The 2016 Extreme Sailing Series was officially launched at the Dubai International Marine Club last 10 February with a full line-up of eight world-class teams, from eight nations confirmed.
As the event heads into its tenth year, a selection of the world’s top sailors have been trained and hosted at Dubai International Marine Club. Expectations are high as the teams prepare to set sail on a new fleet of GC32 catamarans and a new generation of foiling boats which are partly manufactured in the UAE.
Following on from the launch in Dubai, the series will touch down in an additional seven iconic urban city centres, including the Portuguese capital Lisbon which will makes its debut as a new stadium sailing racecourse. In previous years host cities have attracted more than one million spectators and have proved popular with residents and visitors alike.
Andy Tourell, Event Director for the Extreme Sailing Series commented on the landmark year: “2016 marks the tenth year of this elite competition a milestone year for us in more ways than one, not least the change of racing platform to the GC32 which brings with it a whole new dimension to the racing and public experience.The Dubai International Marine Club is the perfect venue to commence the season and we are grateful for their support and for helping make the event a success.”
The competition on the water promises to be fierce and action-packed with America’s Cup legends, Olympic heroes and world champions preparing to do battle at close quarters. Among the crews will be veterans of 13 Olympic campaigns and 22 America’s Cup campaigns. Between them they also hold 27 World Championship titles, 27 European Championships and 106 National Title Holders.
On the grid for the new season are 2015 runners-up SAP Extreme Sailing Team co-skippered for a fifth year by Jes Gram-Hansen and Rasmus Køstner from Denmark, who have boosted their on-board talent with Italian Pierluigi De Felice, a multiple World Champion and three-times America’s Cup sailor.
SAP’s 2015 sparring partners, Red Bull Sailing Team, skippered by Austrian double Olympic gold medallist Roman Hagara with Hans-Peter Steinacher calling the tactics will also return to the starting blocks.
2014 Extreme Sailing Series champions from Switzerland and two-time winners of the America’s Cup Alinghi will return to the circuit armed with foiling expertise after coming second in the 2015 GC32 Great Cup. Team principal Ernesto Bertarelli will be sharing helming duties throughout the season with Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI).
“Using the GC32 this season will be a great change to the circuit,” commented Psarofaghis. “It’ll be even more interesting on the small racecourses, with the boats coming in at more than 25 knots. We really like the Series and, with the switch to the GC32, it’s a really good opportunity for us. We know the boats well after a year racing on the GC32 circuit, but the other teams will catch up quickly.”
Alinghi’s former helmsman Morgan Larson will head up the Omani entry, Oman Air, alongside three of the five winning crew from the 2015 season. The Land Rover BAR Academy squad, announced last week, will be led for the first two Acts by the 2015-winning skipper and most successful sailor in Series history, Leigh McMillan, who will mentor the Academy sailors alongside Bleddyn Môn and Ben Ainslie.
Edhem Dirvana, skipper of Team Turx, returns for his second year on the circuit, and for the first time, a Portuguese team led by three-time Olympian and 2015 Team Turx crew Diogo Cayolla, will make its debut.
The Global Stage
The fleet will once again do battle on a global stage, taking in three continents over the next 10 months, bringing foiling to urban city stadiums for the first time. After the season-opener in Muscat – where the eighth team will be revealed, the fleet will travel to China’s Olympic Sailing City, Qingdao in May, a venue that has become a firm favourite on the Series calendar over the years.
Returning to Europe in June, the Series touches down on UK shores in Cardiff for Act 3 for the fifth consecutive year, an event that attracted record numbers of spectators in 2013, with over 120,000 people taking front row seats around Cardiff Bay.
The German metropolis of Hamburg will host Act 4 in July following its impressive debut in 2015, before the Series heads to the spectacular skyline of St Petersburg, Russia for Act 5 at the start of September, and onto Istanbul, Turkey for Act 6 just three weeks later.
New to the calendar for 2016 Lisbon, Portugal will make its debut as the penultimate Act of the year, before the Series comes to a crescendo at the final Act in Australia in December.
2016 Extreme Sailing Series™ Calendar of Acts
16-19 March, Muscat, Oman
29 April – 2 May, Qingdao, China
23-26 June, Cardiff, United Kingdom
28-31 July, Hamburg, Germany
1-4 September, Saint Petersburg, Russia
22-25 September, Istanbul, Turkey
6-9 October Portugal, Lisbon
8-11 December, Australia
2016 Extreme Sailing Series™ Teams and Skippers
Alinghi (SUI) – Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI)/Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI)
Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) – Bleddyn Môn (GBR)
Oman Air (OMA) – Morgan Larson (USA)
Portuguese Team (name TBC) – Diogo Cayolla (POR)
Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) – Roman Hagara (AUT)
SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) – Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN)/RasmusKostner (DEN)
Team Turx (TUR) – Edhem Dirvana (TUR)
Photos By: Keith Perena and Lloyd Images
