Extreme40 / Extreme Sailing Series at Cowes Week

In 2009 thousands gathered along the shoreline in Cowes, Isle of Wight, to watch the Extreme 40s in close quarter combat. The racing, easy to understand for both the sailors and non-sailors alike, was intense and spectacular, with the teams cheered on as they crossed within inches of each other and the beach.

Thierry Martinez/Sea and Co/BT Extreme 40

The Extreme Sailing Series returns to Cowes again for the fourth consecutive year and for 2010 will host more days of racing than ever before. The fleet will be put through its paces over six days, with a mixture of the short, sharp courses the circuit has become renowned for, as well as longer 'classical' Cowes Week type races, stretching the legs of the dynamic Extreme 40 catamarans and the tenacity of their crews.

Event organiser OC Events is passionate about making top level professional sailing, also entertaining for both sailing and non-sailor audiences. Once again the Extreme Sailing Series Race Village at Egypt Point will have a mix of high-end corporate hospitality, along with bars and food outlets for the general public and in the evening DJs. "We aim to entertain both on and off the water at every event," commented Gilles Chiorri, Event Director for OC Events. "The visitors last year were fantastic in their support of the teams and were very vocal in their enjoyment of the racing. We look forward to putting on another great show this year."

Friday 30 July will see the only UK leg of the circuit kick off with an exclusive media day, reserved for the visiting national and international media. The non-point scoring racing will give the teams the opportunity to assess each other's improvements in performance and teamwork over the 8 weeks since the opening event in Sète at the end of May.

Every morning from Saturday 31 July to Thursday 5 August inclusive (except for Tuesday 3 August) there will be a long distance morning race, starting from the Royal Yacht Squadron line. Lasting up to 1 hour, the longer races will pitch the teams' boat speed head-to-head on relatively open water.

The short course racing will take place at Egypt Point every afternoon. For the first three days from 3pm and for the final three, the entertainment will begin from 4pm with racing from 5pm, to ensure as many of the Cowes Week competitors can enjoy the top flight action, after the waters are largely clear of the Cowes Week racing yachts.

Nine teams are anticipated to be on the start line in Cowes including current Series leader Yann Guichard and his men on Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, defending Series Champions, Oman Sail Masirah led by Mr Multihull himself Loick Peyron, double Olympic Gold Medallist Roman Hagara with Red Bull Extreme Sailing and local hero Mike Golding with Ecover Sailing Team. A new entry joining the line-up in Cowes will be announced shortly.

From Exteme Sailing Series