Oman Sail's Masirah night-sailing in Singapore during the Extreme Sailing Series Asia. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.
by Emily Caroe
OC Events took the award-winning circuit to the region to demonstrate what a future full-scale circuit with shoreside entertainment, VIP hospitality and, of course, the on-water sailing, could deliver to the region. For this first Asian series, the objective was to engage with the media and commercial sectors, whilst at the third and final event in Muscat, a two-day 'Extreme Beach Event' took it up a level engaging the public as well.
Red Bull racing off Muscat. Image copyright Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images/OC Events.
"This first Extreme Sailing Series Asia exceeded all our expectations. The spectacular sailing conditions in all three locations brought us tight racing by some of the very best sailors and demonstrated the potential to venue partners, key opinion formers, government officials and the media what a full-scale series could bring to their region in future years," commented Mark Turner, CEO OC Group, owners of the organising company OC Events. "We developed the European circuit in exactly the same way, starting small with a focus on the VIP and media side and four years later here we are with a multi-stop European tour that saw over 200,000 people watch the action in person in 2009. We made the call to go for this first opening series in pretty tough economic times, but we believe our investment will be successful and are already in discussion with potential new venue and series partners for the 2010/2011 tour," he concluded.
The Wave, Muscat, racing off Muscat. Image copyright Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images/OC Events.
The Extreme Sailing Series Asia circuit received widespread media attention, not only in the countries it visited, but internationally as the media were entertained by the personalities as well as the action on the water. World Sport (formerly Gillette World of Sport), the internationally distributed sports programming, will include Muscat in this week's show which will go out on UK Terrestrial broadcaster Channel 4 this Saturday (7:30am) and the following Tuesday (01:30am) and across Europe. There has been regular coverage from the series on TV channels including a daily live feed on Oman TV, ITV Meridian and Sky Sports (UK), Eurosport and Euronews (FRA), ATV, ORF 1 & 2 (AUT), Media Corp (SNG) and Mediaset (ITA).
The reach will increase from March 2010 when a 26-minute programme will be distributed and air on channels including Sky Sports (UK), Sport + (FRA), ESPN (Pan-Asia) and Fox Sport (pan-USA & South America).
The circuit began in Hong Kong (20-24 November), racing out of the prestigious Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club for five days including a day with the 200-plus fleet for the annual Around the Island Race, where the Extreme 40s took line honours.
The six catamarans were then packed up and transported to Marina Reservoir, right underneath the World's tallest observation tower in Singapore (11-15 December), the first time the stretch of water had been used for a professional sport event.
Rumbo Almeria and BT on day 1 of Racing at the Extreme Sailing Series Asia: Muscat. Image copyright Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images/OC Events.
The series concluded last week in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, where the home team Masirah lifted the inaugural championship trophy. Three days of racing in front of a VIP setup, was followed by an 'Extreme Beach Party' with over 2,000 people gathering at Al Hail beach for a five-a-side football competition, volleyball matches, the Muscat round of the Red Bull Street Style competition as well as watching the racing, which took place in front of government statesmen and royalty for the Omani weekend.
"It's been exciting introducing new people to the circuit," commented Emily Caroe, PR Director of OC Events Extreme Sailing Series. "There's nothing better than welcoming a non-sailor to the circuit, be it World record-breaker Assafa Powell in Singapore or a female journalist in her traditional dress who has never even stepped on a boat before. Persuading them to conquer their fears and step onto an Extreme 40 was not easy, but by the time your back is turned, they are on the helm, or trimming and shouting for the hull to fly even higher. It's such a great experience and provides them with a unique story."
The Wave, Muscat. Image copyright Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images/OC Events.
Seventy journalists attended the three, five-day events, and when conditions allowed stepping onboard and racing in the fifth man positions onboard the six Extreme 40s. Andreas Tzortzis, from international magazine, Red Bulletin, raced with double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson onboard Rumbo Almeria. "That was absolutely fantastic. You are absolutely in the thick of it and that is an experience you don't normally have in sailboat racing unless you are racing yourself. As a spectator, or even as a journalist you don't nearly get so close so it gives you an understanding of the amount of pressure they are under. It is absolutely astonishing."
There have been over 180 pieces of quality coverage from the three events, with press junkets at each venue to experience Extreme racing first hand. Journalists attended from Sina.com, China's leading online portal which ran daily reports, China Boating, The Business Times and Today Newspaper all visited the opening event in Hong Kong. An international visit of GCC media attended the final event in Muscat including journalists from Men's Passion, Ahlan and Al Rai in Kuwait, the Qatar Tribune, Ohlala Magazine, Bahrain Confidential and Areej Magazines in Bahrain, Business Traveller and City Times in the United Arab Emirates.
"Our goal was to bring a select group of journalists who could experience first hand an Extreme Sailing Series event. Thanks to the support of the Muscat Municipality, they had the chance to see a public facing event with all the activities on Al Hail beach as well as the racing," commented Caroe.
Extreme 40s at the end of the day's racing in Hong Kong. Image copyright Marco Hong/OC Events.
Thierry Barot, skipper of China Team was impressed with his first venture into Extreme 40 sailing: "It was very impressive, right in front of the public but still this sport is very intense, delivery is very high in terms of tactics and strategies. I really believe it is the future of sailing. This is what sailing needs in term of development - the Extreme Sailing Series is a sport in itself."
And as the Asian tour comes to an end, the next begins. The Extreme Sailing Series Europe starts in earnest in May 2010 with the first venues being announced shortly. Watch this space for more Extreme action...
Extreme Sailing Series Asia
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