ECOVER. Image copyright Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images/ECOVER Sailing Team.
by Lucy Harwood
Almeria marks the final event of the Extreme Sailing Series 2010. It has been an exciting series for the Ecover Sailing Team, who after a challenging circuit in 2009, are now in a very different position overall heading into the final event in 2010.
Three podium finishes at four events see Ecover placed third overall, and with just four points separating the top four boats, the battle for the overall title will go down to the wire. The teams have competed in over 100 races so far and can expect up to 30 more during the four day event in Spain this weekend. Racing is due to start on Saturday 9th and concludes on Tuesday 12th, the teams will all race today (Friday 9th) as part of a media day, which will be non-points scoring.
There are also two more additions to the line up in Spain, as Extreme 40 class co-creator Mitch Booth returns with Rumbo Almeria, and Emirates Team New Zealand make their inaugural appearance on the circuit.
After a challenging first year on the circuit in 2009, this year has seen a marked improvement for Ecover, “We set ourselves some clear goals for 2010,” commented skipper Mike Golding. “We wanted to achieve at least three podium finishes and we wanted to sail consistently, because that is something we lacked in 2009. We had some good results on the water, but the consistency across every event seem to escape us and it is clear that is key to getting results in this class. You can have an amazing day, but if you can’t keep that level up during a four, or a seven day event as we experienced in Cowes, then you won’t see results on the leaderboard. We have a great team setup, we are working well and we are showing that we have the ability to do well in all conditions, and bounce back when we need to. We have a real shot at a podium finish in Almeria and we are going into this event with the clear intention of holding onto that.”
The racing will take place both inside and outside Puerto del Almeria, the first race of each day is planned outside the harbour, the fleet will then, in true Extreme 40 style, be brought close into the shore. Racing will take place each day at approximately 1430 local time (GMT +1) with 6 – 8 races planned. A spot on the overall series podium is tantalizingly close for Ecover, “Our plan for Almeria, to win! A win at an event has eluded us so far in this competition and we have one more opportunity to try and achieve this. We have a strong team and we really need to stay focused on the job ahead of us. It would be easy to try and cover places and get involved in some tactics on the water, but we need to try and just sail our own regatta and deliver the results we know we are capable of,” Ecover helm Leigh McMillan.
ECOVER Sailing Team with their champagne from Trapani. Left to right: Mike Golding, Will Howden, Leigh McMillan and Jonathan Taylor ('Boysie'). Image copyright Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images/ECOVER Sailing Team.
Current forecasts for Almeria look like racing will get underway in a light 4 – 7 knots today (08/10/10), but the breeze is set to build on Saturday and over the remainder of the event. The fleet will once again face the possibility of gusty conditions in excess of 25 knots, as well as potential thunderstorms. Conditions could be similar to the previous event in Trapani, so Almeria holds the potential for yet more crash and burn sailing. “The competition has certainly been at a higher level compared to the last two years. Although I think we may have all actually experienced more collisions over the last few events, but they are were only minor compared to the ones we witnessed last year! The whole fleet came very close to some major capsizes in Trapani, but I would say the Groupama crash in Cowes was the most serious damage within the fleet to date. With the overall points at stake in Almeria, I know we (Ecover) and the other top teams will be looking for a drama free final event,“ Ecover Tactician and Trimmer Will Howden.
Current overall standings after 4 events
1 The Wave Muscat - 28
2 Groupe Edmond De Rothschild - 27
3 Ecover Sailing Team - 25
4 Oman Sail Masirah - 24
5 Red Bull Extreme Sailing - 13
6 Groupama 40 - 12
7 The Ocean Racing Club - 8
8 Team GAC Pindar - 3
ECOVER Sailing TeamExtreme Sailing Series Europe
