
For the planned six events in 2010, four countries are already confirmed, with events taking place in the UK, Germany, France and Spain. Venue announcements will be made over the coming months, but it can be confirmed today that the final round of the Extreme Sailing Series 2010 will take place in the region of Andalucia, Spain, at the port of Almeria over the national holiday weekend in mid-October.
Almeria hosted the 2009 finalé and recently published the results of an Economic Impact Report produced by the Council of Tourism, Commerce and Sport for Andalucia confirming that the event had generated 2.7m Euros of return on their investment. Over 75,000 spectators attended the Spanish event in October this year. A total of 15,000 tourists visited the city, 92% visiting 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, with more than 606,000 overnight stays. The visitors scored the event 8.1 points out of 10, considering the event to be ‘well organised’.
Seven teams who competed in the 2009 European series have already expressed their commitment to return in 2010 ahead of the publication of the official Notice of Race.
Extreme Sailing Series Racing In Hong Kong (Photo by Guy Nowell/OC Events)
The full media evaluation report of the 2009 iShares Cup will be published shortly by independent agency Havas Insight. In the meantime, enjoy some of the key statistics from the highly successful 2009 circuit that saw 48 of the world’s best sailors compete in 108 races across six European venues with only two capsizes, compared to five in 2008, but six collisions…!
To find out more about the current Extreme Sailing Series Asia, CLICK HERE…
2009 FACTS AND FIGURES:
Entries:
BT (EUR) – Nick Moloney (AUS)
Ecover (EUR) – Mike Golding (GBR)
Holmatro (NED) – Carolijn Brouwer (BEL)
iShares (EUR) – Shirley Robertson (GBR)
Gitana Extreme-Groupe LCF Rothschild (FRA) – Yann Guichard (FRA)
Groupama 40 (FRA) – Franck Cammas (FRA)
LUNA (FRA) – Erik Maris (FRA)
Oman Sail Masirah (OMA) – Pete Cumming (GBR)
Oman Sail Renaissance (OMA) – Loïck Peyron (FRA)
BMW ORACLE Racing (USA) – James Spithill (AUS) (Venice/Hyères only)
WIRSOL Team Germany Kiel Sailing City – Roland Gabler (GER) (Kiel only)
Rumbo Almeria – Fernando Echavarri (ESP) (Almeria only)
Sailors:
48 sailors across 12 teams
52 World Championships
17 Olympians
7 Olympic medalists (4 Gold)
27 America’s Cup participations
17 Round the World navigations
11 different nationalities
Racing:
108 races: Venice 17; Hyéres 19; Cowes 20; Kiel 19; Amsterdam 17: Almeria 16
Regatta wins: Oman Sail Masirah 4 (Hyéres, Cowes, Kiel, Almeria); Gitana Extreme – Groupe LCF Rothschild 2 (Venice, Amsterdam)
Number of 1st places: Oman Sail Masirah 36; Gitana Extreme – Groupe LCF Rothschild 19; Oman Sail Renaissance 16 (9 out of the 12 teams, all scored 1 or more race wins during the season)
Best number of race wins per venue: Oman Sail Masirah 11 (Cowes); Oman Sail Renaissance 5 (Kiel, Amsterdam); Gitana Extreme – Groupe LCF Rothschild 5 (Almeria)
2 capsizes: Holmatro at Cowes (practice day); Ecover at Kiel, day 1 (5 capsizes in 2008)
6 collisions: Oman Sail Renaissance hit Ecover (Hyéres); Team iShares hit spectator boat (Cowes); Oman Sail Renaissance hit WIRSOL Team Germany (Kiel) and Gitana Extreme hit WIRSOL Team Germany (Kiel); Oman Sail Renaissance hit Ecover (Amsterdam, practice day); BT hit Oman Sail Masirah (Amsterdam)
7 disqualifications: Groupama 40 (Venice); Oman Sail Renaissance (Kiel); Holmatro, Team iShares and BT (Amsterdam); LUNA and Team iShares (Almeria)
Venues:
Venice, Italy
Hyeres-TPM, France
Cowes, England
Kiel, Germany
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Almeria, Spain
(2007 x 4 rounds / 2008 x 5 rounds)
Spectators (estimated):
2009 200,000
(2007 57,000 / 2008 150,000)
VIP entertainment:
2,124 VIP guests were entertained in the VIP facilities at the six events in 2009
93% of VIP guests agreed that the iShares Cup fell within the top three events they had ever attended.
Extreme 40s Racing In Victoria Harbour During The Extreme Sailing Series Asia (Photo By Guy Nowell / OC Events)
Extreme Sailing Series Asia, Hong Kong Day Four. All change at the top of the leaderboard as Oman Sail Masirah dominated the fleet, winning four out of five races, and snatching the lead from BT. Shirley Robertson’s ‘Rumbo Almeria’ is currently lying in third overall. The final day of racing takes place tomorrow followed by the prize giving in the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.
With four wins in five races, the European Extreme Sailing Series Champion skipper Pete Cumming was pleased with their performance today, “We are racing with 50% of our original crew so to be back at the top of the leaderboard is real testament to how hard our new crew members Khamis [Alanbouri] and Leigh [McMillan] are gelling with the team. Khamis, in particular, has had a brilliant day. Every day he is improving and it is really satisfying to see him become an integral part of our team. This is only his third full day of top level competitive racing and we aren’t going easy on him, putting him in tough racing conditions but he’s rising to the challenge each and every time.”
It was the last race of the day that was the undoing for the team as Pete Cumming explained. “It was a school boy error and a lesson that you only need to learn once. We had a bad furl at the mark and were too focussed on the mark rounding and not on getting the kite away correctly. It’s tough in these race conditions, but we are all learning from our mistakes and it won’t happen again.”
For BT it was a disappointing day having dominated the previous two days racing in both the longer Around the Island Race and the shorter, sharper racing more familiar to these professional Extreme 40 teams.
Extreme 40 Fleet At The Start Of The Around Island Race (Photo by Marco Hong/OC Events)
BT snatched victory by just 14 seconds in the annual Around the Island Race in Hong Kong this morning, following a 27 nautical mile marathon. The six Extreme 40s battled their way around the Island with every boat taking the lead at some point during the race. It was an amazing day for not only the sailors, but also the VIP guests onboard, who raced in the coveted ‘fifth man’ spot, including the Queen’s Grandson, Peter Phillips, onboard The Wave, Muscat.
“We are totally pumped,” said BT Skipper Nick Moloney (AUS) just after they crossed the finish line just ahead of the home nation Extreme 40, China Team. “It all came down to the last 200 metres. We could see the new wind coming through and we knew that whoever gets the wind first will win. We thought China Team might catch it first, so we did panic a bit, but we edged into first place with the breeze and crossed the line first,” he grinned.
Rumbo Almeria and The Wave, Muscat (Photo BY Marco Hong/OC Events)
For Khamis Al Busaidi the bowman onboard Oman Sail’s Masirah, the Around the Island Race here in Hong Kong had particular resonance as he was onboard Masirah when they won Line Honours in the ‘other’ Round the Island Race around the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Speaking before they set off he spoke of his determination to top the podium. “I really want to win a second Around the Island title, it would be a great honour. The team is very strong and I know we have the knowledge and experience to do well, but it will all come down to the wind.”
Unfortunately for Khamis and the crew onboard Masirah, it wasn’t to be a double first for them. Despite leading practically the whole way around the Island of Hong Kong, they ground to a halt in the final leg up the Lamma Channel. Skipper Pete Cumming explained, “This race was so similar to the Round the Island Race in Cowes back in June. Plenty of wind at the start, with it dropping right off over the south side of the island. We had such a fantastic start and round the East side of the Island we did a horizon job, hammer down, 26 knots and off we flew. But the tough thing about being the lead boat is that you act as a weather station of the other Extreme 40s in the fleet. At one point we had a lead of over a mile and we thought we were home and dry, but we sailed into a hole and all the other boats saw where we were and kept away! Red Bull came down one side and Team China and BT the other and we knew that one or other team was going to take the lead from us and we couldn’t do anything. It was great to be involved, and always something amazing to look at on the shore. The guys on BT did well, but it doesn’t make it any the less frustrating!”
The Extreme 40 fleet left the start line in Victoria Harbour at 0940, the last of a fleet of over 200 boats to depart as they headed on the clockwise course around Hong Kong Island. The Extreme 40s passed within inches of their compettitors, squeezing through the smallest gaps to charge to the front of the fleet and lead the race. After leaving the Lei Yue Mun Gap, the 40 foot catamarans stretch their legs and flew hulls in the 16 knot breeze and glorious sunshine. But as the boats turned into the Southern leg, the wind dropped right off and they crawled past Stanley, often grinding to a halt as the winds dipped.
As the boats sailed into the final leg up Kowloon Harbour, they had to zigzag through the junks, traditional fishing boats and ferries heading to Macau, making the gusty breeze and choppy sea even harder to navigate as they approached the finish line.
Tan Wearn Haw, helmsman onboard China Team said, “This was a real showcase for the Series and sailing itself here in Hong Kong and I think we are starting to build on the momentum and we are getting a lot of people watching the racing and seeing the power and the speed of these boats. It’s opened up the eyes of the people and the sponsors which is really interesting for everyone.
“It’s great to race around the Island. Of course we are really disapointed that we didn’t win in the final stages, but it would be great to be back next year and not only win, but break the record!”
Hong Kong Round Island Race Fleet (Photo By Marco Hong/OC Events)
Racing onboard the Extreme 40s with the four professional crews were two ‘fifth men’, VIP guests sailing as part of the core crews.
The Queen’s eldest grandson, Peter Phillips, Head of Group Sponsorship Asia Pacific for RBS said, “That was a fantastic opportunity to get on board an Extreme 40. It was an awesome experience and great fun. Paul and his crew were superb and gave me one hell of a ride on The Wave. Its incredible to feel the speed over the water and when you’re flying along with one hull out of the water it’s exhilarating!”
Johnny Hodgson, who was onboard the winning boat BT agreed. “That was fantastic, I’m really happy to have had the chance to race here. It’s great to have the Extreme 40s here in Hong Kong – we need to get them back next year!”
The six Extreme 40s will be back to their shorter courses tomorrow, Monday 21 November in Victoria Harbour, racing from 2 – 5pm.
Provisional Results in the Around the Island Race 22 November 2009:
Boat, Finish Time
BT, 13:05:12
China Team, 13:05:26
Oman Sail Masirah, 13:06:38
Rumbo Almeria, 13:07:50
Red Bull, 13:13:46
Muscat, The Wave, 13:16:06
Muscat, Misarah and (Photo by Guy Nowell . OC Events)
Racing just metres from the shoreline on both sides of the Harbour here in Hong Kong, the six Extreme 40s put on a spectacular display for the gathered international media on day 1 of the inaugural series. There were six races this afternoon in 12 – 15 knots that gusted up to 18 keeping the skippers challenged in the two lap races.
Early on, however, there was disappointment for Shirley Robertson (GBR) when she was hit in a port/starboard incident by The Wave, Muscat, helmed by Paul Campbell James (GBR) causing serious damage to the hull in the second race of the afternoon. “It is really frustrating as we had had a good first race and were just beginning to settle down into the competition. We were lining up for a starboard entrance at the line and The Wave, Muscat was coming in for what looked like a port start and they decided to go behind us, but just accelerated straight into the side. The hull is split in a tricky position, right by the chainplate and the force of the impact pulled the winch off. Their spinnaker pole then attached itself to ours and we couldn’t get ourselves untangled. We lay our fifth man down in the middle of the boat as we just didn’t know what was going to happen next!
Extreme 40 Asia Series Fleet (Photo by Guy Nowell / OC Events)
”Rumbo Almeria has been lifted out of the water by crane and we have a great team of boat builders already working on it so hopefully we’ll be back out there in the morning,” she concluded. Shirley and her crew will be looking for redress as they missed four further races this afternoon.
“I’m a really happy man tonight,” said Theirry Barot, skipper of the home nation Extreme 40, China Team. “To race here in the Harbour is just spectacular with the ferries, the Junks and the incredible backdrop. The level is so high that when you miss something you are pushed right to the back of the fleet. Our objective is to keep getting consistent results and to give our younger crew members some good experience – racing against these top international sailors and these tricky conditions is fantastic for them.”
Nick Moloney agreed. “It was gusty out there today and the wind really kept us all on our toes. It is a great place to sail here in the harbour, but it’s very technical, you have to keep on top of the shifts and learn how the wind bends around the buildings. There’s lot of passing opportunities which makes the racing really exciting for those watching on the water and for us. We went from last to second in one race, and then nearly took Masirah on the line which was incredible. And we almost did a cartwheel! I’d just taken my jacket off when we nearly lost control of the boat, but that was a mistake and put it straight back on as I thought I might get pretty wet this afternoon! We are having a really great time here, a great spot to showcase these Extreme 40s and the event.”
The six Extreme 40s are here in Hong Kong to demonstrate the potential of a full blown Extreme Sailing Series in future years, developed along the lines of the hugely successful European circuit. The first day of racing today was reserved for the national and international media who came from Hong Kong, mainland China, the United Kingdom and Singapore. With informal racing in the morning to give the journalists a chance to get “hands on” the 40 foot catamarans, winching and helming, with the afternoon set aside for the official racing, where the guests were in the coveted “fifth man” spot – onboard in the heart of the action.
Matt Scott from the South China Morning Post, was buzzing when he stepped off the spectator Junk. “It was a fantastic day. We are normally invited to press conferences for events where we only have the chance to speak to people sitting at a formal head table and hear about the events. To actually get out on the water and experience it, both in the informal session and the official racing, was awesome and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Gary Rose from the UK national press agency, PA Sport, agreed. “I was planning to be back in the office this afternoon, but after having a go in the morning session I was really keen to try it out in a real race situation. The race was superb and I will be back again this weekend. Many sports offer limited chances to speak to the competitors, but the relaxed nature of this event where people are available to speak regularly is much better for us.”
Tomorrow, Saturday 21 November, will see the six Extreme 40s race in the morning from 10 – 12am and then in the afternoon the 24 sailors will be joined by up to 20 lucky youngsters who will come down to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and have a chance to experience life as a professional sailor on an international circuit.
Majan On Her Maiden Voyage (Photo by Mark Lloyd / Oman Sail)
Oman Sail’s recently launch Arabian 100 (A100) trimaran, will be tracing out the route of two future professional sailing events in Asia over the coming months. The Tour of Arabia will link together the GCC countries from Kuwait in the north to Oman in the south. · This will lead into the ‘Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race’, taking in South Africa, Australia, Singapore, India, via all corners of the Indian Ocean and the five great Capes of the region
The growth of competitive sailing in the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean has today taken a further step forward as the sailing events company, OC Events (Asia), launches two new premier racing circuits.
The entire region is steeped in maritime heritage and legend, and is criss-crossed by a multitude of ancient and historically significant ocean trading routes. Professional and competitive sailing is only just awakening, but development of pro circuits will probably happen faster than the decades it has taken in Europe.
Building on the foundations of the Asian Record Circuit established by Dame Ellen MacArthur in 2007 onboard ‘B&Q’, and the Extreme Sailing Series Asia to be staged this winter in Hong Kong, Singapore and Muscat (Oman), OC Events (Asia) have now launched two inaugural premier racing events – the ‘Tour of Arabia’ and the ‘Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race’.
The launch of the first of the new Arabian 100 (A100) Class trimarans, Oman Sail’s stunning Majan, is the catalyst for the creation of these two new ground-breaking offshore racetracks. On 10 November, Majan will set out from Kuwait City in the north of the Arabian Gulf on a five-leg tour that will cover 1,700 nautical miles (3,150km), to trace out and test the route of the future ‘Tour of Arabia’ race. Stopping in Bahrain, Qatar Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Majan’s voyage will finish in Muscat, Oman.
The ‘Tour of Arabia’ will lead directly into the premier edition of the ‘Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race’. Other than the recent traverse of the Indian Ocean by the Volvo Ocean Race fleet, current traditional oceanic courses only exploit the southern part of the Indian Ocean and above 40 degrees South it remains the most unchartered territory as far as professional racing is concerned, yet it offers a wide variety of tactical challenges and conditions.
Onboard Majan (Photo by Mark Lloyd / Oman Sail)
As with the ‘Tour of Arabia’, Majan will trace out this new course taking the big dive south for a giant tour of the Indian Ocean Capes facing the challenges of all the combined might of the Southern and Indian Oceans. From the heat of the tropics, frustrations of the windless Doldrums at the Equator to the towering waves of the Roaring Forties. Majan plans to set out on the 6th February, 2010, on this 15,000 nautical miles (27,780km) course, that should take between 35 and 40 days including stopovers.
The Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race will pass the Capes of Ras Al Hadd (Oman), down to Cape of Good Hope (South Africa), across the frozen wastes of the Southern Ocean to Cape Leeuwin (SW Australia), past Cape Piai on the tip of the Malaysian peninsula (the southernmost point of mainland Asia, just to the west of Singapore), and back underneath Cape Comorin (southern tip of India) to Oman on the Arabian Peninsula. As the class of large ocean going trimarans like Majan (sistership to Thomas Coville’s Sodebo) grows, it is planned for this to develop as a recurring event on the ocean racing calendar.
Tour Of Arabian Sea Map
Oman Sail’s new A100 Majan, designed by Nigel Irens and Benoit Cabaret, was built in Australia before being assembled locally in Salalah (Oman). David Graham, CEO Oman Sail: “We built and launched Majan, the first Arabian 100 with a plan. We believe that the combination of exhilarating boats and challenging conditions in this economically buoyant region has a real potential for future growth. In conjunction with OC Events, we look forward to racing around the Arabian Gulf, Indian and Southern Oceans this winter and next spring.” Internationally renowned sailor, Paul Standbridge, will skipper Majan alongside Mohsin Al Busaidi who became the first Arab to ever sail non-stop around the world on board Majan’s stablemate, the 75-ft trimaran Musandam back in March this year, and they will be joined by two professional crew and two Oman Sail trainees plus a media crewman, Mark Covell.
Mark Turner, CEO, OC Events: “The launch of the new A100 class with the first sea miles of Majan presents us with an opportunity to develop these two new fascinating racetracks. These courses have both historical and sporting credibility, and equally commercial interest for sponsors of future competing teams. Between the ‘Tour of Arabia’ and the ‘Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race’, we’re visiting 10 key markets, passing through all the corners of the Indian Ocean via five great Capes, and linking the Middle East with Central Asia. Professional yacht racing might have developed with an Atlantic flavour, but the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean remain great unchartered territory for future sailing events.”
Extreme 40 (Photo by Th.Martinez/Sea&Co/OCEvents)
OC Events, organisers of the award winning iShares Cup, the European Extreme 40 Sailing Series, has announced today the creation of the inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia to be staged between November 2009 and March 2010. The first year of the Asian series will include events in Hong Kong, Singapore and Oman with the possibility of a fourth venue to be confirmed, and with a plan to grow this to a six-event series by 2011/12. Bids have already been received for the future series from a number of other venues across Asia.
After the spectacular finale of the six-stage European iShares Cup circuit last weekend in Almería (Spain), five of the boats were packed up to be shipped directly to Hong Kong. Mark Turner, CEO of OC Group, which includes the Series’ organisers OC Events, declared: “The iShares Cup has been running very successfully for three years now in Europe and the Extreme Sailing Series Asia is the next step in the evolution of this exciting sailing format – a format which has become a benchmark in terms of changing the way sailing is seen. Our aim is to build this series each year on the same foundations on which the European iShares Cup has been built – a comprehensive sailing entertainment event that packages the sport to appeal to the public, media and provide experiential VIP client hospitality. For this inaugural series in Asia we won’t be focused on the public side directly, instead we will work hard on the VIP and media aspects, as we did in the early iShares Cup years. But, of course, our aspiration is to build this circuit up over the coming years to match the award-winning iShares Cup format including a strong public element.”
Each event will consist of five days of racing, combining the established format of short, easy to understand races, a media day, VIP sailing days and special events. The Extreme Sailing Series Asia Notice of Race has been issued today and the announcement of the first of the competing teams will follow imminently. Five boats have already committed to the Asian circuit, as in the first year of the iShares Cup series in Europe.
The first event in the Extreme Sailing Series Asia will take place over the 20th-24th November in Hong Kong, supported by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, to coincide with their annual ‘Around the Island Race’ on the 22nd November. With over 200 entries the Around the Island Race is Hong Kong’s largest and most inclusive sailing event. The RHKYC is well equipped to support the series given its long time presence in Hong Kong waters as the premier sailing club.
The circuit will then move on to Singapore from 11th-15th December where sailing has become synonymous with sporting excellence in the region, after multiple medal success at the Asian Games and the ISAF Youth World Championships. One of the country’s key objectives is to make Singapore a key hub for sailing competitions.
Muscat, Oman will host the third event over the 1st to 5th February just before the America’s Cup in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, subject to the current legal dispute. The Sultanate of Oman, home to the legend of Sindbad, is known throughout the Gulf for its spectacular beauty and hospitality. The two Oman Sail boats that finished in 1st and 3rd place in the European 2009 iShares Cup, will return to the Extreme Sailing Series Asia this time with two Omani recruits from the Oman Sail Academy on board as part of the crew.
The inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia will see the same high calibre of competitors currently competing in the European circuit with Olympians, World Champions and Record Holders battling it out for victory in this new territory.
