Extreme Sailing Series™ local team shows fighting form on second day of Barcelona battle

There's cause for celebration today in Barcelona, as home team Spanish Impulse finished day two of Act 3 on a high, clocking podium finishes in both the first and last races of the day.

Crédit : Lloyd Images

As the crowds on the coastline cheered and waved in support, the Spaniards took the second day of the Barcelona battle by storm.

INEOS Rebels UK looking for podium finish at GC32 World Championships

Newly reformed INEOS Rebels UK are gearing up to compete at the GC32 World Championships, Riva del Garda, from 23rd – 27th May. The World Championship is also Act 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series and the British team are looking for a podium finish at their second racing event of 2018.

Crédit : HarryKH/ INEOS Rebels UK

GC32 / Alinghi crowned champions of 2018 Extreme Sailing Series Act 1, Muscat (Results)

Three-time Extreme Sailing Series™ champions Alinghi were crowned winners of the opening Act of the 2018 Series today, their first win in Muscat in their eight-year history in the event.

Credit : Lloyd Images

Extreme Sailing Series / Leigh McMillan back at Land Rover BAR and mentoring the future generation

Ahead of the start of this year's Extreme Sailing Series, Land Rover BAR have secured leading British sailor Leigh McMillan to be part of their 36th America's Cup campaign.

Credit : A Palmer

Extreme Sailing Series confirms eight-stop global tour in 2018

The 2018 Extreme Sailing Series™ is ready to fly for the 12th consecutive year, with the announcement today by Series organisers OC Sport of a global tour that will visit eight major cities on three continents. The Middle East, Europe and the Americas are all on the line up for what promises to be another year of foiling action, as the Series continues to provide a guaranteed annual proposition to teams and partners on a global scale. Watch the official video to find out where the Series is going here.

Credit : Lloyd Images

Oman Air moves top of overall 2017 Extreme Sailing Series™ leaderboard with Hamburg victory

Oman Air took its second Act victory in a row in a thrilling Hamburg finale, despite last minute pressure from SAP Extreme Sailing Team. The triumph sees the Omani syndicate move into pole position in the overall rankings. Red Bull Sailing Team rounds off the podium while early season leader Alinghi posted its worst result since 2012, following an action-packed, crowd-pleasing day on the River Elbe for Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 5, Hamburg, presented by Land Rover.

Créit : Lloyd Images

ESS / Barcelona glory for Oman Air but SAP Extreme Sailing Team go top at halfway stage

Oman Air scored their first Act win of 2017 as SAP Extreme Sailing Team rise to the top of the overall Extreme Sailing Series™ scoreboard following a nail-biting finale to Act 4 in Barcelona.

Crédit : Lloyd Images

Just ten points separated Extreme Sailing Series heavyweights Oman Air, Red Bull Sailing Team, SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Alinghi going into the final double-points scoring race, leaving victory anything but certain.

GC32 / Oman Air team looks to Madeira to boost them up the Extreme Sailing Series rankings

The crew of Oman Air are hoping the next round in Madeira will give their campaign momentum to win the globe-straddling Extreme Sailing Series.

Credit : Lloyd Images

Alinghi reign supreme in Qingdao as Land Rover BAR Academy score best result to date

Swiss sailing team Alinghi were crowned Kings of Qingdao for a second year running as they swept to glory in the second Act of the Extreme Sailing Series™.

Crédit : X Olleros / OC Sport

Challenging Qingdao tests Extreme Sailing Series™ fleet in Act 2 Qingdao "Mazarin" Cup opener

Qingdao went from calm to classic in a matter of minutes today as Act 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series™ got off to an exciting start.

Crédit : Lloyd Images

China's Olympic Sailing City is renowned for its tricky weather conditions that can catch sailors off guard with sudden changes – and the opening day of Act 2 Qingdao "Mazarin Cup" was a prime example.

GC32 / Experience is key as Team Oman Air prepare for Extreme Sailing Series round two

Known worldwide for hosting sailing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Qingdao is notorious for its ability to catch crews off guard with a fickle breeze that can go from next to nothing to gale force in a matter of minutes.

Crédit : Lloyd Images

GC32 / It's time for Qingdao and the China round of the Extreme Sailing Series™

The countdown is on as the teams prepare to take to the water for the second Act of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series™ in China's Olympic Sailing City, Qingdao, for the "Mazarin Cup", run in conjunction with Mazarin Qingdao Shipyard Co. and hosted by Qingdao Organising Authority. Wildcard entry Team Extreme is set to join the six full-season squads for a piece of the action, which runs from 28 April – 1 May.

Credit : Lloyd Images

SAP announced as Host Venue Partner for Los Cabos Act of 2017 Extreme Sailing Series

The Extreme Sailing Series™ will head to Mexico for the first time in its history this year when the eighth and final Act of what promises to be a spectacular season of sailing is staged in Los Cabos starting in late November.

Crédit : FITURCA, Fideicomiso Turismo Los Cabos

ExSS / SAP Extreme Sailing Team clinch opening win of 2017 Extreme Sailing Series in wet and wild Act 1

Muscat delivered classic conditions in an electrifying finale to the opening Act of the Extreme Sailing Series™ that saw SAP Extreme Sailing Team become the first winners of 2017.

Crédit : Lloyd Images

Clear blue skies combined with a blustery north-easterly breeze gusting 25 knots as nine international crews hit the uncharacteristically choppy waters of Oman’s capital city.

GC32 / Phil Robertson to skipper Oman Air in 2017 Extreme Sailing Series

Oman Air’s bid to claim back the Extreme Sailing Series crown will be led by world match racing champion Phil Robertson after he was appointed skipper for the 2017 campaign starting in Muscat, Oman, in March.

Credit : Lloyd Images

GC32 / SAP Extreme Sailing Team returns with podium ambitions, Adam Minoprio onboard

SAP Extreme Sailing Team has announced its return to the Extreme Sailing Series™ ahead of the season opener in Muscat, which takes place in less than a month's time.

© Tristan Stedman-SAP Extreme Sailing Team

In preparation for what will be its sixth season in the world's leading Stadium Racing Series, the team has undergone a major reshuffle in its crew line-up.

Extreme Sailing Series™ reveals new brand identity

OC Sport, the owner and organiser of the Extreme Sailing Series™, has today unveiled a new logo design as part of a rebrand for the global Stadium Racing circuit, that aims to create a more modern brand identity, reflective of the exciting nature of the sport.

ExSS / Alinghi pull off incredible comeback to take Act 6 in Madeira

Swiss team Alinghi came back from a dismasting to win Act 6 of the Extreme Sailing Series™ in extraordinary circumstances on the waters of Portugal’s Madeira Islands.

Crédit : Lloyd Images 

A high-speed collision with Red Bull Sailing Team yesterday resulted in the 16.5-metre mast of Alinghi’s GC32 catamaran falling down. The damage, in the third race of the day, forced the veteran crew to retire from the remaining four races and threatened to keep them off the water for the final day of Act 6.

GC32 / Alinghi close gap on ExSS overall leaders Oman Air with thrilling Act 5 win in St Petersburg

Alinghi secured their second Act win of the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series™ in an electrifying final race showdown in St Petersburg.

Crédit : G Polyakov/St.Petersburg YC

The Swiss crew began the deciding day of Act 5, presented by SAP, in pole position with the narrowest of margins over closest rivals and overall series leaders Oman Air, but by the time the final race came round Morgan Larson’s men were on equal points with Alinghi.

ExSS wows with exhilarating foiling debut in Russia as SAP Extreme Sailing Team take early lead

Extreme Sailing Series™ wows with exhilarating foiling debut in Russia as SAP Extreme Sailing Team take early lead

Crédit : Lloyd Images

The Extreme Sailing Series™ once again lived up to its reputation for the most exciting Stadium Racing today as Act 5, presented by SAP, got underway in St Petersburg with trademark high-octane action.

The latest stage of the global tour picked up where it had left off in Hamburg, Germany, just a month ago as seven crews made up of the world’s best sailors resumed battle in the heart of Russia’s second largest city.

It is the third time St Petersburg has hosted the Extreme Sailing Series following its debut on the circuit in 2014.

But the city had not enjoyed the spectacle of race boats ‘flying’ more than a metre above the water on special hydro-foils – until now.

The cutting-edge GC32 catamarans were in their element as winds between nine and 12 knots combined with the flat waters of the Neva River to provide perfect conditions for lightning-quick racing.

Determined to make amends for an uncharacteristic last place finish on Russian waters in 2015, Denmark’s SAP Extreme Sailing Team shot out of the blocks in the opening race, overhauling home team Gazprom Team Russia to open their scorecard with a win.

In a display of their boat-handling skills on the river racecourse, Jes Gram-Hansen’s men went on to notch up another two victories and a third place finish over seven nail-biting races.

Despite a late charge from Swiss rivals Alinghi, who also won three races, SAP Extreme Sailing Team top the overall leaderboard by one point going into day two, the first time they have enjoyed an overnight lead at an Act this season.

SAP Extreme Sailing Team co-skipper Gram-Hansen said: “It was a great day for us; we sailed really well, pushed it a bit in the starts, pulled off some good comebacks and had some really nice boat-handling.

“There were some good gusts coming down the racecourse and although they weren’t super powerful you have to be careful because room to manoeuvre is very limited.

“I saw there were a few close capsizes but we had a reasonably trouble-free day. If you can stay away from the traffic you can stay out of trouble, and I think we were pretty lucky with that today. We’re pretty happy but of course there’s still a long way to go.”

Overall 2016 Extreme Sailing Series leaders Oman Air go into day two of Act 5 in third place with three podium finishes under their belts, despite suffering minor damage to their rudder when they hit a metal river mark.

Among those struggling to tame their GC32s in Neva River’s testing conditions was Diogo Cayolla’s Sail Portugal – Visit Madeira crew.

The team, racing in the Extreme Sailing Series for the first time this year, scored an impressive set of results that included two seconds and a third to finish the day in fourth. But they nearly came undone on several occasions during racing when they were caught out by gusts blowing through the racecourse.

“It was very difficult out there today,” Cayolla said. “We knew the course would be challenging but we still had some risky situations because of the gusts. Thankfully we managed not to do any damage to our boat and our crew, and in the end we sailed quite well.

“We had some podium finishes and that’s not bad at all, but if the conditions are going to be the same tomorrow we need to be prepared.”

Roman Hagara’s Red Bull Sailing Team were fifth after a mixed bag of results, and despite a strong start in the opening race Gazprom Team Russia were forced to settle for sixth overall, just one point ahead of Land Rover BAR Academy.

Racing resumes at 1400 local time tomorrow with a forecast for similar conditions.

Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 5, St Petersburg presented by SAP standings after Day 1, 7 races (01.09.16)
1st SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi De Felice, Renato Conde 71 points.
2nd Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 70 points.
3rd Oman Air (OMA) Morgan Larson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 69 points.
4th Sail Portugal – Visit Madeira (POR) Diogo Cayolla, Frederico Melo, Nuno Barreto, Luís Brito, João Matos Rosa 62 points.
5th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Jérémy Bachelin 60 points.
6th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Phil Robertson, Will Tiller, Shane Diviney, Alexsey Kulakov, Victor Serezhkin 55 points.
7th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Neil Hunter, Chris Taylor, Will Alloway, Sam Batten, Rob Bunce 54 points.

From Extreme Sailing Series