7:04 AM Thu 19 Nov 2009 GMT
Twenty-four of the World's top professional sailors will converge on Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong this week for the first round of the new Extreme Sailing Series Asia.
The sailors have a myriad of sailing accolades amongst them including three double Olympic Gold Medals, 25 World and 31 European Championship titles, eight Round the World navigations, 19 Olympic Games attended, and from eight different nations.
The award winning European series has been running for three years and has revolutionised the way sailing is seen. This inaugural Asian series will focus on sharing this exciting new facet of sailing with local stakeholders, VIPs and the media - with the aim of returning in the future with a fully public orientated event.
The first round of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia will run from 20-24 November, based out of the prestigious Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club right at the heart of this iconic city.
Five days of racing will see the Extreme 40s, a dynamic 40-foot catamaran that can reach speeds of up to 73km per hour, 'fly' a hull in just eight knots of wind. The sailors compete in a series of short, sharp races over the five days, as well as the famous Around the Island Race on Sunday 22 November.
The event will also host a youth sailing day when youngsters will be given the chance of a lifetime to sail onboard the catamarans, alongside the top professional crews.
The China Team entry will be helmed by Wearn Haw Tan from Singapore, joined by Mark Stopforth, a former Olympian from South Africa now based in Hong Kong, Wang Jue from China and skippered by Thierry Barot, a Hong Kong based Frenchman with immense expertise and experience from America's Cup, Round the World Races and other world class big boat campaigns. These sailors all raced together in the 2007 China America's Cup team but new to Extreme 40 racing so will be joined by experienced Extreme 40 sailors and British Olympian Hugh Styles and Adam Piggott.
Thierry Barot, Skipper of China Team commented, 'Since the last America's Cup in Valencia, Wearn Haw and myself have been sailing together to find new Asian talent with the objective of creating a new group, a 'new generation' of Chinese/Asian sailors that are able to race in all the most valuable and high performance races in the world of yachting, like the Volvo Ocean Race, the America's Cup, match racing, TP52s and of course the Extreme 40s. Our participation in the Extreme Sailing Series Asia will be the launch of this team. Although we have not had a lot of time to get the team together we see it as part of the plan to give young Asian sailors the opportunity to get experience in one of the top class events in the international sailing calendar.'
Entry List:
BT - Nick Moloney (AUS)
China Team - Thierry Barot (FRA)
Oman Sail Masirah - Pete Cumming (GBR)
Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team - Roman Hagara (AUT)
Rumbo Almeria - Shirley Robertson (GBR)
The Wave, Muscat - Paul Campbell-James (GBR)
Extreme Sailing Series Asia
The inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia was launched in October 2009 by OC Events, organisers of the award-winning Extreme Sailing Series Europe, previously known as the iShares Cup, that saw over 200,000 spectators watch this dynamic series. The 2009/10 Series will visit Hong Kong (20-24 November), Singapore (11-15 December) and Muscat, Oman (1-5 February 2010)
The Boats
Designed by Tornado Sport in 2005, these 40-ft catamarans have taken the sailing world by storm. The boats are extremely light, weighing the same as a Mini Cooper, but hugely overpowered with a sail area the size of a tennis court, meaning they can race at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour and 'fly' a hull in just eight knots of wind. Crewed by a team of four (a helmsman, tactician, bowman and trimmer), these unique boats race with a 'fifth man' - a guest who can sit in the heart of the action, likened to 'racing shotgun with Jenson Button' according to double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson
www.extremesailingseriesasia.com/
by brandRapport Ltd
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
|
Sydney, NSW
Kitesurfing - Twintips
Foiling - Wind Wings
