Extreme Sailing Series™ fleet poised for toughest test to date in Cardiff
The Extreme Sailing Series™ is set to get even more thrilling as the international fleet takes on its biggest challenge to date – Cardiff Bay.
Wednesday 22nd June 2016
The Extreme Sailing Series™ is set to get even more thrilling as the international fleet takes on its biggest challenge to date – Cardiff Bay.
The Welsh capital’s flagship waterfront development is the stage for four days of intense action in Act 3 of the 2016 season.
It’s the fifth time the Extreme Sailing Series crews have done battle in Cardiff so they know all too well what they’re facing over the coming days – a super-tight stadium racecourse and plenty of breeze.
But just to make things even more testing it’s the first time they will have competed in the Series’ new GC32 catamarans that ‘fly’ above the water on hydrofoils. That means blistering speeds of up to 40mph – so in the close confinements of Cardiff Bay the racing will be tighter and decisions will need to be made quicker than ever before.
Legs between turning marks will be shorter than the teams are used to, and the turbo-charged GC32 flying machines will cover them in matter of seconds. The seven teams – made up of some of the world’s best sailors – will undoubtedly have their work cut out, but for the thousands of spectators who will turn up for a front-row seat to the action it will guarantee a gripping show.
Diego Cayolla, skipper of Sail Portugal, said his crew – sailing in their first Extreme Sailing Series season – were all too aware of what lies ahead. “Cardiff is one of the most difficult venues we will race in this season,” he said. “I have sailed here in the past years and there was plenty of action and strong winds, but in the new GC32s it will be even more difficult.
“The course is very short and that makes it very psychically demanding – not for me, but the boys will suffer. There are parts of the course where the boundaries are very close on each side, so it’s almost like racing on a swimming pool. For the spectators though it’s the best – the riskier the racing the better it is to watch.
“We are still a new team so we might struggle if it gets windy but our hope is to get some good results.”
Another team preparing for a gruelling few days on the water is the Land Rover BAR Academy side, who will field a new line-up of youth sailors. Skipper Neil Hunter, 21, said his young side plan to take the fight to the more experienced Extreme Sailing Series crews. “Cardiff was a tight venue in the Extreme 40 boats but now we’re in foiling GC32s it’s going to feel a lot smaller,” he said. “Generally in Cardiff you get breeze and that puts even more pressure on us. If we’re doing 30 knots towards the shore, room to manoeuvre is going to run out quickly.
“We’re all about fitness at Land Rover BAR and we’ve been working hard in the gym so hopefully we can get some good scores.”
Phil Lawrence, race director of the Extreme Sailing Series, said fans can expect plenty of on-the-water entertainment over the course of Act 3, with decent wind forecast. “The wind is looking light for Thursday morning but it will build throughout the day,” he said. “The forecast for the rest of the week is looking good – so expect some great racing.”
Racing begins tomorrow at 2pm. Fans in the UK can watch the racing live on BT Sport on the final day, while fans online can watch the racing live on the official YouTube channel on 25-26 June, 1530-1700 BST daily.
Click HERE to find out how you can follow all the action from Cardiff.
