X40: "We're Going Down" - Drama on the racecourse in Singapore

Rudders up .... bows down ..... There was real drama on the racecourses here in Singapore today as four boats nearly capsized as the gusty winds took the six-boat fleet by surprise


Rumbo Almeria & Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team racing on Day 2 in Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

by Lou Newlands

For Rumbo Almeria it was a busy day - this morning they had taken former record holder and Olympic 4x100m Gold medallist Asafa Powell sailing onboard their Extreme 40 and then this afternoon were clinging on to the trampoline as they desperately strived to keep their boat from capsizing.


Rumbo Almeria's near capsize, talked through by bowman Steve Mitchell

Bowman Steve Mitchell picks up the story, "We were on the second reach of a triangle course, it was a pretty tight leg we had a big puff and the boat was tipping up, tipping up.....

"I had gone to leeward, we had furled the spinnaker and I was pulling it down and the only thing I could see was a construction site coming at me really pretty quickly! I had my ankles in the water, the bow was fully under and I could hear Nick [Hutton] shouting, 'We're going down, we're going down'. So I just turned, left the spinnaker and ran to the high side. I am pretty glad I had studs in the bottom of my shoes to get to get up the trampoline to join everyone hanging on to the top corner! And she finally popped out and came back down again and off we went again. We weren't expecting that here! It mixes it up and keeps us on our toes for sure!"


Rumbo Almeria & Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team racing on Day 2 in Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

The Wave, Muscat, Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team and CHINA TEAM were all sailing on the edge of their comfort zones as they each battled to keep their Extreme 40 the right way up as the wind channelled between the buildings in gusts of up to 16 knots.


The Wave, Muscat and Oman Sail's Masirah racing on Day 2 in Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

Local sailor, Tan Wearn Haw, from Singapore onboard CHINA TEAM was buzzing as he stepped onto the dock. "So we have seen how wrong things can go in a moment, we almost flipped the boat today!" he grinned. "It was in the third race, it was interesting we were just on the edge, everything could have gone pear-shaped we were like "WOAH!". We had Adam jumping on the dagger-board, so it was good that he ate lots of supper last night to give him an extra kilo weight!


Extreme 40s racing on day 2 in Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

"We had two shots of gusts that just hit us over the breakwater and we couldn't quite respond to it so ah well, a lot learnt today! It was so quiet onboard as we all wondered if we were going to go over and then suddenly we were all shouting! We told the fifth man we don't do this every day - Hugh [Styles - helm] said he's sailed these boats for three years and it is the closest he has ever come to capsizing."


Onboard Masirah on day 2 of high octane racing in Singapore at the Extreme Sailing Series Asia. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

There were five races today exploring every inch of the Marina Reservoir race area with the teams being challenged by the unpredictable winds as it channelled between the buildings.

Hans-Peter Steinacher, tactician onboard Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team was pleased with this second day of racing, "What a perfect day - we are really enjoying sailing in Singapore. Good wind conditions and even these short races are quite funny and it is very physical, it is unbelievalbe, we are nearly on the limit. It was good today that we only had five races because otherwise the two guys at the front of the boat are exhausted, the crashes start coming and just wouldn't be able to cope. Even the speed races are fun. It's great here!"


Extreme 40 racing on day 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia in Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

Provisional standings at the end of the second day saw the fleet which was tied yesterday with four boats at the top of the leaderboard, start to spread out with the European Champions and winners of the first round in Hong Kong, Oman Sail's Masirah lead Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team by two points, ahead of BT by another two points. CHINA TEAM sits in fourth place, just one point ahead of The Wave, Muscat with Rumbo Almeria in sixth.

More high-octane action continues tomorrow, Sunday 13th December from 2pm.

Standings after Day 2:

1. Oman Sail Masirah: 45
2. Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team: 43
3. BT: 41
4. CHINA TEAM: 39
5. The Wave, Muscat: 38
6. Rumbo Almeria: 26

Extreme Sailing Series Asia

JVT: Groupama 3 heads back out to sea

by Vincent Borde and Caroline Muller

It was this Saturday morning at 0600 UTC that the trimaran Groupama 3 cast off from the port of Cape Town, South Africa, bound for Brest some 6,000 miles (11,000 kms) away, where she will begin her second period of stand-by for the Jules Verne Trophy.

Skippered by Fred Le Peutrec and sailed by a total crew of 10, Groupama 3 has thus completed her South Africa stopover. In all it has taken no less than three weeks for the maxi trimaran to be operational once again after suffering damage in the Southern Atlantic, at a point where the crew were ahead of the reference time for the Jules Verne Trophy set by Orange in 2005.

Indeed once the float bulkhead was repaired and then reinforced by the Groupama team's shore crew, with the assistance of a handful of South African's from Team Shosholoza, it was the generator which was to give up the ghost. Forced to order a new unit from France and have it transported down to Cape Town by plane, the crew of Groupama 3 had no option but to wait patiently in Cape Town and attend the live draw for the World Cup football.

"All that is behind us today and all ten of us are delighted to be at sea again. We had to get free of the coast to find the wind, which has enabled us to retension the rig. We've done that and we're now sailing under two reef mainsail and staysail in a 25 to 28 knot SE'ly making the equivalent boat speed" explains Fred Le Peutrec, who in the absence of Franck Cammas, has taken on responsibility for Groupama 3.

Of the ten crew who were aboard for the Jules Verne Trophy attempt, three are onboard for this delivery trip with Ronan Le Goff and Jacques Caraës accompanying Fred: "At the moment Ludovic Aglaor is at the helm with Ronan and Clément Surtel alongside. He's just finding his way around Groupama 3 after a successful Jules Verne back in 2005 on Orange 2. We also have some new faces aboard including Mayeul Rifflet, who is replacing Lionel Lemonchois, as well as Nick Legatt and Thierry Duprey du Vorsent. The others are already familiar with Groupama 3 having been responsible for preparing her: Eric Lamy and François Salabert, who is in charge of the navigation" adds Fred.

"We're going to be sailing in fairly strong downwind conditions for 36 hours. After that, the wind should ease to around fifteen knots, enabling us to make the equator in nine days. As such we won't be back in time for the Christmas festivities, but no matter, we're here to get Groupama 3 safely back into port. Today the boat is more solid than ever. We'll just have to watch out for whales. On leaving Cape Town this morning we came across seven or eight, which was fantastic" concludes Fred Le Peutrec.

The organisation of Groupama 3's crew between Cape Town and Brest:
Watch No.1: Fred Le Peutrec - Eric Lamy - Nick Legatt
Watch No.2: Ronan Le Goff - Clément Surtel - Ludovic Aglaor,
Watch No.3: Jacques Caraës - Thierry Duprey du Vorsent - Mayeul Rifflet
Off-watch navigator: François Salabert

Cammas - Groupama

X40: Asafa Powell Taken to New Extremes In Singapore

Olympic Gold Medallist and 100m previous world record holder, Asafa Powell, right, racing onboard double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson onboard Rumbo Almeria in Singapore Saturday 12 December. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

Olympic 4x100m gold medallist and previous 100m world record holder Asafa Powell was taken to new Extremes when he stepped onboard double-Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson's catamaran racing in the Extreme Sailing Series Asia in Singapore today, Saturday 12 December

by Lou Newlands

The 27-year-old Jamaican sprinter was a guest on Rumbo Almeria, one of six teams taking part in the second leg of the Series in Marina Reservoir, under the world's largest observation wheel, the Singapore Flyer.

"When I saw the size of his arms, I knew we had to get him to work!" laughed Robertson.

Singing, "I believe I can fly" by R Kelly, Powell was put to work winching the 60 foot high mainsail on the Extreme 40.

"It was great to have such an athelete onboard - what a runner, awesome to meet him!" said Robertson. "We could see how fit he was from the moment he got onboard so we worked him hard!"


Olympic Gold Medallist and 100m previous world record holder, Asafa Powell, second right, racing with double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson onboard Rumbo Almeria in Singapore Saturday 12 December. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

"That was cool," said bowman Steve Mitchell. "We got him sweating, didn't let him stop from the moment he got onboard the boat. He was commando-rolling across the trampoline, from one side to the other. For one of the fastest men in the world it seemed like a bit of a laborious way to get across the boat! But he got the hang of it - he loved it, thought it was great."

The Singapore racing is the second of three showcase events in Asia, which started at the end of November with five days of racing in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. The Series will finish in Muscat, Oman 1-5 February.

Extreme Sailing Series Asia

Mascalzone in Abu Dhabi

Mascalzone Latino and the Louis Vuitton Trophy at the Boat Show in Abu Dhabi. Supplied image.

by Mascalzone Latino media (in translation)

This week representatives of the Mascalzone Latino team reached the richest city in the Middle East, Abu Dhabi, to take part in the second edition of the Emirates Boat Show International.


Mascalzone Latino at the Boat Show in Abu Dhabi. Supplied image.

Present with a large stand, as it was in the Boat Show in Genoa, and how it will be in other international nautical reviews, Mascalzone Latino represents the official stage of the Magdalena of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Proposed by Vincenzo Onorato, the Magdalena stage, with Mascalzone Latino as host team, will be raced in May 2010 on ACC version 5 boats, built for the 32nd America's Cup.


Abu Dhabi. Supplied image.

Abu Dhabi, pearl of the Persian Gulf and capital of the UAE is, thanks to its considerable resources, derived mainly from oil, enjoying a season of promotion of high level sport. In 2009 it accommodated the first Grand Prix of Formula One in Abu Dhabi, creating on one of its islands the most majestic track for the world dedicated to motorsport, and like all the Emirates is happy to accommodate nautical events, like the Boat Show.

Mascalzone Latino

X40: Spectacular Extreme Sailing Series Kicks Off in Singapore

BT, CHINA TEAM, Masirah and Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team are all tied at the top of the Singapore leaderboard with 23 points apiece in this inaugural series in Asia. The six Extreme 40s were racing within metres of the shoreline under the World's tallest observation wheel, the Singapore Flyer


BT racing in front of the Singapore Flyer on day 1 at Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

by Lou Newlands

Day 1 was dedicated as a Media and VIP day, a chance for the national and international media and key opinion formers from the city to come and experience Extreme 40 racing and see the potential of bringing a full scale series, with shoreside entertainment, to the city in 2010/11.


Extreme 40 fleet racing on Day 1 at Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

Extreme Sailing Series Asia


Local sailor, Tan Wearn Haw, helm of CHINA TEAM was pleased with his team's performance: "It was great to open the series with a win, it's starting to come together. I was surprised at the conditions - really good, nice sunshine, great wind, it couldn't have started better. So hopefully we'll get more race days like that over the next four days and it will be an awesome event.


China Team, Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team and BT on Day 1 of racing in Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

"We've had a busy day today with VIP guests and the media onboard, but they all have had a great day. It's such a unique, positive experience with everyone onboard, they had their jaws wide open when flying a hull and I think it makes for great pictures and a great experience for the 5th man guests. Flying a hull in front of The Flyer was great!"


Rumbo Almeria and Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team racing on Day 1 at Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

One of the VIPs sailing today was Nils Razmilovich, a derivatives trader who lives in Singapore; "This was my first experience of sailing Extreme 40s and I have to say it was absolutely fantastic. It was truly enjoyable, for sheer speed and excitement, it is unrivalled and I've been sailing for quite a number of years.


The Wave, Muscat & Oman Sail Masirah racing on Day 1 at Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

"I think it is a wonderful thing that the Extreme 40s have come here to Singapore. The city has a lot to offer and bringing the series here will hopefully bring more people in to sailing and show off the beautiful city of Singapore."


Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team on Day 1 at Singapore. Image copyright Daria Giuliani/Chili-Sports.com

Gilles Chiorri, the Extreme Sailing Series Race Manager pushed the teams hard today with four different courses over the six races, "Today we have experienced a new approach, trying to make a different course as often as possible to not only make sure we explore the potential of the race course, but also to bring some fresh experience for the sailors and making sure they are not using always the same tactics and strategy patterns because the wind can be very specific here."


Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team on Day 1 at Singapore. Image copyright Daria Giuliani/Chili-Sports.com

After four courses today including classic windward/leewards and a triangle course the final race of the day was a time trial over a 1.5km course. The teams had a six minute start window, and then had to complete the course as quickly as possible, with The Wave, Muscat taking the line honours. For Khamis Al Bourrai, an Omani national who sails onboard The Wave, Muscat, it was a good end to his 34th birthday today. Khamis, was sailing for the first time on The Wave, Muscat; his normal team being Masirah: "It was really good today and thrilling to win the time trial.


The Wave, Muscat racing close to shore on Day 1 of racing in Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

"Sailing with this team, it was my first time, learning from them and picking up things. It isn't that different, the tactics, the thinking and knowing what is going on. I can't wait to bring these boats and these teams to my home country of Oman, my country's waters. I'll be so pleased and so happy. At least the Omanis will then see these boats in Oman and they will see first hand what we have been doing all over Europe and in Asia."


Oman Sail Masirah racing in front of the Singapore Flyer on day 1 at Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

"It was a really hard day today," said joint leader Pete Cumming, the skipper of Oman Sail's Masirah. "The conditions were shiftier than we had expected, really tricky. We had some really different race courses today. Gilles, the Race Manager, said that he would have some fun with us and they are definitely throwing in some different courses, six races, four different race courses, and I think every inch of the Reservoir here in Singapore was reached. It has been good, interesting. It is definitely going to be one of those events when consistency counts, we had a race when we turned a second into a fifth so it will be hard and pretty unpredictable. We have five days to get used to it and as the fleet learns the location they will start learning all the ladders. We definitely found a few snakes today!"


Shirley Robertson, skipper of Rumbo Almeria, and crew, onboard on Day 1 of racing at Singapore. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co/OC Events.

Racing will continue Saturday 12 December from 2pm.

Extreme Sailing Series Asia

X40: Round 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia gets ‘In Gear’ in Singapore

Singapore at night, host of the 2nd Round of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia. Image copyright Gilles Chiorri/OC Events.

The Formula 1 pit Lane in Singapore is in action again, but this time not to the drone of engines... A new type of sport is in town for five days - the Extreme Sailing Series Asia

by Lou Newlands

Marina Reservoir will play host to the second round of the inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia starting this Friday 11th December. Six state of the art 40-foot catamarans, each crewed by a team of four top professional sailors, and racing at up to 40 miles per hour, will be battling it out for supremacy on the tight races courses just metres off the shoreline by the Singapore Flyer. Twenty-four sailors from 8 nations and between them, three double Olympic Gold medallists, 24 World Championship titles, nine America's Cup events, 8 Round the World navigations and 114 National Championship titles!

Mark Turner, CEO of OC Group, the parent company to organisers OC Events, commented, "In the first event in Hong Kong of this 'demo' series, we really met our objectives and took over 60 potential sponsors, key opinion formers and the media out on the water to watch the sailing and race onboard in the fifth man spots. There aren't many other sports where corporate guests can actually take part in the scoring action - it's a unique experience.

"We are keen to return in 2010/2011 with a full scale series with public entertainment package, similar to Europe with shoreside activities, entertainment, concerts and a bespoke VIP set-up, and will be looking to come with the support of, and to work closely with, the host venues."

David Voth, Senior Director, Sports Marketing Group, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) said: "The SSC is excited about showcasing such a key sailing race for the first time in the Marina Bay area. We hope that this will set the stage for future watersports events to be potentially held in the area, which will bring exciting life, colour and activities into Singapore's exciting annual events calendar."

Local Singaporean sailor Tan Wearn Haw, helming CHINA TEAM is hoping his knowledge of the sometimes fickle Singapore winds will put the team to good stead. CHINA TEAM finished third in the first round of the Asian series in Hong Kong, surprising both themselves and their competitors. Helmsman Tan Wearn Haw, who challenged for the last America's Cup for China started his sailing career in Singapore. "The next five days of racing will bring a real mixed bag of conditions and really close racing. The winds will be tricky and testing, but definitely hoping for great winds, even if it is from rain squalls so the Extreme 40s can show off some exhilarating racing and capture the imagination of Singapore!"

CHINA TEAM has a specific goal to build on its 2007 America's Cup experience, as Tan explains: "We have a long-term vision of not just excelling in the World's biggest sailing events like the Extreme Sailing Series, but using our experience along the way to establish a pipeline programme to develop the next generation of world class professional sailors in Asia. The upcoming years will be really important as we look to put our plans in action and chalk up some impressive results. The podium finish in Hong Kong was a fantastic start, but we really want to consolidate that here in Singapore."

CHINA TEAM will be on the start line under the Singapore Flyer in Marina Reservoir on Friday up against some of the World's very best sailors. Another newcomer to the circuit is Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team, skippered by double Olympic Gold Medallist Roman Hagara and his Olympic crew, Hans-Peter Steinacher as tactician. The team experienced equipment failure in Hong Kong and are hunting down a podium position in Singapore. Asked what it is about the circuit that attracts top international sailors like themselves, Hagara commented, "The excitement of the boat. I think it's one of the fastest boats that can race around the track. No other class that has done this before so that's what we are looking for. We have 25 years in Olympic Sailing; this is the way to go for the future of the sport."

Two teams are entered from the Sultanate of Oman, Masirah and The Wave, Muscat. Masirah were crowned Champions of the European Series, in the final race of the final day, after 118 races across Europe, as well as winning the first Asian Series event in Hong Kong. Skipper Pete Cumming was building his Extreme 40 today in the pit lane of the Singapore F1 track.

"The racetrack here is like every race area in Europe you took us to: small! We have been really surprised by the amount of wind as we were expecting to come here with it being hot, little wind and very humid, but it's been great. The race area isn't as surrounded by buildings as we thought so it looks like one of the more open venues we've had. Certainly a lot more open than Hong Kong so I think if the wind stays up, there should be some fast, exciting racing."

Racing onboard both the Sultanate of Oman boats are two Omani nationals, drawn from the Oman Sail project. British Double World Champion, Paul Campbell-James will be joined by Khamis Al Bourrai onboard The Wave, Muscat: "Hong Kong was my first event as a professional sailor sailing with a professional team and this is only my second event. I hope to achieve and get more improvement on my sailing skills and my professional skills. This time I will be sailing on The Wave, Muscat so I'll be sailing with different sailors so, hopefully, I will learn new skills from them and build my sailing career." His Oman Sail colleague Nasser Almasari will race with Pete Cumming onboard Masirah.

Double Olympic Gold Medallist Shirley Robertson will skipper Rumbo Almería with a strong European team including Nick Hutton, one of the most experienced Extreme sailors on the circuit. Australian Nick Moloney, who came second in Hong Kong, will skipper BT.

Six to eight races are planned from Friday 11-Tuesday 15 December. Although this year it is not planned as a public event, for Extreme sailing fans, the best place to watch will be from the F1 Pit Lane at the foot of the Singapore Flyer.

Extreme Sailing Series Asia

World Yacht Racing Forum: from Paul Cayard

Russell Coutts (left) and Brad Butterworth (right) shake hands at the World Yacht Racing Forum in Monaco. Image copyright OnEdition.

by Paul Cayard

Monte Carlo - Just leaving Monaco this morning following two days here for the World Yacht Racing Forum.

Now in its second year, the Forum is really growing into quite an event. There were two parts this year: a commercial, sports side and in another hall, running contemporaneously, a technical forum with subects ranging from composite rigging to standards for construction of racing yachts.

It is kind of a collection of who's who in yacht racing from the designers like Juan K and Vincent Prevost to the sailors like Brad Butterworth, Russell Coutts and Michele Desjoyeaux. I participated with Russell and Brad in the forum on the America's Cup. The tone was very friendly and there was a demontrative expression from both of the teams to get out on the water and have their race ASAP. Each team showed a very high energy video/slideshow of their extremely impressive sailing machines. The fact is that after all the frustration and ugliness of the past two years, the race between the two giant multihulls will be a special moment in our sports history and something to see.

In the midst of the Forum, a light bulb went off in my head; we may have missed a great opportunity in the past two years. Rather than just sitting around and waiting in frustration, we, the Challengers, should have taken the initiative to put forward a Protocol to resolve a lot of the problems plaguing the current match. We have a unique opportunity right now; neither Alinghi and BMW Oracle knows who will be holding the cards for the 34th America's Cup. So this is a time where each may be more willing to agree to a "fair and independant" event managment structure. Either could find themselves on the Challenger side for 34th America's Cup and that party would certainly want a modern and objective event organization.

So after I mentioned this idea, many people came to me and said, "Hey, that's a great idea. Its not too late. Get to work!"

I am in Geneva today visiting Torbjorn Tornqvist, the Artemis chief, and then my friends at Rolex this afternoon. San Fran tomorrow. Anyone need some frequent flyer miles?

Cayard Sailing
World Yacht Racing Forum