Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, Winner of the Extreme Sailing Series Sete, France
Yann Guichard’s men proved to be unstoppable at the first round of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series in Sète, France, claiming overall victory and firmly throwing down the gauntlet to the other seven teams for the remainder of the season: “We sailed really well today! On the last race, we had quite a bad start but we managed to find a little gap to go through… As I say often, the most important thing is to stay out of trouble and make less mistakes than the others. I would like to say a huge thank you to my crew because without them, we cannot do anything,” said Guichard. “I managed to put the boat in some pretty scary situations but thanks to them that doesn’t cause any trouble, so a big thank you to them.”
The forecasted Mistral conditions finally kicked in truly entertaining the crowds packed along the Môle, the beaches and the headland – an estimated 16,500 spectators watching the first event. The Extreme 40 crews were pushed to the limit in the strong gusts, teetering on the edge of disaster numerous times.
Second place on the overall podium went to Loick Peyron on Oman Sail Masirah who finished no lower than fourth in any of today’s five races propelling them ahead of Paul Campbell-James’ The Wave, Muscat: “Maybe my experience helped a little in taking second from The Wave, Muscat,” said Peyron, “But it is not just me, it is a team effort and without these guys it would be nothing. ‘CJ’ did a tremendous job and I am very happy, this is exactly what we were looking for to see both teams on the podium – it is a perfect finish. Second was the right place for us – Groupe Edmond de Rothschild were really consistent all event and deserve to win. We are pretty happy with the result, it wasn’t easy but every day was better, sometimes it was very bad but that gives us space to improve for next time.”
Groupama 40 (Photo by Vincent Curutchet / DPPI / OC Events )
Third at the end of the first day of racing, then fourth on the second and third days, Groupama 40 slid down one more place on this last day of racing, following the cancellation of the final race. It’s a cruel blow but Franck Cammas and his crew have their minds on their four race victories out of the 20 contested, as well as the progress they need to make to perform better during the next events.
The day did in fact start off very well for the Groupama Team on the race zone of Sète, with a second, first, fourth and sixth place during the first four races. At that stage in the race, Groupama 40 was still in with a chance of making the top three as she was just five points shy of The Wave Muscat and had a sizeable lead over Ecover.
Next up, race management announced a further two races in a steadily increasing wind, but Groupama 40 messed up the start of the 20th race. She then managed to get back into the action, before being forced to make a last chance manoeuvre to respect the rules of priority with another boat on the final upwind leg. After having to come to a complete standstill, Franck and his crew dug deep to catch up with the backrunners, before being blocked again as they tried to round the mark. They ultimately crossed the finish line in last position, whilst their direct rival Ecover, won the race. As such Groupama 40 lost all the advantage gained over her very good opening races.
After putting in a reef for what was set to be the final race, which counts for double points, Franck Cammas and his crew prepared to give it their all to get past Ecover and hang onto her fourth place in the overall ranking.
However, that’s where their luck ran out as the race committee decided not to take any chances in a wind which could have peaked at as much as 30 knots late in the day. As a result their previous result came back to haunt them as their last place now counted for double, enabling Ecover to get ahead of Groupama 40 in the overall ranking, without even having to race.
Back alongside, Franck Cammas and his crew were clearly disappointed by the outcome: “It’s a shame because we hadn’t sailed badly and we were making steady progress over each of the twenty races contested” but they were nonetheless realistic: “The top two, Groupe Edmond de Rothshild and Oman Masirah are a notch better than us. If we want to be in a position to beat them during the next races, we’re going to have to get off to some better starts and be more consistent. That’s the strength they have right now” explained the skipper of Groupama 40.
Keenly followed by the vast number of spectators thronging around the Saint Louis jetty, especially on Sunday, this first event in the Extreme Sailing Series in Sète has been a great success with some very fine winners, who didn’t let the top spot slip away from them throughout the four days of racing.
His team is now dismantling Groupama 40, so as he can join up with her again in Lorient and then Cowes, where the next event will be held at the start of August. Meanwhile Franck Cammas will get back to the rest of his Team in Lorient to assist them with the relaunch of the maxi trimaran Groupama 3, the recent winner of the Jules Verne Trophy, aboard which he will compete in the next edition of the Route du Rhum – La Banque Postale.
Extreme 40 Fleet In Sete, France (Photo by Vincent Curutchet / DPPI / OC Events )
Groupama 40 (Photo by Vincent Curutchet/ DPPI/ OC Events)
At the penultimate day of racing at the first round of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series in Sète, France, three teams are taking control at the top of the leaderboard. A jib sheet problem for Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and a penalty dealt Guichard’s men a last place in the final race, but they had done enough to keep their lead and there seem to be very few cracks in their armour. “We started off really well, then had a couple of less than good starts and in those conditions it becomes hard to catch up. Overall we’ve done good things but at times we did not shine, yet we still retain our first place and tomorrow we’ll try and stay on the podium!” said Guichard. Oman Sail Masirah’s convincing victory in the final race keeps Loick Peyron in third behind Paul Campbell-James’ team on The Wave, Muscat in second. Only 4 points separate each of the top three teams going into the final day tomorrow.
Extreme Sailing Series Europe (Photo by Vincent Curutchet/DPPI/OC Events )
Plenty of close combat resulted in a number of penalties and collisions. The winds shifts proved costly for many, at the same time the stronger gusts gave the crowds what they love – massive acceleration and flying hulls.
Another great battle is developing mid-leaderboard with Franck Cammas in 4th place on 66 points, Red Bull Extreme Sailing 5th on 60 points, then The Ocean Racing Club and Ecover, 6th and 7th, on 59 points apiece. Ecover helmsman, Leigh McMillan, did a fantastic job in the early races, getting Ecover right in the mix at the front but the team’s fortunes did not continue: “Probably a little bit disappointed because we started the day really well, we got three seconds and were winning at one point, and then the breeze got up, we started to struggle a bit and our strategies off the start just really weren’t paying off,” said McMillan. “We weren’t picking the right shifts off the line and we got thoroughly punished. We had a few close port and starboards which was a difference between us getting round in the second or third or last because we had to do some slow double tacks at windward mark so that set us back massively as well. On these boats the margins are so small and it is all so close that a matter of metres can make the difference between the first and last sometimes.” Nick Moloney’s crew on Team GAC Pindar had their best result of this regatta with a second place in the fourth race today but remain bottom of the leaderboard on 39 points.
Muscat The Wave Getting Some Air (Photo by
Perhaps the surprise act for many of the European regulars is Britain’s Paul Campbell-James, skipper of The Wave, Muscat. His 49er and match racing expertise, and youngest skipper in the fleet, makes him a formidable opponent and he is putting pressure on Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and Oman Sail Masirah at every opportunity he can get, whittling down Yann Guichard’s 8-point lead of yesterday to just 4 points at the end of play today. His aggressive style can lead to repercussions as we saw in race 3 today – after being denied a penalty call Campbell-James tried to get passed Loick Peyron, jostling for position on the short downwind leg resulting in ramming Masirah from behind!
You can watch all the video action from day 3 HERE
2010 Extreme Sailing Series Sete France (Photo by Juerg Kaufman / go4image.com )
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Yann Guichard’s Groupe Edmond de Rothschild may have retained control at the top of the leaderboard after five races today but the pressure is on from Paul Campbell-James’ team on The Wave, Muscat who are excelling here in France moving up to second overall. |
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 Mike Golding’s Ecover got off to a flying start and nearly had the first race in the bag… Leigh McMillan, Ecover’s driver, did a great job on the first leg choosing the right side of the upwind course, tacking back onto starboard and rounding the mark first just seconds ahead of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild. At the final downwind mark Guichard’s crew made a rare crew error briefly losing control of their gennaker and the Ecover team looked to have the race in the bag… But a twist in their huge gennaker cut their downwind speed in half. Guichard’s men were through and like yesterday took the first race of the day. Behind, like thoroughbreds let loose on the straight, The Wave, Muscat and Oman Sail Masirah came storming down to claim second and third. With Mitch Booth’s team in fourth this relegated an unlucky Ecover to fifth. 
With two days of racing to go “it isn’t over till the fat lady sings” as the French commentator said. Not sure the French crowd fully got the analogy but it was entertaining listening to the commentator trying to explain it!  Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (Photo by Vincent Curutchet/ DPPI/ OC Events) |
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Photos by Vincent Curutchet/DPPI/OC Events
China Team and Red Bull Extreme Sailing in action on day 3 of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia at The Wave, Muscat (Photo by Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images/OC Events)
Double Olympic Gold Medallist Roman Hagara and his Olympic crew Hans-Peter Steinacher were a show-stopper on the Danube in Vienna yesterday when they formally announced their participation in the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series circuit, stopping the traffic and the passers-by as they craned to get a view of the dashing Red Bull Extreme 40.
The team sailed their Extreme 40 by the iconic United Nations City and the towering Donauturm TV Tower in the Austrian capital, flying a hull for the media gathered to take their turn onboard the 40-foot catamaran.
“We will be up against the best sailors in the world this year in the Extreme Sailing Series Europe and we want to establish ourselves on the big boat scene,” reasoned skipper Roman Hagara for their entry into the 2010 circuit.
The European circuit isn’t the first foray into Extreme 40 racing for the Red Bull team. They joined the inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia over the winter of 2009/2010 visiting Hong Kong, Singapore and Muscat, Oman, racing five other established Extreme 40 teams. The team finished a credible fifth overall despite a dramatic capsize in the penultimate day in Muscat that left Hagara requiring hospital treatment.
Racing with the only Austrian sportsmen to win Gold medals at the summer Olympics, will be David Vera (ESP) and Gabriele Olivo (ITA), both of whom have competed in the America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race onboard Telefonica. “Vera’s arms are like tree trunks and he has a lot of very valuable experience on big boats,” explained Hagara, “And Olivo is a very fast trimmer and has attracted interest from a lot of other teams. We feel we have a very strong team.”
In Sète, Red Bull Extreme Sailing will be joined by Downhill skiing legend and Dakar Rally driver Luc Alphand – a hugely popular sporting icon in France.
The first public event starts in Sète, France, on 28 May (27th May is an exclusive point-scoring media day) when up to nine international teams will meet to fight it out for the first event. French sailing legends Franck Cammas and Loick Peyron have already announced their entries with Groupama and Oman Sail Masirah. They’ll be joined by Yann Guichard and his Groupe Edmond de Rothschild team, with five other teams to be announced over the next week.
Event Director Gilles Chiorri commented, “Red Bull is an iconic, international brand and to have them backing a team of such high calibre as Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher is great news for the circuit. Roman posted some excellent results on the board in Asia and will certainly be one the other teams are keeping an eye on.”
2010 Extreme Sailing Series Europe Calendar:
Sète, France 27-30 May
Cowes, UK 31 July – 5 August
Kiel, Germany – 26-29 August
Trapani, Italy 23-26 September
Almeria, Spain 9-12 October
Ectreme 40's (Photo by Thierry Martinez / Sea&Co / OC Events)
The biggest French multihull sailing champions will meet once again in the five-round 2010 Extreme Sailing Series. Loick Peyron, holder of the most multihull championship titles, Yann Guichard, a favourite for the forthcoming Route de Rhum, and Franck Cammas, who convincingly won the Jules Verne Trophy just one month ago, will meet on the water for the first time this year on 27 May at the first event in Sète, France.
In Detail:
Winner of two of the six stages in the 2009 series (Venice and Amsterdam), the catamaran racing under the colours of baron Benjamin de Rothschild will be again helmed by Yann Guichard this year and renamed Groupe Edmond de Rothschild. He will be looking to improve on his overall second place in 2009, just three points behind the overall winners, Oman Sail Masirah, skippered by Pete Cumming (GBR).
“2009 was the year we discovered the Extreme Sailing Series and the style of Extreme 40 regattas: the notion of sport as a spectacle! We soon learnt that consistency pays and to perform well in this series and to post good results, you need to navigate really well and not have any on-the-water contact with your competitors. The Extreme Sailing Series is a good school to learn self-control. I really like the intensity of the regattas the shot of adrenalin you get. In an Extreme 40, racing is never clear cut and it isn’t over until you cross the finish line.”
Yann Guichard (Photo by Thierry Martinez / Sea&Co / OC Events)
“I find this format totally motivating and interesting and it allows me to grow as a sailor. Second in 2009, we are aiming to have Groupe Edmond de Rothschild on the top of the podium this year. And that’s not forgetting our team’s sporting objective for the team this year: the Route de Rhum with Gitana 11, which will start from St Malo at the end of October,” explained the Breton Skipper.
Also on the circuit this year is his Route de Rhum competitor, another favourite for the Extreme Sailing Series title Franck Cammas; recent winner of the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest, non-stop assault around the world, Cammas is also preparing for the next Volvo Ocean Race.
“We’ve spent the winter capturing the Jules Verne Trophy with an amazing team onboard Groupama 3, and so Groupama 40 looks pretty small! But we like these close-quarter regattas. Our business is all about sailing so, big or small, in a team, or alone, it’s not important. It’s all about the sailing.”
Franck Cammas (Photo by Team Groupama)
Franck will be joined onboard Groupama 40 by his regular team mates Tanguy Cariou, as tactician with whom he has won a number of titles on the ORMA Grand Prix circuit, as well as two new team members for the first leg in Sète: ” For the first event on the 2010 circuit, we have modified the team with the arrival of Christophe Espangnon and Devan Le Bihan. And with Tanguy Cariou as the tactican we have a great team. Whether it is enough to win against Oman Sail Masirah or Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, both of whom shone last year, I don’t know. But we have been training and preparing for Sète with the same determination as all our other projects. The format and situation in the city will be great with the racing so close to the public and Sète also has the America’s Cup history. It promises to be a great event.”
The third French skipper joining the circuit this year is Loick Peyron, a sailor with the most titles in the history of multihull sailing and recently returned from Valencia as helmsman of Alinghi’s America’s Cup entry in the battle of the giant multihulls. Peyron will be helming the winning boat of 2009, Oman Sail Masirah with no change to the rest of the team. Mark Bulkeley, who represented Great Britain in the Tornado class at the Athens Olympics, will stay in his role of mainsail trimmer and tactician; David ‘Freddie’ Carr, one of the most experienced Extreme 40 sailors, will use his knowledge at the front of the boat as bowman and Pete Cumming, the skipper in 2009, will this year be the trimmer and overall sailing team manager for the Oman Sail team. After a winter of training in Sultanate, the Oman Sail Masirah team will be hoping their experience and close teamwork will be a force to be reckoned with in 2010.
Loick Peyron (Photo by OC Events)
With just one month to go until the first vent, the pressure is increasing for the teams, and for organisers OC Events. “Sète is a new venue for us, so a new challenge,” commented OC Events Director Gilles Chiorri. “We have great support from the municipality, the Port de Sète as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Societe Nautique de Sète [Sailing Club of Sète]. The courses will be directly in front of the harbour walls so the public will have the perfect viewpoint, with all the action being played out right at their feet. It will be a unique spectacle,” he concluded.
The 2010 Calendar is confirmed as follows
27 – 30 May: Sète, France
31 July – 5 August: Cowes, UK
26 – 29 August: Kiel, Germany
23 – 26 September: Trapani, Italy
9 – 12 October: Almería, Spain
