Extreme40 / Ecover Sailing Team at the COWES WEEK

With a longer race each morning at 10am (except for Tuesday 3 August) designed to stretch the leg of the dynamic catamarans, The Extreme Sailing Series style of short course, public-facing racing at up to 40mph, will kick off on 31 July from 3 pm off Egypt Point. Nine top teams have entered this second stopover on the circuit, with French star Yann Guichard sitting at the top of the table with his team Groupe Edmond de Rothschild.

Credit : Juerg Kaufmann / go4image

The racing schedule for the Extreme 40 fleet will be later each afternoon off Egypt Point, allowing for the 1,000 plus competing boats to finish and for the crews to have the opportunity to come down and watch the action. On Saturday 31st, Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd August, the racing starts at 3pm, while on Tuesday 3rd, Wednesday 4th and Thursday 5th August at 5pm. But there is plenty to see before racing, with not only the Cowes Week fleets closing in on the finish line, but planned demonstrations in the art of 'on the water flying' by a line-up of talent including the Moth World Champion and a team of intrepid windsurfers will be putting in some speed runs to entertain the crowds when the Cowes Week fleet has passed, flipping, jumping and corkscrewing along the water’s edge.

The race area spreads all the way along The Esplanade down to Egypt Point and with live commentary from resident commentator, and top international yachtsman Sébastien Destremeau, everyone is promised the best seat in the house. The races, each lasting approximately 16 minutes long, are easy to understand for both non-sailors and sailors and first across the finish line equals a winner! Daily prizegivings will give the general public the chance to see the renowned skippers close-up.

Currently Leaderboard after the 1st event:
1.Groupe Edmond de Rothschild
2.Oman Sail Masirah
3.The Wave Muscat
4.Ecover Sailing Team
5.Groupama 40
6.The Ocean Racing Club
7.Red Bull Extreme Sailing
8.Team GAC Pindar

From Mike Golding