WMRT / Williams Shuts Out Champion To Win Chicago Match Cup

In front of a cheering crowd at Navy Pier, Lake Michigan turned on all the drama for the final day of the Chicago Match Cup as Ian Williams, skipper of GAC Pindar, defeated current Match Racing World Champion Phil Robertson in a tour de force shutout victory.

Credit : I Roman

M32 Tour / Gac Pindar and Ian Williams triumph in Gothenburg

Gothenburg June 18th, 2016. Ian Williams and his team GAC Pindar managed to bring out their best game in the deciding races of M32 Series Scandinavia in Gothenburg. They ended the action filled final day with a win that put them on top of the podium.

Crédit : Adstream AB (Henrik Ljungqvist)

WMRT / Semi-Finals will see Canfield vs Williams, Guichard vs Robertson.

PRO Mattias Dahlström and the race committee of the World Match Racing Tour Newport had their work cut out today as the breeze for the most part refused to co-operate. After a full day out on the water, just one round of the Quarter Finals was completed.

Credit : I Roman

WMRT / Ian Williams, the CONQUEROR in Fremantle (Results)

Fremantle, WA (7th March 2016) Reigning World Champion Ian Williams swept aside Hans Wallén 3-0 to win the final of the World Match Racing Tour Fremantle, the opening event of the 2016 World Match Racing Tour season.

Even though the GAC Pindar skipper has won a record six world titles on the Tour in the days of slow keelboats, the level of his domination in high-speed M32 catamarans took even the British skipper by surprise.

WMRT / Ian Williams dominates Monsoon Cup (Overall Results)

Ian Williams (GBR) dominated Taylor Canfield (ISV) to win the Final of the Monsoon Cup 3-0, sweeping the GAC Pindar skipper to his sixth World Championship title on the World Match Racing Tour. Williams has extended his record as the most successful match racing skipper in the history of the Tour.

Credit : Robert Hajduk / WMRT

WMRT / Williams and GAC Pindar make history after claiming record fifth World Match Racing Title

Ian Williams has today secured his place in the history books, becoming the first skipper ever to win the World Match Racing Tour title five times. Williams, who had previously won the title in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2012, overtakes veteran Australian sailor Peter Gilmour who also had four titles.

Match Race / Williams and GAC Pindar lay down a marker with dominant qualifying victory over title rival Taylor Canfield

Ian Williams and his GAC Pindar crew made a strong statement on the final day of qualifying with a convincing victory over title rival Taylor Canfield in the eagerly anticipated showdown between the pair.

Credit : R Hajduk / AWMRT

Keith Swinton struggled through sickness to notch up two wins and zero losses on day two of the Monsoon Cup Malaysia.

The skipper of Team Alpari FX, along with bowman Ricky McGarvie, were struck down by a bug that saw them driven off to hospital after their matches were complete. Yet somehow they managed to keep their stuff together to score some vital victories over France's Pierre-Antoine Morvan and fellow Western Australian, David Gilmour.

© Robert Hajduk / AWMRT

#ExSS / Teams are put to the Singapore test on training day

60 of the world’s most prestigious sailors took to Marina Bay today, racing under the blue skies of a sultry Singapore, for one final training session ahead of the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series™ curtain raiser, which kicks-off tomorrow (20 February). With teams both old and new, legends of the sailing world united in the heart of Singapore ahead of four days of intense competition - and the heat on the racecourse instantly ramped up!

Credit: JHowiePhotography.com

#ExSS / Sir Ben Ainslie and Franck Cammas in 2014, Ambitious series confirmed !

8 January – London: Extreme Sailing Series™ organisers OC Sport, alongside Land Rover, one of two Series Main Partners, have today confirmed details of their most ambitious Series to date at the London Boat Show. The award-winning and 'ISAF Special Event' world tour will celebrate its eighth year on the international sailing calendar with eight iconic Host Venues spanning three continents, over eleven months and nine elite level teams representing seven nations, who will compete to win the coveted Extreme Sailing Series trophy.

Credit : Lloyd Images

ExSS / Extreme Sailing Series™ Florianópolis stadium delivers ‘best racing of the year’ on opening day

The opening day of Act 8 Florianópolis presented by Land Rover delivered the “best racing of the year” according to Alinghi helmsman Morgan Larson & SAP Extreme Sailing Team skipper Jes Gram-Hansen. The final showdown of the 2013 Series began in style, and the South Brazilian city welcomed the eight elite level Extreme 40 teams with champagne sailing conditions – 14 knots of wind that steadily built to 20 and a brilliant Brazilian sunshine. Eight short, sharp, fast paced races were sailed, with four different race winners and Oman’s The Wave, Muscat blasted round the tight courses, reaching speeds of 24 knots and relishing the conditions that put Leigh McMillan’s men at the top of the rankings at the end of day one. Tomorrow is a national holiday in Brazil when the event officially opens to the public, and with the breeze set to build to 30 knots overnight, they will be in for a show they wont easily forget!

© Vincent Curutchet/Dark Frame/Lloyd Images

Extreme Sailing Series / Team Duqm Oman complete Act 1 line-up starting tomorrow

The home nation invitational team for Act 1, Muscat, can finally be unveiled. Team Duqm Oman with a crew including some of the kingpins of Extreme 40 sailing, will make it eight teams in the starting blocks completing a full-grid of Extreme 40s for Act 1 of the 2013 Extreme Sailing Series beginning tomorrow, 5th March.

Credit : Lloyd Image

Extreme Sailing Series / En route to Istanbul for Act 3

Historic, modern and traditional – Istanbul, the European Capital of Sport 2012, is several cities in one and the venue for Act 3 of the Extreme Sailing Series starting in just two weeks time. The teams will race from the 7-10 June, with one day of open water racing followed by three days of stadium racing at the juncture where the Marmara Sea meets the Bosphorus -providing the perfect natural amphitheatre for spectators to watch the racing.

Credit : M.Lloyd

Extreme Sailing Series / French Favourites on Target for Act 1 Victory

Groupe Edmond de Rothschild lead going into the final day of Act 1 but Oman Air are just one point off first place. Tomorrow the finale with at least five teams in contention for the podium…

Credit : Lloyd Images

Extreme Sailing Series / Team GAC Pindar Top the Leaderboard for the First Time

ISAF World Match Racing Champion, Ian Williams, has helmed Team GAC Pindar to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage of Act 8 in Almeria. This is the first time his team has ever led the overall standings in the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series global tour.

Credit : Lloyd Images

Images / A major collision, 4 capsizes, 1 broken mast

Never in four years of the Extreme Sailing Series has there been so much drama in one day. In almost unprecedented conditions here in Qingdao, the public witnessed some extraordinary adrenalin fueled ‘stadium’ racing, first witnessing a major collision between The Wave, Muscat (OMAN) and Oman Air (OMAN) at the first downwind mark of the first race, and four dramatic capsizes - The Wave, Muscat (OMAN) in Race 2 and Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT), Team GAC Pindar (GBR) and Oman Air (OMAN) all in the final race of the day.

Extreme Sailing Series / Qingdao, the City of Sailing, Confirmed as Chinese Host Venue

At the official launch of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series™ in Estoril (Portugal) in December 2010, China was confirmed as one of nine the host countries – a new territory for this year’s circuit and a significant step into the burgeoning Asian market. Today [27th January, 2011] it can now be revealed that Qingdao, the fourth largest manufacturing port in the country and known as the City of Sailing, will be the official host Chinese venue to Act 2 to be staged between 13th to 17th April.

Credit : OC Events

The Extreme Sailing Series Race Village will be located in Fushan Bay, which was also the home of the Olympic Village in 2008, and will be open to the public between the 15th to 17th April when the 11-boat Extreme 40 fleet will race inside the bay right in front of the spectators [13th-14th April are ‘open water’ days when the fleet will be racing outside of Fushan Bay].

Extreme Sailing Series / Countdown to Kiel

The shore teams have arrived, the containers unloaded and the build process has begun as Kiel.Sailing City on the Baltic Coast in northern Germany once again plays host to the Extreme Sailing Series on the third stop of the 2010 European tour. The internationally acclaimed circuit features some of the World’s very best sailors and teams, racing on the dynamic Extreme 40 catamaran, combining tough professional racing with short sharp stadium courses that bring sailing to the people.

© Paul Wyeth/ OC Events

Extreme Sailing Series / First Ever Event Win for Paul Cambell-James at the UK Round

Paul Campbell-James on The Wave, Muscat has won the UK Round of the Extreme Sailing Series at Cowes Week – the first ever regatta win for the youngest skipper on the circuit - claiming an OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean watch as part of the prize as top Skipper for the UK round. Thirty-six races over six days in front of 60,000+ spectators – the UK round of the five-stop circuit has delivered everything that the Extreme Sailing Series is about. Spectacular, adrenalin-pumping action on the water, enthralling the thousands of spectators who packed into the Extreme Race Village at Egypt Point and along The Esplanade.

© Marl Lloyd/ Lloyd Images

Extreme Sailing Series / Halfway Stage and Guichard Fights Back

The third day of the Extreme Sailing Series at Cowes Week saw less wind but no less action on the water as the nine teams competing in the UK round of the five-stop circuit battled for every point and every place on the race course. The sailors were pushing all the time with some very aggressive starting tactics resulting in a general recall in race 15, and some teams finding themselves on the wrong side of the start line when the gun fired, having to turn round and re-start again in two races. The umpires were dishing out the penalties like oranges at half-time.

©Paul Weyth/ OC Events

The sea breeze literally kicked in 60 seconds before the start of the first inshore race today and the Extreme 40s sprang to life in the 8-10 knot breeze that increased rapidly to 12-14 knots and topping 18 for a couple of races. More than enough for these light catamarans to fly their hulls upwind and for the spray to soak the crew on the downwind legs at 20 knots (23mph) of boat speed keeping the spectators enthralled.