Extreme Sailing Series, multiple winner on opening day
EnglishExtreme Sailing SeriesMultiscafiVela 19 Marzo 2014 Zerogradinord 0
Muscat – The fleet of 11 elite level Extreme 40 catamarans headed onto the Muscat racecourse for the opening day of Act 2 of the global Extreme Sailing Series, in what it’s shaping up to be an unpredictable and close fought event, with five different winners over seven races. The Danish SAP Extreme Sailing Team had the edge over the less consistent teams, but with only 16 points separating the top eight, there will be some tough competition tomorrow as the front runners try to establish a firm lead. “It’s going to be a long regatta and it’s only day one but we’re happy with our performance today and hopefully it can continue”, commented SAP Extreme Sailing Team’s co-skipper Jes Gram Hansen, who went on to talk about the key to success on this racecourse. “When you get ahead of the fleet it becomes easier, you have clean breeze and you’re actually just gaining and gaining. Tomorrow we just need to stay focused.”
SAP Extreme Sailing Team, Emirates Team New Zealand and The Wave, Muscat all came away with a win apiece, with Alinghi and Groupama Sailing Team taking two, keeping everyone guessing right up to the last race as to which team would finish the day on top. The fleet raced in open water, giving them the chance to stretch their sails under a brilliant Arabian sun, in a light breeze between 5-7 knots that played across the course, with each windward-leeward two-lap race lasting just over 15 minutes.
Series Main Partners Land Rover today announced a new partnership with the Austrian Red Bull Sailing Team, as the Official Team and Vehicle Partner, adding further gravitas to the premium British car company’s relationship in the sport of professional sailing. On the water, it was a frustrating end to the day for the Austrian boat, fronted by double Olympic champions Roman Hagara and Hans-Peter Steinacher, who were tied on points at the top of the leaderboard going into the final race. A tenth place in that race proved costly, and the team finish the day in sixth, showing just how quickly things can change on the racecourse. Skipper Hagara commented: “The teams will need to be more consistent tomorrow. You really need a good start out there, as it’s so difficult to get back in it when you start from the back. All the teams are very strong and that’s why we are very tight on points. No mistakes will be the plan for all teams!”
After a somewhat conservative start to the event for both four-times Olympic champion Ben Ainslie’s British team J.P. Morgan BAR, and Gazprom Team Russia, helmed by two-times Series winner Paul Campbell-James, the British helms began to master the racecourse, both securing finishes in the top three. Campbell-James summed up the day: “We had some good races and some bad races, unfortunately more bad races than good ones so it was a little frustrating. There’s a lot of positives we can take from today – our downwind speed was a lot better, our upwind speed felt pretty good and our crew work is improving every day. The most important thing tomorrow is that we will be back to reaching starts, which may provide a bit of variety as to who gets to the line first. We’re close to the shore with a good Omani crowd as enthusiastic as ever, so we’re looking forward to it!”
It was a testing day for Realteam, who were unable to continue riding on their wave of success following their third place in Singapore just three weeks ago, and also for GAC Pindar, who couldn’t emulate their recent 18-foot skiff success during the day’s racing, with the teams finishing tenth and eleventh respectively.
During this morning’s press conference, attended by national and international media, Alinghi’s helm for this Act Morgan Larson predicted, “this event will be a real test, and only the best team will rise to the top” and with three days of Stadium Racing still to come, it is anyone’s guess who will be crowned champions in Muscat.
Extreme Sailing Series™ 2014 Act 2, Muscat, Day 1
1. SAP Extreme Sailing Team, pt. 48
2. Alinghi, pt. 45
3. Groupama sailing team, pt. 45
4. The Wave, Muscat, pt. 44
5. Emirates Team New Zealand, pt. 43
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