The 2018 Extreme Sailing Series™ so far…

Over 10 months of global touring, the 2018 Extreme Sailing Series™ – now in its 12th year – visits seven iconic venues spanning three continents. Here's a recap of the action from the previous four events...

Friday 24th August 2018

Over 10 months of global touring, the 2018 Extreme Sailing Series™ – now in its 12th year – visits seven iconic venues spanning three continents.

Maintaining the highest level of sporting integrity, the global tour includes a mix of established sailing venues and new markets of strong commercial value to stakeholders, that offers some of the world’s best sailors a variety of sailing formats, from open water to the tradition-breaking and award-winning Stadium Racing format that the Series is renowned for.

MUSCAT, OMAN

In the first of seven exceptionally tough events, 35 elite competitive sailors from seven teams battled it out on the stunning waters in Muscat, Oman, striving for an Act 1 victory under the Middle Eastern sun.

Determined to secure the coveted Series title, the teams fought tooth and nail on board their super-fast foiling GC32 catamarans to prove themselves in the first stage of the world’s ultimate Stadium Racing championship.

Series veterans and victors were given a run for their money as the newly formed crews on NZ Extreme Sailing Team and Red Bull Sailing Team chased their experienced counterparts around the racecourse with tenacity.

An array of strong results from some of the new kids on the block peppered the leaderboard until the two teams collided on the course on the third day of racing.

In the end, three-time Series champions Alinghi were crowned winners of the opening Act of the Series, their first win in Muscat in their eight-year history in the event.

GC32 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, RIVA DEL GARDA, ITALY

Up against rivals from the GC32 Racing Tour, the Series sailors gave their all in a bid to top the podium and become the best in class at the GC32 World Championship in Riva del Garda, Italy.

There’s no denying that the crews meant business heading into the first day of the event. Gunning for gold in Garda, the fleet demonstrated incredible racing, with the leading six boats all regulars on the Extreme Sailing Series circuit.

Newly formed British squad INEOS Rebels delivered a masterclass in boat handling, flying around the course with consistency, shooting into first place on day one.

By the final day however, it was the Danes that ruled the Extreme Sailing Series rankings, with SAP Extreme Sailing Team bagging an impressive seven bullets across the event’s 16 races.

With a win apiece for SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Alinghi, the next Act promised to be a serious battle.

BARCELONA, SPAIN

The first wildcard team of the 2018 Series joined the circuit for Act 3, Barcelona.

Sailing under the Spanish flag, and consisting of Olympic hopefuls and prior Extreme Sailing Series participants from past campaigns, local team Spanish Impulse took on the fleet of GC32 speed machines on home waters, battling it out for a spot on the Barcelona podium.

Despite the efforts of the local squad, it was Austrian challenger, Red Bull Sailing Team, who shot straight into the limelight. Charging through the ranks, the crew clocked five podium finishes over the course of the first day, before becoming locked in a battle for the top spot with Oman Air on the second day of racing.

The action between the two boats reached an epic crescendo on the penultimate day of racing, when the two teams made contact on the course during the fifth race of the day.

No injuries were sustained, but the Omani team returned to shore to effect repairs to their boat. Red Bull Sailing Team continued to race on.

The Act win eventually went to Swiss team Alinghi, having exhibited four days of faultless sailing. Their second Act win of the season resulted in an overall points tie with the Danes, finishing the Act with 33 points each in the Series rankings.

CASCAIS, PORTUGAL

The fourth Act of the 2018 Series had the crowds of Cascais cheering and chanting in support of Team Portugal – a wildcard grassroots project, aiming to give young Portuguese sailors experience in the ultimate Stadium Racing championship.

It was the Brits that brought their A game to the mid-season fight, though. Big breeze of up to 16 knots and flat water offered up perfect foiling conditions, as INEOS Rebels zoomed around the racecourse at speed, closing the first day on the podium in third.

The second day of the Act saw SAP Extreme Sailing Team make history, as they smashed the record for the fastest speed ever recorded on the Series.

Shooting straight off the start line, the Danes set a new speed record of 36.4 knots in the first race of the second day, only to sail even faster in the race that followed. They clocked a top speed of 37.9 knots in the day’s second race, an insight provided by Series partners, SAP.

Team México – the first ever Mexican-flagged crew to participate in the Series - also had cause for celebration, as they secured a second place finish in race 21, their best result of the competition so far.

It was no surprise, though, that it was the Swiss who took the top spot in Cascais. having demonstrated masterful sailing throughout the Series so far. 

Leading the fleet on every single day of racing, Alinghi secured a clean sweep victory – their third Act win of the 2018 season.

FLYING PHANTOMS

After a successful debut in 2017, the Flying Phantom Series returned this year. Having raced in Muscat, Quiberon Bay, Barcelona and Cascais, Cardiff will be their deciding Act.

Team France Jeune have successfully led the fleet in three out of four Acts, and are the current frontrunners in the overall standings. French counterparts Idreva Zephyr Foiling are not far behind in second, having won the Act in Cascais. Culture Foil – also French – rounds up the podium in third.

With the wind up and the teams in full battle mode, we’re expecting some serious competition here in Cardiff…