Full Metal Jacket Racing on GAC Pindar in Qingdao. Image copyright Lloyd Images/Extreme Sailing Series
by FMJ Racing media
The third act of the Extreme Sailing Series was held in Qingdao, China. Being the 2008 Olympic sailing village it was well set up for stadium racing in the waters surrounding the city. It was the first time we were able to see the Land Rover boat being sailed around with the new partnership formed between the ESS and Range Rover. The first racing day was held outside the breakwater with conventional open water windward leeward racing. The racing was close and big gains were made on the downwinds! After day one FMJ were sat in 6th.
The next three day's were held inside the breakwater with short stadium racing courses. Day two was a good day clocking up solid wins and being the biggest movers into 3rd place! Another solid third day saw FMJ retain the 3rd place but the points were tight going into the final day with SAP Extreme team close behind! The regatta came down to the final race of the series. Being a double points race big gains were possible and with the results going your way up to four boats could have won the regatta! Unfortunately SAP sailed a great race and overtook FMJ bumping us just off the podium. None the less fourth was a good result and the team is on the improve and looking for a podium in the next regatta in Turkey!
Up next for the boys is a grade two match racing regatta held out of The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in J80's, should be a bit of a change from the extremes!
Final Results
1st The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Ed Smyth, Pete Greenhalgh, Musab Al Hadi, Will Howden 202 points.
2nd Alinghi (SUI) Morgan Larson, Stuart Pollard, Pierre Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 200 points.
3rd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Kostner, Pete Cumming, Mikkel Røssberg, Nicolai Sehested 191 points.
4th GAC Pindar (NZL) Will Tiller, Shaun Mason, Stewart Dodson, Harry Thurston, Matt Steven 181 points.
5th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Matthew Adams, Simon Cook, Graeme Spence 168 points.
6th Team Korea (KOR) Peter Burling, Matt Vincent, Mark Bulkeley, Tom Johnson, Sungwok Kim 163 points.
7th Realteam (SUI) Jerome Clerc, Bryan Mettraux, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Cédric Schmidt, Thiery Wassem 154 points.
8th China Team (CHN) Mitch Booth, Wen Zijin, Yingkit Cheng, Liu Xue, Zhang Yiran 145 points.
Full Metal Jacket Racing
Extreme Sailing Series
