EXTREME 2013

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GLOBAL TOUREight Host Venues, three continents, nine months of global action

THE ORIGINAL STADIUM SAILING SERIES Pushing some of the world’s most elite sailors to their limits

2013 FORM GUIDEFresh talent challenges the old guard

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Close combat

Umpire’s view

Extreme 40s on tour

On the map

Turn up and take off

A Cat above the rest

Creating an event for the public

Vital stats

Zoom!

Full on!

Sailing to the extreme

Defending champion Leigh McMillan

2013 all star team line-up

2013 form guide – a fresh influx of new talent

Valuable asset

Commercial vessel

4 WelcomeMark Turner, Executive Chairman of Extreme Sailing Series™ organisers OC Sport on moving into the ‘third phase’ of the Series’ life.

An essential guide to following all the action on an Extreme 40 racecourse.

Umpire’s insight into how best to keep tabs on the most dynamic sailing series in existence!

Take a look at the 2013 international venues in detail.

Where is the 2013 Extreme Sailing Series™ global tour going?

All you need to know about the Extreme 40 catamaran.

Square Mile Magazine’s Hannah Berry finds out that extreme sailing is definitely the sport for her.

More than just a top-sporting event, the Extreme Sailing Series™ is a festival of entertainment on and off the water!

The vital stats & facts for the 2013 season.

You can follow the circuit at : extremesailingseries.com

All Images: Lloyd Images www.lloydimages.comEdited by: OC Sport ProductionEditor: Nicola MooreContributors: James Boyd, David Fuller, Justin Chisholm, Hannah Berry, Tom LoveDesign: Wez Maynard, James Geoghegan, Jon Line

Copyright: OC Sport

The action, straight from the racecourse.

The powerful Extreme 40 requires expert handling.

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

Can The Wave, Muscat helmsman Leigh McMillan become the first skipper to become Extreme Sailing Series™ champion twice?

Meet the crew, the men behind the machines.

Who will win in 2013? James Boyd, Editor of thedailysail.com gives us his low-down on the teams to watch.

David Fuller, Editor of yachtracing.biz asks what makes the Extreme Sailing Series™ different and an interesting property for investors.

SportsPro Magazine’s Tom Love explores how SAP Extreme Sailing Team is making the most of their investment.

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In their own words

Cities line up to satisfy the race appetite

Rock stars, super models, F1 supremos and the media give their take on stepping onboard an Extreme 40 for a ride.

Financial Times correspondent Richard Donkin explores the appeal of being a Host Venue.

3 Off-road to inshore: Land Rover takes to the seaMark Cameron, Global Brand Experience Director at Land Rover on becoming one of two Series Main Partners.

30 All-new Range RoverThe Range Rover has set a new standard in design, refinement and capability. But what makes it such an iconic vehicle?

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The Official exTreme Sailing SerieS™ magazine fOr 2013 ELITE LEVEL STADIUM RACING

It’s a breath-taking spectacle. Watching a fleet of Extreme 40 catamarans master their environment offers a true sense of freedom - and a real flow of adrenaline. The beauty of their design and the innovation of their technology combine perfectly, delivering power, durability and maximum performance in the most extreme conditions.

The first Land Rover, built in 1948, was designed with brilliant simplicity to offer

exactly the same kind of strengths. Today, six decades on, an estimated

two-thirds of all Land Rovers are still at work – many in some of

the most extreme conditions and inhospitable places

on earth.

So we have a long and unique heritage in producing vehicles designed to go everywhere; vehicles equally at home anywhere on dry - and not so dry - land as these boats are on water. And as a brand, we feel a naturally affinity with their bold love of adventure. For us, therefore, this partnership goes beyond sponsoring an event. It’s about sharing a philosophy.

It’s a philosophy also shared by this year’s competing teams, which feature some of the world’s most accomplished and fearless sailors. Land Rover drivers and guests will even get the opportunity to join them at sea, as a spectator onboard our catamaran - or even as part of the crew on one of the competition boats themselves. For Land Rover, the Extreme Sailing Series marks the start of a new and exciting adventure.

MArk CAMErON, Global Brand Experience Director, Land Rover

Land RoveR is pRoud to embaRk on an initiaL thRee yeaR sponsoRship as one of two extReme saiLing seRies™ main paRtneRs. as the woRLd’s definitive action-packed saiLing competition, the extReme saiLing seRies continues to innovate, Reach new audiences and saiL to new teRRitoRies - and we’Re Looking foRwaRd to the chaLLenge of suppoRting that pRogRess.

OFF-ROAD TO INSHORE:

LAND ROVER TAKES TO THE SEA

WWW.EXTREMESAILINGSERIES.COM

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Once again we’ve got an amazing line-up of

some of the best professional sailors in the

sport from 13 countries, representing both

the traditional sailing nations as well as the

new emerging countries that are rapidly

developing sailing talent. The competition

to win the Extreme Sailing Series™ coveted

trophy is tougher than it has ever been, and

in its seven-year history, the Series has lost

none of its appeal for sailors. New young

blood this year will challenge some of the

older established teams and there will also

be an invitational team at each event – a

platform for home nations and talented local

sailors to compete with and against the best

in the game. Elite level sporting competition

is a fundamental ingredient for success - it’s

important to make sure that it’s always going

to be an event that guys want to win and that

the best guys in the world are here trying to

do just that. And I say ‘guys’ with an important

wish that we can attract back some more

female sailors in 2014!

Of course it takes more than great sportsmen

and women to make a modern sporting event

successful – the commercial aspects and

overall vision for the event are very important.

The foundations on which we have built the

event – top level sporting credibility, coupled

with solid commercial deliverables for the

stakeholders at team and event level – have

ensured this global sporting property has

weathered all sorts of challenges from inside

and outside the sport. Extreme Sailing Series

now has carved out a clear place of its own

in the sport, indeed created a new sector

‘Stadium Sailing’, and it has a very clear path

of development and continued success ahead

of it. Our positioning is very clear – maintain

top-level sporting action, but make sure at

the same time that we are entertaining the

audience, and those (and their clients) that

are funding the event.

We are entering what you could call the ‘third

phase’ of the Series’ life, a phase that should

be marked by solid progress in all areas, rather

than any fundamental change to the concept.

2012 was a huge year for us as organisers - we

reacquired full ownership of the Series and OC

Sport now sits at the helm of an international

sporting property that in 2013 will run events

in eight countries across three continents, in

some of the most exciting iconic venues that

sailing has ever been seen in. In the sport of

sailing, it is one of very few global properties

that can be relied on to deliver what it

promises – by venues, brands and professional,

commercially backed, sailing teams.

The ‘Stadium Sailing’ concept is at the core

of the Extreme Sailing Series and forms a key

part of the Host Venue selection process. It

is a concept which, depending on the venue

in question, can pit the on-water action less

than a boat’s length away from the shoreline

and spectators. And ultimately the concept of

bringing sailing to the public rather than the

other way round has changed the professional

part of the sport forever. Over 1 million

spectators, most of them non-sailors, have

now physically watched the Series on location

around the world. In 2013 we want to continue

to widen the on-land experience. We want to

get the public entertainment package more

integrated with the sailing. We have made

the first steps but we have some way to go

and, of course, we can only go as fast as our

commercial resources allow us.

We will continue to grow our media value

and footprint in 2013 (valued at €27.8 million

of global media exposure for 2012 according

to independent agency Havas Sponsorship

Insights) with TV continuing to provide half

of that. This is vital to ensure that more top

brands come in to the circuit, supporting great

sailing teams, and helping us develop the event

further. We will continue to expand live TV

coverage to all of the events (last year we had

live TV in five venues) and to get it picked

up in other countries as well. Year on year

the distribution of our TV series gets better,

in 2012 we had 43 channels touching five

continents broadcasting the TV series, in 2013

we are on course for 50. The new tracking,

data and graphics provided by our technology

partners SAP, the quality of onboard footage

and audio will take that to another level

this year. And of course, we will continue to

deliver to our core audience, sailing fans who

consume a lot of our coverage online.

What motivates our hard working team more

than anything, and it applies across all of

OC Sport’s portfolio in sailing, cycling and

running, is that we love to inspire. At Extreme

Sailing Series that means inspiring top sailors

to challenge to win the Series, inspiring the

public to discover and then participate in

this fantastic sport, inspiring VIPs with the

privileged experience of sailing onboard these

racing machines, and driving business for all

the brands, venues and partners supporting

the circuit.

Thank you to all of our stakeholders who are

an important part of our continually growing

Extreme Sailing Series family – sponsors,

Host Venue partners, the skippers and sailors,

suppliers, media and the public – who all make

this circuit so special. Seven years in, and

plenty more great years to come yet!

MArk TurNEr, Executive Chairman, OC Sport

Aspiring to inspire…

2013 IS AbOuT EvOluTION NOT REvOluTION…

2013 Is Our sEvENTh yEAr Of COMpETITION AND, sIgNIfICANTly Our ThIrD yEAr wITh A full glObAl TOur ACrOss ThrEE CONTINENTs fOr A CIrCuIT ThAT wAs fIrsT lAuNChED IN jusT fOur EurOpEAN DEsTINATIONs bACk IN 2007.

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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.

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the officiaL extReme saiLing seRies™ magazine foR 2013 ELITE LEVEL STADIUM RACING

www.extRemesaiLingseRies.com

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ABOUT THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES™

Designed to redefine yacht racing as a spectator sport, the Extreme Sailing Series™ offers a grandstand experi-ence within a whisker of the high-speed action. By Justin Chisholm, Editor of Sail Racing Magazine.

Despite being recognised as one of the largest participation sports in the world, sailboat racing has historically struggled to effectively position itself as a specta-tor sport. The primary reasons being that – while there is generally no lack of action on the water – typically rac-ing 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, seven 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 sail-ing 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

EXTREMESAILING to the

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the highly competitive sailors attracted to the new multihull racing format. A new class of lightweight high-speed 12.2m/40ft multihulls (known as the Extreme 40) was already in produc-tion, 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 acts 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 dra-

matic 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 sur-vived the highly turbulent economic times which scuppered several other long established professional regatta circuits, and continues not merely un-scathed, 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 Sport – 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 Sport announced a fully internation-al nine-Act circuit starting in February and concluding in December, compris-ing 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 we always try to rede-

fine 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, was no longer to be raced in monohulls but in super-fast carbon catamarans. In exactly the right place at

exactly the right time, the

FB.COM/EXTREMESAILINGSERIES @EXTREMESAILINGSERIES#EXSS YOUTUBE.COM/EXTREMESAILINGSERIES

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Leigh McMillan

Extreme 40 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. That said, the Extreme Sailing Series was successful before the America’s Cup went to multihulls, and no doubt it will continue to do so if that were to change.

IN ThE ThICk Of ITIn whatever capacity, a visit to an Extreme Sailing Series act 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

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.

Leigh

McM

illan can the wave, muscat

heLmsman Leigh McMiLLan become the fiRst skippeR to become extReme saiLing seRies™ champion twice? odds suggest the bRitish catamaRan ace’s boat is favouRite this yeaR afteR winning in 2012 by moRe than 10 points - the LaRgest maRgin in the ciRcuit’s Recent histoRy. heralding from the isle of wight, mcmillan, who turns 33 this year, is one of just a handful of sailors left on the extreme sailing series who has been there from the outset. when the circuit started, mcmillan sailed on conrad humphreys’ motorola. he took two years out but returned for the extreme sailing series asia over 2009/10 with the winning oman sail masirah, before joining mike golding’s ecover for 2010. half way through 2011, he took over the reins of the wave, muscat and has not looked back since.

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Leigh McMillan

EXTREME SAILING SERIES™ RESULTS

1st THE WAVE, MUSCAT, OMA (Leigh McMillan)

2nd OMAN AIR, OMA (Morgan Larson)

3rd GROUPE EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD, FRA (Pierre Pennec)

4th RED BULL SAILING TEAM, AUT (Roman Hagara)

5th GAC PINDAR, GBR (Ian Williams)

6th SAP EXTREME SAILING TEAM, DEN (Jes-Gram Hansen / Rasmus Køstner)

7th ALINGHI, SUI (Ernesto Bertarelli)

8th ZOULOU, FRA (Erik Maris)

2012 OVERALL SERIES

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

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

3rd ECOVER SAILING TEAM, GBR (Mike Golding)

2010 OVERALL SERIES

1st OMAN SAIL MASIRAH, OMA (Pete Cumming)

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

3rd CHINA TEAM, CHN (Thierry Barot)

2009/10 ASIA SERIES

1st OMAN SAIL MASIRAH, OMA (Pete Cumming)

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

3rd OMAN SAIL RENAISSANCE, OMA (Loick Peyron)

2009 OVERALL SERIES

1st ALINGHI, SUI (Ed Baird)

2nd TEAMORIGIN, GBR (Rob Greenhalgh)

3rd BT, EUR (Nick Moloney)

2008 OVERALL SERIES

1st BASILICA, GBR (Rob Greenhalgh)

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

3rd BT, EUR (Nick Moloney)

2007 OVERALL SERIES

1st LUNA ROSSA, ITA (Max Sirena)

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

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

2011 OVERALL SERIES

mcmillan has been a catamaran sailor both man and boy. in his teens, he represented britain at the isaf youth worlds in the hobie 16 and acquitted himself well enough to become part of the british olympic tornado squad for sydney 2000, going to the olympic games in 2004 and 2008.

once upon a time olympic catamaran sailors represented the majority of extreme 40 crews, but less so now. this season mark bulkeley, mcmillan’s athens crew will com-pete aboard team korea for three acts, while will howden, who sailed with mcmillan in beijing, was on oman air last year and sailed on the invitational home boat, team duqm oman in muscat.

so what does it take to win the extreme sailing series?: “I guess you need to be able to think very quickly on your feet. Getting used to the high speed is extremely important. Things happen very quickly and you need to be able to react so that it doesn’t cause damage to your performance or to the boat.”

with narrow start lines and ultra-short courses, success aboard an extreme 40 also takes courage and experience, particularly in windy conditions when boats can be flying into marks with a closing speed of 30 knots. “Pushing a big powerful boat hard when the conditions get tough and the bows are burying into waves without being fearful of pitchpoling...” mcmillan summarises the challenge.

team work is also vital to winning and a key to the wave, muscat’s success is in having all the regular manoeuvres around the course work like clockwork. this requires succinct communications on board, which mcmillan says has been a strength of his team.

of his crew mcmillan says that pete greenhalgh “brings a huge amount of experi-ence and a very professional approach. We agree on most things which is quite refreshing. Ed Smyth fits in well too – he brings a different dynamic to the crew.” they are joined by two omanis hashim al Rashdi and new boy musab al hadi.

the starting grid for the 2013 extreme sailing series has plenty of new faces. com-pared to last season mcmillan reckons more teams will be on the podium. but this bodes well for the wave, muscat, “We are a consistent team and if that continues then it could work well for us.”

in particular mcmillan reckons 2013 could be a good year for Red bull sailing team, while sap extreme sailing team has done a lot of training. “But I suspect there could be a few dark horses…”

James Boyd is Editor of the Daily Sail, www.thedailysail.com


THE MEN BEHIND2013 TEAM LINE-UPS

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The Official exTreme Sailing SerieS™ magazine fOr 2013

THE MEN BEHIND

in the woRLd of high peRfoRmance saiLing, one gLobaL ciRcuit bRings the action Right to the cRowds. in 2013 the extReme saiLing seRies™’ awaRd-winning stadium Racing foRmat wiLL see woRLd-cLass teams, incLuding a ‘home nation’ team at each venue, compete in the seventh edition of the seRies.The 2013 Series is to be contested by sailors from all over the globe and a stellar cast of 40 top professional sailors representing 13 nationalities will lock horns across eight Acts. Each team race with five crew, one of whom must either be a woman, under 23-years old or an amateur as classified by ISAF. A fresh influx of new talent for 2013 joins the established Extreme 40 teams, and between them they boast 30 America’s Cup campaigns, 16 Olympic campaigns, and 30 World Championship wins, making this one of the hardest seasons to call to date.

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about the teamThe biggest transfer news of the 2012/2013 off-season is the addition of Morgan Larson, who steered Oman Air to second place last season, to Alinghi. Larson will bring his tactical prowess to the Swiss America’s Cup winners as they look to combat the podium in 2013. Bertarelli’s core Alinghi team of Pierre Yves Jorand, Nils Frei and Yves Detrey, all America’s Cup veterans, return in their fourth year of Extreme 40 competition. The team made big in roads to the podium in 2012, and if they can improve their consistency Alinghi will be a force to be reckoned with.

TEAM WEBSITE: www.alinghi.com2012 POSITION: 7th

ACT 1: 5th-8th march 2013 AlINGHIthe fiRst-eveR euRopean winneRs of the ameRica’s cup

about the skippeRSmooth 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, as the first European team to win the America’s Cup in 2003, and then successfully defend it in 2007. Bertarelli is an expert in light-wind sailing 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.

THE CREW

ERNESTO BERTARELLI NATIONALITY: SUIBORN: 22.09.65LIVES: SWITZERLAND

SKIPPER & HELMSMAN

MORGAN LARSON NATIONALITY: USA

TACTICIAN

PIERRE YVES JORAND NATIONALITY: SUI

MAINSAIL TRIMMER

NILS FREI NATIONALITY: SUI

HEADSAIL TRIMMER

YVES DETREY NATIONALITY: SUI

BOWMAN

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about the teamA regular on the Extreme Sailing Series™ but with an entirely new crew for 2013. With a major reshuffle bringing in fresh blood to GAC Pindar, the young emerging stars will be aiming to show the seasoned sailors some new tricks this Series. Tiller’s crew follows him from the match racing circuit, with Brad Farrand on mainsheet, trimmer Harry Thurston and bowman Shaun Mason. Running a squad system for the Extreme Sailing Series, they also have two new crew in former New Zealand match racing champion Matt Steven and 19 year old Stewart Dodson, son of famous Kiwi Olympic and America’s Cup sailor, Tom Dodson.

TEAM WEBSITE: www.sailing.gacpindar.com 2012 POSITION: 5th

ACT 1: 5th-8th march 2013 GAC PINDARinfLux of fResh youth taLent

about the skippeRA burgeoning Kiwi talent, Tiller approaches his debut season at the helm of an all-new line up for GAC Pindar. One of the youngest skippers in the fleet, Tiller has already earned his stripes in the international sailing arena, ranked fifth in the world on the ISAF World Match Racing Tour rankings. Selected to represented New Zealand in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, Tiller has already made the transition from one hull to two quickly, but how will he fair on the short, stadium style Extreme 40 racecourse?

THE CREW

WILLIAM TILLER

NATIONALITY: NZLBORN: 24.10.89LIVES: NEW ZEALAND

SKIPPER & HELMSMAN

MATT STEVEN & BRAD FORRAND NATIONALITIES: NZL

TACTICIAN

STEWART DODSON NATIONALITY: NZL

MAINSAIL TRIMMER

HARRY THURSTON NATIONALITY: NZL

HEADSAIL TRIMMER

SHAUN MASON NATIONALITY: GBR

BOWMAN


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about the teamBuilt around the successful team who claimed the D35 championship in 2012, with a crew of graduates from the Geneva-based Centre d`Entraînement à la Régate, a new professional sailing team will make its Extreme Sailing Series debut in 2013; Realteam. The squad will swap between Acts throughout the year, but just how long will it take for them to make the transition from lake sailing to the ultra-short stadium style format?

TEAM WEBSITE: www.realteam.ch2012 POSITION: n/a

ACT 1: 5th-8th march 2013 REAlTEAMswiss muLtihuLL champions, new to the touR

about the skippeRA newcomer to the Extreme Sailing Series with a proven multihull background, Clerc will have to think on his feet to determine his place on the leaderboard. With a storming success in the D35 class, dominating and ultimately winning the D35 Championship in 2012, as one of the ‘new boys’ to the Series, the pressure will be on for Clerc and the crew of Realteam to make their mark this season.

THE CREW

JéRôME CLERC

NATIONALITY: SUIBORN: 30.05.80LIVES: SWITZERLAND

SKIPPER & HELMSMAN

TACTICIAN

MAINSAIL TRIMMER

HEADSAIL TRIMMER

THIERRY WASEM NATIONALITY: SUI

BOWMAN

BRUNO BARBARIN & DENIS GIRADET NATIONALITIES: FRA & SUI

ARNAUD PSAROFAGHIS & NILS PALMIERI NATIONALITIES: SUI

CéDRIC SCHMIDT &BRYAN METTRAUX NATIONALITIES: SUI

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about the teamRed Bull Sailing Team is the only team to have made no changes to their crew from the 2012 Series. Hagara spearheads the team alongside his gold medal winning Olympic crew of Hans Peter Steinacher. The Austrian duo are supported by their international crew of Britain’s Matt Adams, Australian match racer Graeme Spence and French dinghy catamaran sailor Pierre le Clainche.

TEAM WEBSITE: www.redbullextremesailing.com2012 POSITION: 4th

ACT 1: 5th-8th march 2013RED bull SAIlING TEAMaustRia’s doubLe oLympic goLd medaL winning doubLe act

about the skippeRA double Olympic gold medallist in the Tornado class, Hagara is one of the most experienced skippers on the circuit but also one of the most frustrated as he is yet to transfer his Olympic success to the Extreme 40 racecourse. An agonising fourth place finish in 2012 for Austria’s most successful summer sports star put him within touching distance and in 2013 Hagara’s tenacity and determination to lead his team to the podium makes him a pre-season favourite.

THE CREW

ROMAN HAGARA

NATIONALITY: AUTBORN: 30.04.66LIVES: AUSTRIA

SKIPPER & HELMSMAN

TACTICIAN

MAINSAIL TRIMMER

MATTHEW ADAMS NATIONALITY: GBR

PIERRE LE CLAINCHE NATIONALITY: FRA

HEADSAIL TRIMMER

GRAEME SPENCE NATIONALITY: AUS

BOWMAN

HANS PETER STEINACHER NATIONALITY: AUT

fb.com/extRemesaiLingseRies @extRemesaiLingseRies #exss youtube.com/extRemesaiLingseRies

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about the teamThe core crew remains as it was in 2012, as the Danish skippers hope that consistency could be key to finally unlocking the podium. Britain’s Pete Cumming, former Oman Sail Masirah skipper and Extreme Sailing Series winner and Danish match racer and America’s Cup sailor Mikkel Røssberg return for their second season with the Danish team, while Nicolai Sehestedman, a young Danish match racer, is new for 2013.

TEAM WEBSITE: www.sapextremesailingseries.com 2012 POSITION: 6th

ACT 1: 5th-8th march 2013SAP EXTREME SAIlING TEAMpodium potentiaL

about the skippeRsBack for their second year of Extreme 40 action, the dynamic Danish duo of Jes Gram-Hansen and Rasmus Køstner return to the Extreme Sailing Series after their multihull baptism of fire last year, with plenty of podium potential for 2013.

If 2012 was an education in Extreme 40 sailing for the pair, in 2013 the training wheels are off and their sights are firmly set on their first ever podium position. 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 Køstner also sailed. Known for pushing their Extreme 40 to the max, the pair will come out all guns blazing in 2013 as the duo are determined to prove their worth this season.

THE CREW

JES GRAM-HANSEN

NATIONALITY: DENBORN: 26.09.71LIVES: DENMARK

CO-SKIPPER & HELMSMAN

RASMUS KøSTNERNATIONALITY: DENBORN: 17.05.78LIVES: DENMARK

CO-SKIPPER & TACTICIAN

PETE CUMMING NATIONALITY: GBR

MAINSAIL TRIMMER

MIKKEL RøSSBERG NATIONALITY: DEN

HEADSAIL TRIMMER

NICOLAI SEHESTED NATIONALITY: DEN

BOWMAN

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about the teamMcMillan has opted to keep the same core team as 2012 in a bid to replicate their winning performance. The only addition is Musab Al Hadi, Oman’s leading F18 sailor, making it two Omanis onboard for the first time ever, a continuation of Oman Sail’s programme to fast track the skills of their sailors. British 49er and America’s Cup sailor Peter Greenhalgh, Kiwi America’s Cup veteran Ed Smyth and Oman’s Hashim Al Rashdi return for their second year on The Wave, Muscat.

TEAM WEBSITE: www.thewavemuscat.com www.omansail.com 2012 POSITION: 1st

ACT 1: 5th-8th march 2013THE WAvE, MuSCATdefending champion

about the skippeRThe defending Extreme Sailing Series champion Leigh McMillan is back and determined to add to last year’s silverware. Considered one of the UK’s top multihull sailors, with two Olympic campaigns under his belt in the Tornado, McMillan has competed in the Series since the inaugural edition in 2007. Known for his laid-back demeanour 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 and who doesn’t hold back on expressing himself to his rivals. A force to be reckoned with who really comes into his own when the breeze is up, McMillan is the only skipper to have finished on the podium at every Act in 2012.

THE CREW

LEIGH McMILLAN

NATIONALITY: GBRBORN: 24.10.80LIVES: UK

SKIPPER & HELMSMAN

TACTICIAN

MAINSAIL TRIMMER

PETER GREENHALGH NATIONALITY: GBR

MUSAB AL HADI NATIONALITY: OMA

HEADSAIL TRIMMER

HASHIM AL RASHDI NATIONALITY: OMA

BOWMAN

ED SMYTH NATIONALITY: NZL


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At the opening Act of 2013 in Muscat, Team Duqm Oman was the invited team with none other than Robert Greenhalgh, winner of the first Extreme Sailing Series™ in 2007 onboard Basilica, as skipper. Greenhalgh was joined by a team of Extreme 40 heavyweights including British Olympic Tornado crew Will Howden and Andrew Walsh, who shared skipper duties of GAC Pindar in 2012.

For the second Act of 2013 in Singapore, the invitational team is backed by Aberdeen Asset Management and aims to support Singapore’s sailing ambitions with aspiring Olympic Laser sailor, Scott Glen Sydney, 22, stepping up to the mark as the first ever Singaporean Extreme 40 skipper.

Act 3 saw the return of China Team to the Series. Aussie legend and co-creator of the Extreme 40 Mitch Booth, who is in possession of an enviable CV including two Olympic medals (bronze in

Barcelona 1992 and silver in Atlanta 1996), an impressive 11 World Championships titles as well as America’s Cup experience, led a team comprising of some of China’s most talented young sailors as part of China Team’s aim to develop their national sailing team.

Debuting in Istanbul is the first ever Turkish

Extreme 40 team supported by Turkey’s leading

media group NTV Spor, NTV Spor Team Turx.

Edhem Dirvana, an accomplished multihull sailor,

son of the ‘father of sailing’ in Turkey, Solomon

Dirvana, and grandson to the former Grand Vizier

to the Ottoman Empire, will skipper the team.

And in both Istanbul and Porto, Team Tilt (SUI)

and ROFF Cascais Sailing Team (POR), join the

Extreme 40 fleet on the stadium racecourse as

part of their preparations for the Red Bull Youth

America’s Cup in September.

Team Korea, who competed at Acts 1 to 3, come to this circuit having successfully punched above its weight in the America’s Cup World Series. Considered one of the most powerful new teams on the starting grid, skipper Peter Burling and New Zealand compatriot Blair Tuke (tactician) are among the most talented sailors of their generation, together winning silver in the 49er skiff at the London 2012 Olympic Games. While their crew and Team Korea regulars, Mark Bulkeley and bowman Matt Cornwall, are veterans of numerous Extreme 40 campaigns, catamaran sailing is new for the team’s fifth crew member Sungwok Kim, a Korean match racing champion. Team Korea uses its fifth man slot as Oman Sail do, to introduce sailing to the nation and to develop their national sailing talents.

For 2013 there are two types of ‘wildcard’ entries lining up on the starting grid at each Act. The invitational team at each venue provides a platform for a home nation team to compete in the way that Brazilian sailing legend Torben Grael skippered Team Brasil at the final Act of 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, with these one-off entries combining to make on overriding Series entry. And up to three additional ‘wildcard’ entries will be permitted at each Act, with the potential of joining as full Series teams in 2014.

the teams

WIlDCARD ENTRIES

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23

One of the few certainties is that pre-season favourite is Leigh McMillan and his team aboard The Wave, Muscat. But this brings no guarantees. Last year the French team of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild was deemed favourite and they finished third overall. Being the boat to beat brings added pressure. They become the target of the others, making life on the tight racecourse even more difficult .

The only difference to The Wave, Muscat crew line-up this year is that two Omani sailors are competing on board instead of one – a continuation of Oman Sail’s programme to fast track the improvement in skills of its budding sailors. Joining McMillan, Pete Greenhalgh and Ed Smyth will, once again, be bowman Hashim

Al Rashdi, but now in the ‘fifth man’ slot is Musab Al Hadi, Oman’s leading F18 catamaran sailor.

“Having two Omanis on board this year is a great step forward for the

Oman Sail project,” says McMillan. “They are sailing extremely well at the moment. Musab has been competing internationally now for the last couple of seasons. He is extremely fast and pushes himself really hard. We have been lucky to be able to put him into our team.”

Having a trainee sailor on board may have some effect on The Wave, Muscat’s performance, but we doubt this will be enough to hold them back. And The Wave, Muscat’s position looks initially

to be even stronger given that her two main competitors last year, Oman Air and Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, which finished second and third in the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series, have not returned this season.

However, we are in no doubt that this void will be rapidly filled and almost any of the teams taking part this season has the potential to challenge The Wave, Muscat.

EXTREMESAIlING

SERIESMuscling powerful 40ft catamarans around tightly confined stadium

sailing courses with some degree of consistency over the 20-30 races sailed at each Act, in front of cheering crowds in locations as

far afield as the Far East, Middle East, Europe and South America.... winning the Extreme Sailing Series™ has lost none of its challenge

and appeal. But for 2013 the starting grid has a fresh complexion with many new, younger teams signed up for the first time and

several existing teams returning with new crew line-ups.

FRESH INFluX OF YOuNG TAlENT

James Boyd, Editor of thedailysail.com

gives us his thoughts on the 2013 teams

24


While Oman Air is not back this year, her skipper is. Californian America’s Cup sailor Morgan Larson, who steered Oman Air to second place last season, has joined Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi team. He takes over from Tanguy Cariou/Jean-Christophe Mourniac and will be helming when Bertarelli is unable to take part.

“I really wanted to come back and sail and, unfortunately, Oman Air wasn’t going to do the season,” says Larson. “At Alinghi it is good, because I can steer a few and I get to crew for a few, so I can look at it from different perspectives. They are a very polished team and do things very well.”

Bertarelli expects to helm Alinghi for around half of the Acts this year, when commitments allow. The Swiss biotech billionaire, best known for twice winning sailing’s premier event, the America’s Cup, is an accomplished multihull helmsman, having sailed catamarans for more than 20 years on his native Lake Geneva and in the 33rd America’s Cup. He made great strides in his inaugural Extreme Sailing Series last year, regularly winning races, and if he can improve his consistency Alinghi will be a force to be reckoned with.

Of all the teams competing Red Bull Sailing Team is the only one to have made no crew changes

since last year. The Austrian team continues to be spearheaded by double Olympic Tornado gold medallists Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher, supported by their international crew of Britain’s Matt Adams, Australian match racer Graeme Spence and French dinghy cat sailor Pierre le Clainche.

Unfortunately in three seasons on the Extreme Sailing Series, Red Bull Sailing Team has yet to transfer the Olympic success of its core crew across to the bigger boat, following a sixth in their first season and two fourth places in the last two years. However, since 2012 Hagara and Steinacher have been deeply involved with the Red Bull Youth

America’s Cup and this may serve to inspire them up the rankings in 2013.

After embarking on their Extreme 40 campaign at the beginning of last season, SAP Extreme Sailing Team has stepped up its programme for 2013. Jointly skippered by Danish former match racing and America’s Cup colleagues, helmsman Jes Gram-Hansen and trimmer/tactician Rasmus Kostner, the team is well resourced and has benefitted from owning two boats. This has enabled the co-skippers

to fast track their conversion from match racers into catamaran sailors.

Otherwise the SAP core crew remains as last year, comprising Britain’s former Oman Sail Masirah skipper and Extreme Sailing Series winner Pete Cumming and Danish match racer and America’s Cup sailor Mikkel Rossberg.

LAST yEAR THE FRENCH TEAm OF GROupE

EDmOND DE ROTHSCHiLD wAS DEEmED FAVOuRiTE

AND THEy FiNiSHED THiRD OVERALL

25

However their ‘fifth man’ this year is new, now young Danish match racer, Nicolai Sehested.

An old team with an entirely new crew this year is GAC Pindar. With skipper Ian Williams standing down from the Extreme Sailing Series to concentrate on becoming the first person ever to win the Alpari World Match Racing Tour for a fourth time, the reins of GAC Pindar have been handed to New Zealander William Tiller and his team of young Kiwi match racers.

While they have been training on some smaller catamarans since the end of 2012, Tiller and his crew stepped on board a big catamaran for the first time in January, but have already made a considerable impression when they won the selection trials to compete in September’s Red Bull Youth America’s Cup.

“It’s great to be involved with a professional campaign like GAC Pindar,” says Tiller. “It is good to be up there, mixing it up with people like Morgan Larson. We still have still lots to learn and we are looking to steadily improve. We’d like to get a podium finish at one of the events.”

Tiller says that aside from learning to sail the Extreme 40, the challenge includes getting used to racing on the tight stadium sailing courses and learning how to drive the powerful 40ft catamaran in all conditions.

“It is definitely going to be a change,” says Tiller. “Match racing boats are doing 6 knots. These are doing 20, so it is exciting to learn a new type of sailing.”

Tiller’s crew follows him from the match racing circuit, with Brad Farrand on mainsheet, trimmer Harry Thurston and bowman Shaun Mason. Running a squad system for the Extreme Sailing Series, they also have two new crew in former New Zealand match racing champion Matt Steven and 19 year old Stewart Dodson, son of famous Kiwi Olympic and America’s Cup sailor, Tom Dodson.

An entirely new entry to the Extreme Sailing Series is a second from Switzerland in Realteam. With backing from Realstone, a Swiss property investment fund manager, Realteam is run by skipper Jérôme Clerc, 33, with a crew of graduates from the Geneva-based Centre d`Entraînement à la Régate (CER). With the

CER, Clerc previously raced aboard Ville de Geneve-Carrefour Prevention in the Tour de France á la Voile, with whom he podiumed three times. His team stepped up to the D35 lake racing catamarans in 2011 and last season they dominated the D35’s annual Vulcain Trophy championship where they even beat class veteran Ernesto Bertarelli and Alinghi. They won the 2012 Vulcain Trophy with a regatta to spare, including victory in the Bol d’Or Mirabaud, Lake Geneva’s most prestigious yacht race.

Realteam is running a squad of crew which they will swap between Acts this year. The crew is all ex-CER while their multihull specialist is Arnaud Psarofaghis, who had a busy 2012, sailing their D35 in Switzerland while also not only competing in the Extreme Sailing Series aboard Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (whose boat Realteam is racing this year) but was also on Energy Team in the America’s Cup World Series.

“The goal is to keep this team together after a very nice season in 2012, but going a step higher,” says Clerc. The team already has experience in similarly sized catamarans - D35s are shorter, but have a larger sail plan making them better suited to lake racing.

In making the transition to the Extreme 40, Clerc says: “The boat is more difficult to sail - it is heavier

pAST ExTREmE SAiLiNG SERiES ACTS uSuALLy FEATuRE A TEAm iNViTED TO SAiL wiTH A LOCAL CREw. FOR 2013 THiS HAS bEEN FORmALiSED FuRTHER. THE TEAm ‘x’ iNViTATiONAL bOAT AT EACH VENuE wiLL FOR THE FiRST TimE THiS yEAR COuNT TOwARDS THE OVERALL SERiES STANDiNGS.

26


and harder to handle.” But as ever it is coming to terms with the ultra-short course, stadium sailing format of the Extreme Sailing Series that will be the biggest challenge for the Realteam crew.

And their goals for the season? “To improve throughout the season. We would like to sail better in Rio than in Oman,” says Clerc.

Past Extreme Sailing Series Acts, usually feature a team invited to sail in each venue with a local crew. For 2013 this has been formalised further. For the first time this year, the score of the Team ‘X’ Invitational boat in each Act will count towards the overall Series standings. The aim is for these teams not to be also-rans, but to compete genuinely.

The aim is for this boat to be sailed by some of the top sailors wherever the Extreme Sailing Series visits. In Brazil in 2012 for example the invitational boat was sailed by legend Torben Grael, whose incredible sailing career has included winning five Olympic medals, winning the Volvo Ocean Race in 2008-9 and competing in several America’s Cups. Likewise in Cardiff in 2012, Olympic silver medallist Hannah Mills joined Team Wales to sail on her home waters shortly after picking up her medal at the London 2012 Games.

At the opening Act of 2013 in Muscat, Team Duqm Oman was the invited team with the core crew of Omani bowman Nasser Al Mashari and British Olympic Tornado crew Will Howden, who both sailed to second place on Oman Air in 2012. Their skipper was none other than Robert Greenhalgh, winner of the first Extreme Sailing Series in 2007 aboard Basilica and who was second in 2008 at the helm of TeamOrigin. Having now sailed three Volvo Ocean Races and being a past International 14 and 18ft skiff world champion, Greenhalgh proved he had lost none of his edge when he brought Team Duqm Oman home in fourth place overall.

For the second Act of 2013 in Singapore, the Team ‘X’ Invitational is being backed by Aberdeen Asset Management Asia and aims to support Singapore’s sailing ambitions. The crew includes two young Singapore sailors: aspiring Olympic Laser sailor, Scott Glen Sydney, 22, is skippering the boat, making him the first ever

Singaporean to do so, while also on board is Singaporean and Asian Games keelboat match racing gold medallist, Justin Wong, 27.

For the third Act of the year, Aussie sailing legend and co-creator of the Extreme 40 Mitch Booth will return to the Series after a three-year hiatus, with a crew comprising of some of China’s most talented young sailors, a testament to the successes achieved so far by China Team in their overriding goal to develop their young sailing talents.

And up to three ‘wildcard’ entries per Act will be sure to keep things interesting, with Red Bull Youth America’s Cup teams Team Tilt and ROFF Cascais Sailing Team both confirmed to compete at one or more Acts during the year in preparation for their San Francisco Bay showdown in September.

So in summary for 2013 – can The Wave, Muscat defend her 2012 title or will an existing team up its game enough to take them on? Or will one of the newcomer teams step in and make it all look easy? Watch this space.


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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 Sport. 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 multi-stage Haute Route cycling event to name just a few, ensures 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 10 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 Sport, 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.”

SO wHAT mAKES THE ExTREmE SAiLiNG SERiES

DiFFERENT?

IN 2013, ThE ExTrEME sAIlINg sErIEs™ wIll vIsIT EIghT DIsTINCT INTErNATIONAl MArkETs. ThE CIrCuIT, whICh hAs bEEN TrIED AND TEsTED OvEr ThE lAsT sIx yEArs, Is NOw IN A pOsITION TO OffEr glObAl ExpOsurE fOr COMpANIEs wIshINg TO usE ThIs ExCITINg MArkETINg plATfOrM TO AChIEvE MulTIplE spONsOrshIp gOAls.

But so what? Asks David Fuller, Editor of yachtracing.biz, the all-encompassing yacht racing and sailing business news website…

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

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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 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 Sport 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.

Leading independent evaluation agency, Havas Sponsorship Insights, confirmed the final media value of the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series at €27.8million over the seven Acts in 2012 versus €25.7million in 2011 over nine Acts. Putting the relevance of the absolute numbers aside, the increase in coverage year on year is an important result for the Series as it goes into its seventh season.

Notable numbers from the report include:

An ever-stronger TV news and programming footprint including live broadcasts has resulted in the TV exposure providing half of the value with a near 50% increase in broadcast time – 450 hours in 2012 versus 303 hours in 2011.

So as the Extreme Sailing Series adds new territories to its global tour – China, USA, Turkey in 2011 and Brazil and Portugal 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 results

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 Sailng Series has developed into a great property for investors and this trend looks set to continue for 2013 and beyond.

DurATION Of EvAluATED Tv ExpOsurE450H 49m 48S

sErIEs MEDIA vAluE 2012€27,815,024

prEss vAluE €10,001,146

Tv vAluE€13,460,648

ONlINE vAluE INCluDINg ONlINE vIDEO€1,824,591

The guest sailor or ‘sixth man’ spot. 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.


29

ThE rANgE rOvEr hAs sET A NEw sTANDArD IN DEsIgN, rEfINEMENT AND CApAbIlITy. buT whAT MAkEs IT suCh AN ICONIC vEhIClE?

ALL -New RANGe RoveR

30


The most astonishing thing about a Range Rover is that it’s a luxury car that can also clamber up snowy slopes,cross muddy fields, traverse rocks anddrive over deserts. No other luxurycar can do all that. The all-new modelfurther dials up both on- and off-roadability, making it more capable than ever.

On-road, it is quieter, faster, more agile and more economical. Yet it can wade through rivers 900 millimetres deep,making it easily the best in class. So insome ways it can also play luxury yacht.

This seemingly impossible combinationis possible thanks to the Range Rover’sastonishing combination of high-techheight adjustable air suspension, newgeneration Terrain Response, its advanced four-wheel-drive powertrain and the new aluminium body architecture. Forty years of Range Rover all-terrain know-how also helps.

The new Terrain Response 2 Autosystem is worth highlighting. It’s adevelopment of Land Rover’s innovativeearlier Terrain Response, and nowfeatures an automatic setting that uses“intelligent” systems to analyse drivingconditions and then actively select the

most suitable terrain programme,adapting the responses of the car’sengine, gearbox, centre differential andchassis systems to suit the terrain. It means the vehicle is always configured in the best possible way, to help the driver, no matter how tough the conditions.

The Range Rover now has a new3.0-litre 258PS turbodiesel V6, givingsimilar performance to the outgoingvehicle’s 4.4 turbodiesel V8. This ispossible thanks to the huge weightsaving. Fuel economy has improvedby an amazing 22 per cent.

There’s a choice of three powerfulV8 engines. The 4.4 turbodiesel V8has been upgraded and there’s alsoa revised 5.0-litre 375PS petrol unit.At the top of the range is the 510PS5.0-litre supercharged V8, whichpowers the fastest Range Rover ever.All engines come with an eight-speedautomatic gearbox as standard, forsmoother shifting yet faster response.A new diesel hybrid version joinsthe line-up in late 2013, which promiseseven better fuel economy than the dieselV6. Unlike any current 4x4 hybrid, it willalso offer excellent performance bothon- and off-road.

c a p a b i l i t y HOW DO YOU ENSURECAPABILITY?

One of the most important aspects of sailing is learning how to be calm under pressure. Equally crucial is preparation– this is how I manage to stay calm. You have to make sureyou’re ready for all scenarios.

yOu’rE rEADy fOr All sCENArIOs.Sailing is a mechanical sport, soyou win the race before you’ve even started if you prepare correctly. You can put yourself in challenging situations but as long as you have prepared for the experience, the chances are you’ll overcome the challenge. Finally, it is also very important to be versatile to you to solve any problems that may arise.

A version of this article originally appeared in Land Rover Onelife, issue 25.

Yachtsman and former skipper of the oman Air extreme 40

SiDNEy GAViGNET

”

“


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Having started out with just three teams in its first season, six years further down the line the Extreme Sailing Series now boasts eight boats per event with one-off wildcard entries allowed in each venue.Joining the likes of seasoned teams Red Bull Sailing Team and Alinghi, Denmark-based SAP Extreme Sailing Team were one of two new teams competing in the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series.

Detailing the team’s first year in the Series is former Olympic windsurfer turned sports marketer Ole Egeblad who describes how, roughly one and a half years after he met fellow Danes Jes Gram-Hansen and Rasmus Køstner, the team made its debut in Act one of the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series competing under the name of Team Trifork Simon Spurr.

sap extReme saiLing team made its debut in the extReme saiLing seRies™ in 2012. the team’s

commeRciaL manageR oLe egebLad (2012-2013) expLained to spoRtspRo magazine’s TOM LOVe the backgRound to the squad and how sap is

maximising the paRtneRship.

SAP EXTREME SAIlING TEAM

COmmERCiALVESSEL

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“Rasmus and Jes were really committed to participating in the Extreme Sailing Series,” says Egeblad “They’d been sailing in the America’s Cup and had been involved in a number of different owner-driven projects but they wanted to have their own project. So they bought an Extreme 40 boat and started looking for sponsors.”

“We actually participated in the first race in Oman. That race was funded by ourselves and some friends and some minor sponsors and during that race, one evening we got a call from Chris Burton, the Head of Global Sponsorship at SAP, saying that SAP would become our title sponsor. Then we presented the sponsorship in China in April and SAP Extreme Sailing Team was born.”

Egeblad believes SAP chose the team primarilarly due to the appeal of Stadium racing; which provides spectators the ability to get up close and personal with the sailing series

“In more traditional sailing

series, you’ll be able to see 70

small white dots on the horizon.

It’s fantastic to be out there,

I’ve done it myself, but from

a spectator, a media and a

sponsor point of view, this is

another level altogether.

“Right now, we’re sitting on the promenade in Nice and the racing will be right in front of us. You can watch the start, you can see how it develops and you can see who wins. The unique thing about the Extreme Sailing Series is that using this sort of format you can actually bring in people who don’t know anything about sailing and they will be entertained because you can see the race happening right in front. Here you’ve got everything a sponsor needs.

“Also, from a sporting perspective,” Egeblad continues, “I think what really spoke to their [SAP’s] hearts and their sailing hearts was that you had a sport

where you combined all the best things about sailing in addition to adding some things that you don’t normally find

within sailing. This is a very physically demanding class – I know you can say that about other sailing classes too – but this is a very, very physically demanding class. The races are

around 15 minutes long and are very intense. In the Volvo Ocean Race, a leg can take three weeks or more and in other regattas the race can take two, three, four hours. If you make a mistake in that time you can still catch up, whereas if you make a mistake in this event, you’re out.” Furthermore, alongside the international nature of the Series, a feature which allows SAP to “entertain clients in key markets – China, Brazil, the Middle East, western Europe”, Egeblad also feels that the hospitality aspect of the Series is another vital selling point when it comes to attracting commercial partners. “Here in Nice we have our own SAP guest area and it’ll be even bigger in Brazil in December,” he says with regards to SAP’s expanded involvement with the Extreme 40 class as the Series’ technical partner providing tracking, analytical data for teams to analyse their performance along with 3D race vizualisation. This is at the heart of SAP’s strategy for sponsorships to help transform sports and enhance the fan experience through the use of credible and authentic technology. Central to Extreme Sailing Series’ business-to-business platform is its ‘guest sailor’ concept. “The guest sailor concept,” Egeblad explains, “is that the organisers can ask

all the teams to have a sixth man on board. It’s really unique,” he continues. “Imagine a Formula One race where the organisers said, ‘Okay, today we’re putting another seat in your car and we’ll place a guest there.’ Here we take a guest and place them right on the boat so that they’re right in the middle of the action. We’ve had several guests sailing with us and even if you’re not into sailing, people recognise that it’s really a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That’s a very important element that makes the Series a very strong business-to-business platform because, when you invite business partners, the ultimate target or goal should be to offer them an experience that they couldn’t buy anywhere else.”

“We’re actually very privileged that, within their fields, we have great brands that choose to align with our team, our group of sponsors are all premium brands,” Egeblad continues. “That’s really beneficial because if you’re a potential sponsor I believe you’re going to look at the quality of the other sponsors and align yourselves with similar brands. There’s no doubt that when we approach companies they realise the SAP is a very well-respected and attractive brand to be associated with.”

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Thousands are on the high stone-clad banks of the Douro river where the city of Porto cascades down, forming a natural amphitheatre over the water. On the south bank a temporary elevated stand has been erected so that corporate hospitality can be extended to guests of the sailing teams in the Porto Act of the annual Extreme Sailing Series™.

Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of OC Sport, the sports marketing group that runs and promotes the

Series, points to the sail that goes drifting past the balcony a few metres away. “In Istanbul the yachts were turning right in front of the stand. Here they are about 10 metres away which is not perfect but it’s a good venue all the same and we’re pleased with the turnout.”

So he should be. About 65,000 people are estimated to have lined the banks of the course over the four days of the competition.

The Series, which started seven years ago, has become a fixture on the crowded sailing calendar. As with most of the big sailing competitions, choosing venues has become a competitive process, where organisers must strike the right balance between the attractiveness and services offered by a proposed venue and any payment, whether in cash or kind, a city authority and any corporate partners are prepared to pay.

The new Douro Marina is partnering with OC Sport in this event, providing technical services in return for media exposure. Manuel Cunha the marina director is hoping the sailing competition will highlight his services. The marina, which opened in January, is the first on the Douro and offers berths for up to 300 yachts of up to 20 metres. “We hope to be able to attract larger yachts in time,” he says. The lack of superyacht support in Porto is surprising, given its position as a convenient stop over for yachts sailing from the UK or northern Europe in to the Mediterranean.

Rui Rio, mayor of Porto says: “The Extreme Sailing Series is just the thing we want to

bring people to the city. A few years ago, we had the Red Bull Air Race and that was popular. You only need to see the crowds to see there is a thirst for this kind of event.”

OC Sport has pioneered the Stadium Sailing concept. The attraction for fashionable and aspirational brands has led to comparisons between Extreme 40 sailing and motorsport’s Formula 1. But the sailing event is still young and lacks the tradition of more established events. Global media coverage is growing nevertheless. In 2009, its media exposure was estimated to be worth €5.4million, while in 2012 it had grown to near €28million. TV coverage of the official TV series now extends now to 43 broadcasters including Eurosport and Channel Four in the UK.

As the Porto competition ended with a win for The Wave Muscat, the marquees were already being packed into containers for this sailing travelling circus to head for its next venue Cardiff, the Welsh capital, which, like Porto, has aspirations of its own. Mr Turner says: “It costs about €1m to run one of these events and on average we can expect about €600,000 in cash and kind from local authorities and partners. When we started, some 80 to 90 per cent of revenues came through sponsors. Now, as we increase revenues, that proportion is between 20 and 30 per cent. We still have much to do, but we think we’ve shown we can make this model work.”

Stadium Sailing in one form or another appears to be here to stay.

A version of this article originally appeared in The Financial Times, on September 18th 2012.

STADIuM SAIlING

RichaRd dOnkin, an independent jouRnaList and saiLing coRRespondent foR the financiaL times,

expLoRes the benefits of being a host venue fRom the banks of the RiveR douRo in poRto.

CiTiES LiNE up34


they’ve tRied it, enjoyed it, and gave us theiR impRessions upon stepping ashoRe!

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.”

Eddie Jordan, Founder of Jordan Grand Prix and BBC Formula 1 TV presenter

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

Simon Le Bon, Lead Singer of Duran Duran

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

Michael Vaughan, Former England cricket captain

“I’m no sailor but what an incredible day! The chance to join world class sailors is a true one-off experience.”

Jodie Kidd, Supermodel

“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.”

Ben Fogle, TV presenter and adventurer

“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.”

CElEbrITIEs

wOrDsIn their own

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“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.”

Tarquin Cooper, Daily Telegraph

“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.”

Simon Greaves, The Financial Times

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

Rob Hodgetts, BBC Sport

“When it comes to delivering exciting, modern sailing to the public, in important and growing markets, at a price that makes commercial sense – the Series is second to none.”

David Fuller, Yachtracing.biz

“The glamorous location, good food and great service meant that one could want little more from a hospitality experience. Up there with one of the best media events I have ever attended.”

Tom Love, SportsPro Magazine

“Its like Piccadilly Circus with boats. How on Earth they manage to navigate the course at high speed, I have no idea.”

Hannah Berry, Square Mile Magazine

“The unique opportunity to sail on one of the Extreme 40 boats as a guest sailor provides one of the most unique money can’t buy experiences in sport.”

Chris Burton, Group Vice-President SAP Global Sponsorships

“From a spectator, a media and a sponsor point of view, this is another ball game altogether.”

Ole Egeblad, SAP

prEss

guEsTs


37

CLOSE COMBATTHE RACING EXPLAINED

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 RACING’ 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.

An essential guide to Following all the action on an

Extreme 40 racecourse...

38


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 to be 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 VHF radio all teams carry onboard. 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!

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 overall trophy.

START AND FINISH


39

umpiRE’S ViEwvETErAN uMpIrE AND ExTrEME sAIlINg sErIEs™ ChIEf uMpIrE EwAN MCEwAN gIvEs us AN INsIghT INTO hOw hIs TEAM kEEps TAbs ON ThE ‘prEssurE pOINTs’ ON AN ExTrEME

40 rACECOursE.

The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) are designed to keep sailboats apart - stadium-format racing is intended to put sailboats together, very together!

Add to this tension that the boats are very light - made of carbon fibre - fast and crewed by some of the best sailors in the world and you have the recipe for a lot of highly contentious racing situations. To keep the peace the Series uses on-the-water referees that follow the action around the racetrack and dish out penalties for infringements as the race proceeds - a very much more proactive form of adjudication than used for your every-day sailboat race.

My team of umpires work in pairs following the action using ridged-hull inflatable boats (RIBs) capable of high-speeds in order to keep up. We try to ensure, as best as possible, that the penalty we give matches the infringement; penalties range from a Starting Penalty (bit like a grid penalty in F1), a Stop-Go Penalty, a Tack Penalty (boats have to turn upwind), a Gybe Penalty (boats have to turn downwind), a Points Penalty, and of course the Black Flag Penalty - disqualification! Like most referees we don’t see everything so we prioritise on the ‘pressure-points’.

In the main these are at the marks (coloured buoys in the water that make up the course) where the rules state both rights and responsibilities for each boat so everyone gets round safely. Penalties are usually issued for boats taking too much room - barging in - or not giving enough room - denying room - or sometimes even both!

Other ‘pressure-points’ are more tricky to pin point: unlike car racing, in sailing there is no one perfect ‘racing line’ around the course, which is great because

it avoids ending up with a procession with little or no overtaking opportunities - instead each skipper and tactician chooses the fastest line based on their experience and ‘reading’ the conditions on the race-track, which are constantly changing as the wind changes speed and direction. The perfect racing-line, or velocity made good (VMG) in sailing terms, can be different for each boat, making for exciting racing situations right up to the finish.

To help the umpires de-code this complex situation and to correctly anticipate the likely pressure-points we invite ‘experienced practitioners’ to join the umpire team - they act rather like the Driver Stewards used in F1 - to assess the likely racing-lines and allow us to move quickly into the best positions to witness any infringements. Over the last three years we’ve had Olympic sailors, match race sailors and even solo ocean race sailors working closely alongside highly experience ISAF (International Sailing Federation) qualified umpires.

The combination of good adjudication, excellent race courses and a variety of competition formats all mean that the competitors have an equal chance of doing their best and that the best sailors win!

Ewan McEwanChief Umpire & Jury ChairISAF International Umpire & International Judge

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HOST VENUE - ACT 2, SINGAPOREHOST VENUE - ACT 2, SINGAPORE

Aberdeen is no stranger to sailing. It’s become a sport which our clients associate us with on a global scale. We have been the principal sponsor of the British Dragon Association since 2006, title sponsor of the UK’s premier sailing fixture, Cowes Week, since 2011 and last year we began a three-year sponsorship of the Farr 40 Australian Championship.

We are delighted to have the opportunity to support sailing in Asia through our partnership with the Extreme Sailing Series™, as local event main partner in Singapore. The Extreme Sailing Series format of short races on tight, close-to-shore courses promises to make the most of Singapore’s Marina Bay.

Singapore is universally regarded for its efficient infrastructure. Since hosting its first Formula 1 race in 2008 and the Summer Youth Olympics in 2010, the city has shown its ability to host major sports events. Increasingly it is keen to involve the local population in sports, both as spectators and participants.

From Aberdeen’s perspective, sailing was a natural fit for sponsorship. Not only was there our prior interest in the sport but we liked the motivational element – skill and teamwork underpin what we do, too. After 20 years here we have developed a profile among our professional audience. With Extreme Sailing Series the timing was just right to provide a stage from which we could reach a wider public.

Also, Singapore has picked sailing as one sport where there are realistic hopes of future Olympics success. So, crucial to our involvement is that we can give Singapore sailors the chance to race against world class competition. We see our boat as a home team and are sure the Singapore public will identify with it. The participation of government sports agencies has been important to getting the event on the water.

In a city that is rarely not at work, and where daytime temperatures are in the mid to high 30s, that is not automatic. (The same can be said of the wind, which is usually very light unless there is a sudden downpour.) In our favour is the spectacular venue, with the sailing visible from dozens of vantage points, from offices to the waterfront promenade.

Extreme Sailing Series’ experience running a foodie-friendly race village will be invaluable. If there’s one thing Singaporeans pride themselves on, it is attention to their stomachs; eating is how they like to relax. With luck, Team Aberdeen Singapore could give them something nice to celebrate.

TeAM ABeRDeeN SINGAPoRe ThE fIrsT EvEr sINgApOrEAN ExTrEME 40 TEAM

ThE TEAM

Name: rob greenhalgh (gbr) position: helmsmanWinner of the first-ever Extreme Sailing Series in 2007, Rob boasts three Volvo Ocean Races, seven Atlantic crossings, three World Championships titles and a host of European titles.

Name: scott glen sydney (sIN) position: skipper & TacticianThe first-ever Singaporean skipper of an Extreme 40, Scott is the high-est ranked Asian laser sailor in the ISAF world rankings. An aspiring Olympic sailor, Scott is currently campaigning for the 2016 Rio Games.

Name: Andrew walsh (gbr) position: Mainsail TrimmerA veteran Extreme 40 sailor who shared skipper duties of GAC Pin-dar in 2012. 2013 is Walsh’s fourth year competing on the Extreme Sailing Series including a third position in 2009 at the helm of BT.

Name: justin wong (sIN) position: headsail TrimmerHaving progressed through Singapore Sailing’s youth programme, Jus-tin has excelled at senior level to come a multiple Asian Games medal-list, including winning a gold in the match racing. Singapore will mark Justin’s Extreme 40 debut.

Name: rick peacock (gbr) position: bowmanAn accomplished sailor in the 49er high performance Olympic skiff and a 29er World Champion, Peacock sailed onboard the Aberdeen Asset Management sponsored Extreme 40 in the UK in 2011.

HOST VENUE - ACT 2, SINGAPORE


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2013 GLOBAL SERIES

The global circuit starts in the Sultanate of Oman before heading to Singapore where the fleet will race within the confines of the world-famous Marina Bay. In May the fleet returns to China’s ‘Olympic Sailing City’ Qingdao, China’s premier sailing destination. The waters separating Asia and Europe will host Act 4 in the magnificent and cultural city of Istanbul, Turkey, a prospective Olympic Host Venue, before the customary European component of the

Series starts. Porto, Portugal, with the most compact and windy racecourse of 2012, will host Act 5. Then it’s onto Cardiff, capital of Wales, for the Cardiff Harbour Festival where the Extreme 40s will race on Europe’s largest waterfront development over the UK August bank holiday weekend. Nice, on the French Riviera will be the final European stop in early October before the fleet heads back to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the concluding Act of 2013.

40s ON TOURThe award-winning Extreme Sailing Series’™ global tour will visit eight venues spanning the Middle East, Asia, South America and Europe, marking the third year of truly global competition for the circuit first launched as a European only event in 2007.


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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 that stretches over 1,700 km.

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 water’s edge. The Race Village will be located at The Wave, Muscat, Oman’s premier lifestyle destination boasting a 400 berth marina and a Greg Norman designed golf course.

Until recently much of Oman was undiscovered by tourists but it has developed into a high-end tourist location with a vibrant economy making it a destination for foreign investment. Notable landmarks include the Grand Mosque, the Royal Opera House and the Oman National Museum, as well as the more traditional sights including the Muttrah Souq, considered by many as one of the oldest traditional bazaar’s in the Arab world.

The country has initiated and developed a national sailing program in recent years under the banner of Oman Sail. Oman Sail is revitalising the Sultanate’s rich maritime history and reconnecting young Omanis to the sea, whilst offering them the chance to compete internationally. Two Omani sailors have won the Extreme Sailing Series in recent years - Khamis Al Anbouri made history when he became the first Omani to win an international sailing event winning the Extreme Sailing Series in 2010 racing onboard The Wave, Muscat, and Hashim Al Rashidi returns in 2013 as defending champion after winning in 2012.

The Extreme Sailing Series is a brand new fixture on the Singapore sports calendar until 2015, in a three year deal between organisers OC Sport, the Singapore Sports Council and Main Local Partner Aberdeen Asset Management. The Extreme 40 fleet will race on Marina Bay, flanked by a 3.5km promenade and situated in the heart of this high-rise cosmopolitan city, providing a picture-perfect stadium for the Extreme Sailing Series.

ACT 1: 5-8 march 2013

ACT 2: 11-14 april 2013

foR the thiRd consecutive yeaR, muscat, capitaL of the suLtanate of oman, wiLL host the opening Round of the 2013 extReme saiLing seRies, wheRe new faces and new teams wiLL meet the moRe seasoned cRews foR the fiRst time on the home tuRf of defending seRies champions the wave, muscat.

ACT 3: 2-5 may 2013

in may the fleet returns to china’s ‘olympic sailing city’ qingdao for the third consecutive year. considered china’s premier sailing destination and surrounded on three sides by the yellow sea, qingdao boasts first class facilities at its international sailing centre ensuring the 2008 beijing olympic legacy is still very much alive in this sprawling metropolis. organised in association with the qingdao government and the qingdao yachting association, the public Race village will be located in fushan bay, home of the olympic village in 2008, giving spectators first hand access to all the action as the extreme 40 fleet race inside the bay during the stadium racing days.

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. tsingtao, 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 guests can enjoy the beer tasting afterwards!

Singapore, once a humble fishing village, has now developed into the world’s fourth largest financial centre and has one of the five busiest ports in the world, with a diverse group of cultures and religions calling it home. An island surrounded by the Singapore and Johor Straits with many inland waterways, Singapore provides the ideal setting for the Extreme 40 fleet to race.

Modern Singapore was originally founded by Sir Thomas Stamford

Raffles in 1819 who set up the island as a trading station with a policy of free trade that soon attracted merchants from all over Asia and from as far as the Middle East and America. One of the smallest countries in the world, it is home to nearly 5 million people. The Marina Bay is in the heart of Singapore, situated a stone’s throw away from the world famed Raffles Hotel. Named after Sir Thomas Raffles, the Hotel is home to the world-renowned Singapore Sling cocktail.

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The Extreme 40 racecourse will be at the intersection of the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorous with the public Race Village 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.

Dating back to the 7th millennium BC, Istanbul has a wealth of historical sites to explore. The city has a long history in sea trading and was previously the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

The city’s Bazaars are a treat for visitors, from the touristy Sultanahmet district to the more local ones, 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. Istanbul has consistent steady winds that in previous years have ensured some truly spectacular racing making this a firm favourite on the calendar amongst the Extreme 40 sailors.

ACT 4: 20-23 june 2013

ACT 4: 25-28 july 2013

the wateRs sepaRating asia and euRope wiLL host act 4 in the magnificent and cuLtuRaL city of istanbuL, tuRkey, wheRe the extReme 40 fLeet wiLL Race fRom the banks of istanbuL’s oLd town with the famous bLue mosque pRoviding an iconic backdRop.

The customary European component of the 2013 Series kicks off in Porto, Portugal, where the most compact and windy racecourse of 2012 will host the Extreme 40s. In 2012, an estimated 66,000 spectators thronged around all sides of the River Douro stadium on both the Porto and Gaia sides as well as on top of the iconic Dom Luis I Bridge to watch the Extreme 40s in their Portuguese debut – bigger crowds than the Extreme Sailing Series had ever witnessed.

At the mouth of the Douro river, the hilly city of Porto is one of Europe’s most charismatic and undiscovered cities. This ancient port, which in recent years has undergone a remarkable regeneration, is steeped in history and tradition, best known for its narrow medieval alleyways, baroque churches, outstanding monuments by renowned architects, and of course the famous Porto wine.

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 World Heritage UNESCO site. Rivalling Lisbon in its economic power, Porto is home to some outstanding architecture including the Romanesque Cathedral. Speaking at the Extreme Sailing Series Act in 2012, Rui Rio, mayor of Porto said; “The Extreme Sailing Series is just the thing we want to bring people to the city. A few years ago, we had the Red Bull Air Race and that was popular. You only need to see the crowds to see there is a thirst for this kind of event.”

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ISTANBUL20-23JUNE2

013ISTANBUL

20-23JUNE2013

The UK round of the award-winning Extreme Sailing Series, now in its 7th year,

will be staged in Cardiff the capital of Wales between 23rd and 26th August.

visitwales.com

Wales – we love a big occasion

WG18228 Welsh Government ES New.indd 1 18/03/2013 12:30

WG18228 Welsh Government ES New.indd 1 18/03/2013 12:30

TM

Racing will take place in the heart of Cardiff Bay in the circuit’s action packed ‘stadium sailing’ format over four days of intense competition offering excellent spectator views of the racecourse from the waterfront public Race Village. Cardiff, or Caerdydd in Welsh language (pronounced Cayer-deeth) is the capital and largest city in Wales and the tenth largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales’ chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales.

The Welsh capital already plays host to a variety of world class sporting events from top class football and rugby

nice, nestled between cannes and monaco in the heart of the french Riviera, will be the final european stop of 2013 and host venue for the penultimate act of the year. the fleet will battle for supremacy on the bay of angels in front of thousands spectators who flock to the promenade des anglais to watch the racing each time the extreme 40s are in town.

the city is enjoying a new dynamism under the direction of its mayor christian estrosi. with the fifth largest population in france, nice is 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 is no stranger to hosting world-class international sporting events, an achievement which was recognised when the city was granted status as the european city of sport 2011. the extreme sailing series is held alongside numerous international events hosted in the city including the french Riviera marathon (nice-cannes), the ironman and the nice cote d’azur atp tennis open. upcoming events include; the francophone games and the tour de france in 2013, the european masters games in 2015 and the euro 2016 – all events

which are important to the development of sport in nice and the recognition of the city on the international sporting stage.

The fleet will race on the 2016 Olympic waters off Flamengo Beach and under the silhouette of Brazil’s most widely recognised landmarks. The Corcovado Mountain, adorned with a 38-metre statue of Jesus, known as Cristo Redentor or Christ the Redeemer, on its peak, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the world while the spectators taking the cable cart to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain will enjoy a unique vantage point over the Extreme 40 racecourse.

Known as the cidade maravilhosa – or marvellous city – Rio de Janeiro has been enticing visitors for years. Flanked by iconic mountains, white-sand beaches, lush rainforests and with a bustling

city centre at its heart, Rio seems to have it all.

Brazil has a rich sporting history with football being the main sport of choice, boasting a rich and passionate following of Brazilian sports fans. Brazil’s rich sporting heritage is continuing to go from strength to strength - not only will they be proud hosts to the 2016 Summer Olympics, the city’s Maracanã

Stadium will also host the final match for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and now, in a four-year Host Venue deal, the Extreme Sailing Series will become part of that sporting legacy.

ACT 6: 23-26 august 2013ACT 7: 3-6 october 2013

ACT 8: 14-17 november 2013

the extReme 40 fLeet wiLL RetuRn to the weLsh capitaL, caRdiff, as the centRepiece to the caRdiff haRbouR festivaL wheRe the eight extReme 40s wiLL Race on euRope’s LaRgest wateRfRont deveLopment oveR the uk august bank hoLiday weekend.

to newer events like the Extreme Sailing Series, and was a host venue city for the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2010 the Cardiff International Water Centre opened and more and more water sports events are coming to Cardiff helping to build a new audience for Cardiff and Wales.

After a hugely successful debut in 2012, the Extreme 40s will return to Rio de Janeiro for the final Act of the 2013 circuit. The city, which quickly earned itself a reputation as one of the most spectacular racecourses the Extreme 40s have ever raced on amongst the sailors, will see the final races of 2013 played out for the overall Series championship title.

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V I L L E D E N I C E

SAVE THE DATES 2013

4e Festival Crossover May 26th - June 3rd

18e Festival du livre June 7th - 9th

Ironman France Nice June 23rd

Un été pour Matisse June - September100e Tour de France July 2nd

44e Nice Jazz Festival July 8th - 12th

4e Festival Crazy Week July 16th - 21st

2es Plages du Rire August 8th - 11th

7es Jeux de la Francophonie September 7th - 15th

Triathlon Nice Côte d’Azur September 29th 3e Extreme Sailing Series October 3rd - 6th

Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes November 10th

ACT 1 - MUSCAT, OMAN5-8 March

EXTREME SAILING SERIESTM 2013

ACT 2 - SINGAPORE11-14 April

ACT 3 - QINGDAO, CHINA2-5 May

ACT 4 - ISTANBUL, TURKEY20-23 June

ACT 5 - PORTO, PORTUGAL25-28 July

ACT 6 - CARDIFF, UK23-26 August

ACT 7 - NICE, FRANCE3-6 October

ACT 8 - RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL14-17 November

ACT 2SINGAPORE

ACT 1MUSCAT, OMAN

ACT 3QINGDAO, CHINA

ACT 4ISTANBUL, TURKEYACT 5

PORTO, PORTUGAL

ACT 6CARDIFF, UK

ACT 8

ACT 7NICE, FRANCE

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Day 1 of each Act is the official Media Day, followed by three days of stadium racing where the event opens to the public. In Cardiff and Rio de Janeiro all 4 days of racing will be public, with a non-scoring media day before the event publicly opens.

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ACT 1 - MUSCAT, OMAN5-8 March

EXTREME SAILING SERIESTM 2013

ACT 2 - SINGAPORE11-14 April

ACT 3 - QINGDAO, CHINA2-5 May

ACT 4 - ISTANBUL, TURKEY20-23 June

ACT 5 - PORTO, PORTUGAL25-28 July

ACT 6 - CARDIFF, UK23-26 August

ACT 7 - NICE, FRANCE3-6 October

ACT 8 - RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL14-17 November

ACT 2SINGAPORE

ACT 1MUSCAT, OMAN

ACT 3QINGDAO, CHINA

ACT 4ISTANBUL, TURKEYACT 5

PORTO, PORTUGAL

ACT 6CARDIFF, UK

ACT 8

ACT 7NICE, FRANCE

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

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STRaighT FROM The RacecOURSe

ZOOM

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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.

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BOOM:horizontal pole which extends out from the

bottom of the mainsail, and helps pull the sails

in and out.

JIB: used for upwind sailing, made from strands

of carbon fibre and kevlar (an incredibly light,

strong fibre used in flak-jackets) sandwiched

in a plastic film.

MAST: 62ft (18.9m) high, and made in two sections.

the stiffness varies along its length to allow

the mast shape to be altered to increase

performance. it can also rotate to improve

mainsail performance.

MAINSAIL: the powerhouse of the boat - big enough

to accommodate 4 parked London buses!

DAGGERBOARD: prevents the boat from slipping side-

ways.

HULLS: 40ft long to fit in a standard container

for easy transportation.

RUDDERS: steering fins at the back which are attached

to a stick called a tiller. there are two

because, as the boat heels over, one rudder

often lifts out of the water.

TRAMPOLINE: held taut between the two hulls and made of

lightweight but tough nylon mesh, this allows

the crew to omove from side to side

GENNAKER: Large foresail unfurled when sailing

downwind.

KEY

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THE ALL-CARBON HIGH PERFORMANCE EXTREME 40 MAIN ACT OF THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES™, IS AVAILABLE TO BUY*

*THE FAINT-HEARTED NEED NOT APPLY

NORTH 3DL CARBON KEVLAR SAILS RACE SPEC EQUIPMENT

OPTIONAL ROAD TRAILER EASY ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY

PREPREG CARBON/ NOMEX AUTOCLAVE CONSTRUCTION

WWW.EXTREME40.ORG

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

uNDEr prEssurEBoth light – for better speed and accel-eration 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 pres-sure in an autoclave. The resin hard-ens while the pressure ensures that the honeycomb / carbon fibre sand-wich is as compact as possible. The whole boat – including sails – weighs about the same as a Mini Cooper. The finished catamaran fits inside a stand-ard 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 30 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 35mph (56kph)! 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 Ex-treme 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.

TeCHNICAL SPeCIFICATIoNSLENGTH: 40FT / 12.2M

WIDTH: 23FT / 7M

MAST: 62FT / 18.9M (WEIGHT 100KG)

MAINSAIL: 764FT2 / 71M2

JIB: 258FT2 / 24M2

TOP SPEED: 30 KNOTS / 35 MPH / 56 KPH

GENNAKER: 1,141FT2 / 106M2

WEIGHT: 1,400KG

70


THE ALL-CARBON HIGH PERFORMANCE EXTREME 40 MAIN ACT OF THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES™, IS AVAILABLE TO BUY*

*THE FAINT-HEARTED NEED NOT APPLY

NORTH 3DL CARBON KEVLAR SAILS RACE SPEC EQUIPMENT

OPTIONAL ROAD TRAILER EASY ASSEMBLY AND DISASSEMBLY

PREPREG CARBON/ NOMEX AUTOCLAVE CONSTRUCTION

WWW.EXTREME40.ORG

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

The spectacle of the Extreme Sailing Series™ brings together many of the world’s best sailors to compete in some of the world’s most spectacular locations. Ensuring that everything comes together at the right time, in the right place and in perfect condition is no easy feat. Spread across the Middle East, Asia, Europe and South America, visiting eight venues and with up to 11 teams fighting to win, there is no room for error or delay.

GAC Pindar was created to meet this exact challenge, by combining the professional sailing experience of Team Pindar with the specialist logistics expertise and infrastructure of the GAC Group, one of the world’s leading shipping, logistics and marine services providers. As sailors, we speak the same language as our customers and understand the needs of the teams. As logistics professionals with a network covering over 1,000 locations worldwide, we know how to make it happen.

As Official Logistics partners to the Extreme Sailing Series, we are responsible for many aspects of logistics

provision, including transportation of the Extreme 40 boats that participate in the eight Acts. We’re also responsible for transporting much of the supporting infrastructure, which includes onshore facilities such as the Extreme Race Village, media centre, TV equipment, race support centre and VIP area, which are essential to delivering the thrilling competition witnessed by millions of spectators and television viewers.

The scale and complexity of the logistics operations required are not for the faint-hearted. The first four Acts span three continents in little over three months. From Oman to Singapore, on to China, then to Turkey, these three legs will see us transport an array of fragile, valuable equipment over 10,000 miles by road, sea and air shipments. In total, we expect to clock up over 23,000 miles to deliver the 2013 Series.

The customs requirements and transportation infrastructure will differ in every location, which requires our in-country expertise and local knowledge to ensure that these time-sensitive deliveries run safely and smoothly,

every time. For example, the freight forwarding procedures and means for declaring equipment for Muscat and Singapore are very different. Having on-the-ground support to ensure that equipment is checked, verified and approved for use in each country can be a complex process, but without the equipment, there is no event, so no stone is left unturned in planning and delivering the logistical operations.

Come the finale of each Act when the winners are busy celebrating, we’re already swinging into action with a carefully choreographed plan for the transportation of 20 containers of equipment to the next venue. This requires close coordination with all parties, including teams, sponsors, suppliers and media, to ensure that the stage is set every time for the Extreme Sailing Series to serve up some of the most exciting action in world sport.

http://logistics.gacpindar.com

MIkE MIllAr, gAC pINDAr’s COMMErCIAl DIrECTOr ExplAINs ThE lOgIsTICAl ChAllENgEs Of DElIvErINg ThE wOrlD’s ONly Truly glObAl sAIlINg sErIEs

MAkINg IT HAPPEN

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GAC Pindar UK: Medina Chambers, Town Quay, Southampton, S014 2AQT: +44 (0) 2380 489924 E: [email protected]

GAC Hong Kong: Unit 05-07, Millenium City 6, 392 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong KongT: +852 2723 6306 E: [email protected]

www.gacpindar.com

The go-to provider for Marine Sports and Leisure LogisticsEvent Logistics • Freight • Logistics • Yacht Transportation • Superyacht Services

TNL GAC Pindar:Richard Thorpe, Manager Australasia, Auckland, New ZealandT: +64 21 289 7744 E: [email protected]

GAC Pindar UK: Medina Chambers, Town Quay, Southampton, S014 2AQT: +44 (0) 2380 489924 E: [email protected]

GAC Hong Kong: Unit 05-07, Millenium City 6, 392 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong KongT: +852 2723 6306 E: [email protected]

www.gacpindar.com

The go-to provider for Marine Sports and Leisure LogisticsEvent Logistics • Freight • Logistics • Yacht Transportation • Superyacht Services

TNL GAC Pindar:Richard Thorpe, Manager Australasia, Auckland, New ZealandT: +64 21 289 7744 E: [email protected]

“Jibe-ho!” is one of the few repeatable things I heard carried on the wind above me. I’m on my knees, face down, with my fingers wrapped around the nylon mesh like a hamster clinging to the roof of its cage. This is Act 5 of the Extreme Sailing Series™, and it’s not for the faint-hearted, the easily offended or anybody prone to even a vague whiff of seasickness.

Eight boats, eight teams, one goal: to win (obviously). Cardiff Bay is teeming with heavyweights in their field: America’s Cup winners, world champions, Olympians. These world-class international competitors

grapple with the winds and manoeuvre their way around a pokey and by-no-means simple course – not to mention a deadweight journalist – in order to steer their super-light, multihulled and specially crafted Extreme 40-class catamarans past, through, and anything but over many buoys in order to be first across the finish line. They may be friends on dry land, but let there be no doubt that they’re foes on the water.

And here I am, spread-eagled on the trampoline net of one of these 40ft-long, but mouse-like in weight, high-speed catamarans. The mainsail

towers directly above my head and the water laps away below me, with nothing between us but the sort of black web of netting usually prefixed with the word ‘safety’ in any other sport. A horn sounds, a flag is raised and a radio command comes in – all in one harmonious action to signal the five-minute countdown. One of our crew – a designated timekeeper – waits, ready for this moment, his finger paused over the button of his own stopwatch. A single Casio-like bleep demonstrates our recognition of the umpire’s signal and the acceptance of the race.

A C A T A B O V E T H E R E S T

muscLes aching and a smiLe fRom eaR to eaR: it may onLy be heR maiden voyage aboaRd a catamaRan, but squaRe miLe magazine’s hannah beRRy found that extReme saiLing is definiteLy the spoRt foR heR at the caRdiff act in 2012…

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During this five-minute period, sails are stretched as if each boat is flexing its seafaring muscles in front of its competitors: a nautical version of the pre-race psyche-out of the Men’s 100m. But there’s no Jamaican domination here: Swiss, Austrian, British, Omani, French and Danish flags are flying, with the two Omani teams sitting comfortably at the top of the leaderboard so far.

As we weave in and out, clock ticking, capricious bursts of speed propel us forward. I’m sure I’ll see collisions of spectacular proportions. But the ability of these vessels to turn on a sixpence in the blink of an eye means that I end the race mentally and physically unscathed.

“Ten seconds, nine, eight...” This is it, the moment we’ve waited for. The crew has to time it just right so as not to pass the start line too soon – resulting in a false-start penalty – or so late that we’ll lag behind our competitors and miss out on critical points. As I crouch close to the mesh, conscious of the potential to be knocked out by the mainsail beam if I don’t keep my wits about me, I’m aware of bodies darting about the trampoline net behind me, moving from side to side like beetles in response to calls from the skipper. I listen intently – if anyone tells me to move, I sure as hell want to know about it for two reasons: one, I don’t want to end up in the water; and two, I don’t want to be responsible for slowing anyone – least of all the boat – down. Hell hath no fury like a skipper scorned.

At first, the course seems easy, following a strait out of the bay and direct towards the red and green buoys that could just be made out in the distance. But the gusts of wind are unpredictable, and we have to look out for dark patches of water – which I’m told denote where the crosswinds are – before we sail into them. We travel at speeds of up to 20 knots, with winds of 22 knots and peak gusts going easily beyond that. The gennaker sail is let out and taken in more times than I can bare to look up to count, and before it has time to register, we’re suddenly at a 45-degree angle,

one hull moving clear out of the water, before we land back down, the spray lashing my face. The crew receive their orders, as do I, and I move around the boat as if doing an impression of a rabbit scrambling for cover.

Once at the buoys, I have no idea what has happened or even what the rules are. It’s carnage on water. Piccadilly Circus with boats. How on Earth they manage to navigate the course at high speed, with seven other great vessels casting

shadows on the water, I have no idea. I just cling on and pray until it’s time to race to the finish line.

Back on dry land, I take a moment to inspect my injuries; my knees now resemble something from the Dalmatian family, but aside from that the only thing I come away with is a smile on my face. Strength? Agility? Unlike the crew I have neither of these, but what we all share is the experience. And boy, what an experience it was.

A version of this article originally appeared in Square Mile magazine, in issue 72.T h e vo ice o f T h e C i T y

squaremile


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TO PURCHASE THE OFFICIALEXTREME SAILING SERIES™ COLLECTION VISIT

WWW.EXTREME-SAILING-SERIES-STORE.COM

We have built a reputation for outstanding quality, excellent service and quick and reliable deliveries. These are only a few of the reasons why no less than 4 out of 8 teams in the Extreme Sailing Series™, among them 2012 Champions The Wave, Muscat, are racing in Marinepool kit.

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 events and online on www.extreme-sailing-series-store.com - produced for these project 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.

Uncompromising, highly functional and extremely light weight; Tested and approved by many of the world’s finest sailors.

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 avast 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.

As a group of companies with German roots and head quarters, operating in 43 countries, with product lines ranging from performance sailing clothing and a test winning life jacket range to maritime fashion, Marinepool is uniquely qualified and the perfect match for the clothing requirements of YOUR sailing team or company.

“OFFICIAL TECHNICAL AND LIFESTYLE CLOTHING SUPPLIER”

TO THE EXTREME SAILING SERIES™ & OMAN SAIL

WWW.MARINEPOOL.COM

Marinepool is widely regarded as one of the leading sailing clothing and maritime lifestyle brands and is the largest producer of life jackets for the leisure market in Europe.

With the support of the Host Venue Partners, the circuit is developing further the public events side, and in 2011 OC Sport 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 support 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 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 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.

CREATiNG AN EVENT FOR THE pubLiCTHE ExTrEME SAILING SErIES™ IS MOrE THAN JuST A TOP SPOrTING EvENT, IT IS A FESTIvAL OF

ENTErTAINMENT THAT APPEALS TO BOTH THE SPOrTS FANS AND THE MAINSTrEAM PuBLIC…

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 organiser OC Sport. “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,” he concluded.

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A report produced by the Council of Tourism, Commerce and Sport for Andalucía in 2009 confirmed that the Almería event had generated 2.7m Euros of return on their investment of just a fraction of that figure. 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% compared to the same period in 2008.

PoSITIve IMPACT


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1-DES I G N SA I L MAKING

Better by Designwww.northsails.com

Building sails that comply with One-Design class rules is one thing, yet building One-Design sails that are identical is another challenge.

ESS organisers were among the firsts to imagine a concept where the best sailing teams on the planet would be supplied with exactly the same sails to compete at the highest level. Then lately they were imitated by the MOD 70 and Volvo Ocean Race for their own One-Design fleets. All 3 chose North Sails.

3-5 May 2013www.genevemarathon.org

La Genevoise 5 km

Junior Races 1 to 3 km

Wheelchair & Handcycle 21,097 km

Half Marathon 21,097 km

Marathon 42,195 km

Relay Marathon 42,195 km

facebook.com/GeneveMarathon

@GeneveMarathon

WWW.MARATHON06.COM

10TH NOVEMBER 2013MARATHON 2 x 21.1 KM

RELAY MARATHON

* an OC Sport event | www.ocsport.com *

TO p s p E E D

Tv ChANNEls brOADCAsTThE Tv sErIEs IN 2012

1,000,000SPECTATORS SINCE 2007

AN ESTIMATED

mAS

T 62F

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13 NATIoNALITeS

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31 32

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32 DAYS oF RACINGoveR 256 RACeS PLANNeD

CAPSIZ

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ANGLE45º

40+WORLD CLASSSAILORS INCLUDING

16 OLYMPIANS

30 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES4 WORLD RECORDS30 AMERICA’S CUPS*

7 TEAmS1 iNViTATiONAL TEAmpLuS wiLDCARD ENTRiES

2 HULLS

30 kNOTs | 35Mph | 56kph

2013 EXTREME SAIlING SERIES™

ViTAL STATS

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30 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES

* D

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3.

www.hauteroute.org • [email protected]

CyclingHauteRoute @haute_route hauteroutetv

THE HIGHEST AND TOUGHEST CYCLOSPORTIVES IN THE WORLD

ARE YOUTOUGHENOUGH?

* an OC Sport event | www.ocsport.com *

AD_200_GRANDOCEAN_45004_240x320.indd 1 19.03.13 14:04

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EXTREME 2013