The home of UK yacht racing, Cowes on the Isle of Wight will host the only UK stop. The ‘Extreme Sailing Series at Cowes Week’ will build on the success of 2009 where the Extreme 40 racing was a key attraction during this world famous regatta, with celebrities Simon Le Bon, Ben Fogle and Brawn F1 chief Nick Fry vying for 5th man spots on board, and BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank performing a live set in the public bar. The racing in 2010 will be held later in the day, from 5pm on some days, to ensure the sailors taking part in Cowes Week as well as the general public can enjoy the great entertainment on the water while enjoying a relaxed drink, food, commentary and music at the Egypt Point race village.

Gilles Chiorri, Event Director for OC Events, commented: “The Extreme Sailing Series at Cowes Week was a huge success in 2009 with not only the general public lining the seafront to watch the sailing, but sailors racing in other classes heading down to Egypt Point as soon as they finished their own racing to watch the Extreme 40 spectacle. We hope to continue that trend in 2010 with much of the racing starting after the main Cowes Week fleets have finished – there will be plenty to see and do at Egypt Point and we look forward to welcoming everyone there.”

Stuart Quarrie, CEO of Cowes Week Limited added, “We’re delighted to welcome the Extreme 40s back to Cowes Week in 2010. Last year the racing added hugely to the great spectacle of our regatta and, having taken onboard the feedback received, we’re delighted that some of the racing will be held later in the day enabling more Cowes Week sailors to enjoy the spectacle too.”

Four of the five venues have now been confirmed for the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series European circuit with the final venue announcement due on 21 April. With more races scheduled than ever before, the 2010 circuit will see up to ten teams battling it out for the title, won in 2009 by Pete Cumming (GBR) and his crew on Oman Sail Masirah.

In a change to the 2009 format, every day of sailing will count in 2010 – four days of points scoring racing in Sète (FRA), Trapani (ITA) and Almería (ESP) – whilst the organisers, OC Events, will capitalise on the only UK leg being played out at the same time as Cowes Week with six days of racing for the teams. The opening day in each venue is a dedicated point-scoring ‘Media Day’ with all fifth man slots reserved for journalists and reporters and the remaining days will play host to not only the Media but VIP guests, with courses laid close to shore to entertain the general public.

The calendar for the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series Europe is confirmed as:

Sète, France 27 – 30 May
Cowes, United Kingdom 31 July – 5 August
Germany 26 – 29 August
Trapani, Italy 23 – 26 September
Almería, Spain 9 – 12 October

Trapani, on the west coast of Sicily (Italy), will be one of the new venues for the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series Europe. As the award-winning Extreme Sailing Series enters its fourth year, the announcement of Trapani as a new host venue demonstrates the continued attraction of this exciting sailing formula to European venues. The event will take place in the very heart of the port of Trapani, right in front of the public and VIPs and just metres from the shops, bars and restaurants of the town.

The Extreme Sailing Series circuit provides spectacular on-water action close to shore, as well as a shore-side public entertainment package: “To confirm Trapani as a new destination for the Extreme Sailing Series circuit, is another great development,” said Gilles Chiorri, Race Director of OC Events, the organising company. “Trapani became well known to the sailing world when it hosted Acts 8 and 9 of the Louis Vuitton Cup series in 2005 and left a lasting impression as the city opened its arms to the sailing world with thousands of public supporting the event. We are looking forward to bringing the Extreme Sailing Series to this location and hope that we will be welcomed with the same enthusiasm and support that was clearly demonstrated in 2005,” concluded Chiorri.

The Extreme Sailing Series Trapani event will be the penultimate event to the 2010 circuit over 23-26 September ahead of the final event that will, once again, be hosted in Almeria, Spain, over 9-12 October following their 5-year commitment to the circuit in 2009. The Provincia Regionale di Trapani has committed to an initial two-year agreement and will provide financial, logistical and operational support as Host Venue Partner. The President of Provincia Regionale di Trapani, Mr. Girolamo Turano commented: “2010 will be a great year for Trapani as we host top nautical events including the Garibaldi Tall Ships regatta in April and the Extreme Sailing Series in September. We have followed the success of the Extreme Sailing circuit over the past three years and are delighted to be hosting the penultimate round in 2010 – the beautiful waters and strong winds will no doubt provide an excellent situation for the top international teams, racing right in the heart of our harbour: perfect for spectators.”

Included in the logistical and operational support package are technical area and moorings for the Extreme 40 fleet, a race village with public attractions, Media Centre and VIP Lounge by the Piazza Garibaldi, race management and media boats, discounted accommodation for the teams, marketing and promotional support and personnel.

The Extreme Sailing Series is recognised as providing a high return on investment (ROI), the Spanish host venue of Almeria carried out an Economic Impact Report in 2009 confirming that the event had generated 2.7m Euros of return on their investment. Over 75,000 spectators attended the Spanish event in 2009, boosting the combined audience to over 200,000 spectators in 2009. A total of 15,000 tourists visited the city over the period of the 2009 Almeria event, 92% because of the event and 80% of visitors expressed their intention to return. Hotel occupancy was up by 19.2% compared to the same period in 2008.

The circuit, then known as the iShares Cup, won the European Sponsorship Award’s Best Business to Business Sponsorship in 2008 and was short-listed for the Sports Industry Association’s best Sponsorship of a Sports Event. The 2009 European series delivered in excess of 5.9m Euros of media value, a 40% increase on 2008, and the Extreme Sailing Series Europe circuit is watched by thousands of viewers around the world thanks to a TV series produced by host broadcasters Sunset&Vine|APP.

Trapani is the capital of the Province of Trapani and attracts thousands of tourists to marvel at the medieval architecture of the old town. The city is still an important fishing port and the Extreme Sailing Series Trapani event will be based in the harbour, with the Extreme 40s racing just metres off the harbour wall.

The Extreme Sailing Series continues to go from strength to strength having just concluded the inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia circuit in Hong Kong, Singapore and Muscat (Oman), the focus now switches to the European series. The Extreme Sailing Series Europe circuit will take in five venues across the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy with ongoing discussions in the final stages for a possible sixth event. With the announcement today of Trapani as the Italian host venue, the remaining 4 venues will be announced over the coming weeks.

Eight to ten teams including a fascinating cross section of the world’s best sailors – Olympians, America’s Cup sailors and World Champions – are expected to compete in the 2010 European series which continues to see the top sailors in the sport battling it out for victory. The 40-foot catamarans are confined to short and sharp race courses – the risk of collision or capsize is ever present and over the past four years this circuit has delivered some of the most dramatic inshore sailing footage ever seen.

For more information on the Extreme Sailing Series Europe click here: www.extremesailingserieseurope.com

For more information on the Garibaldi Tall Ships Regatta, click here: www.garibalditallships.com


Picture Credits: Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events