Extreme Sailing Series – First year on foils huge success

by Extreme Sailing Series on 19 Dec 2016 The Extreme Sailing Series™ first year ‘flying’ with foiling GC32 catamarans has been a “huge success”, so says event director Andy Tourell.

Prior to the start of 2016, the global Stadium Racing tour took the game-changing decision to upgrade its Extreme 40 catamarans, used since the Series’ inception ten years ago, to state-of-the-art GC32s that rocket through the water on hydro-foils.

With the move the Extreme Sailing Series ramped up the excitement of its trademark Stadium Racing a notch further, the already-quick 30 knots of the Extreme 40s superseded by blistering 39-knot top speeds from the GC32s.

And after eight high-intensity Acts around the world this season there’s little doubt that the bold decision has cemented the Extreme Sailing Series’ reputation as the world’s premier short-course racing event.

The new supercharged racing has been a massive hit not only with the sailors but also with spectators, corporate clients and fans the world over.

“Coming into 2016 we’d had 18 months of hard work to get us ready for the season, especially with the transition from the Extreme 40s to the new GC32s,” Tourell said.

“Ultimately with any change there’s an element of risk, and when the boats turned up in Dubai for the pre-season test event there was a huge buzz from all the sailors, the event staff and the wider world to see how we were going to incorporate these foiling boats. It wasn’t just about the technology, it was about us integrating that into racing without comprising our core concept. To be able to integrate foiling technology but keep the proximity of racing to the public was absolutely key for us.”

As the sailing world watched with baited breath, the new fleet of GC32s hit the water in Muscat, Oman, for the 2016 curtain-raiser.

Under blue skies and in beautiful conditions of up to 18 knots, and with Muscat’s old town providing a stunning backdrop, the Extreme Sailing Series fleet quite literally took off, marking a new era in top-level racing.

It’s a moment that has stayed with Tourell throughout the season.

“One of my Series highs is definitely day one in Muscat – 18 months of hard graft, evaluating options, making decisions about how we were going to integrate the foiling, building confidence in the new boats…

“When the full fleet took to the water all of that 18 months of work came to fruition. It was massive for me.”

That first Act set the bar higher than ever before, showcasing just what the new GC32s were capable of bringing to the Extreme Sailing Series.

It paved the way for a thrilling season on foils that saw the fleet go head to head on a range of classic Stadium racecourses from Cardiff Bay to St Petersburg’s River Neva.

Just to confirm the future of the GC32s, the season culminated in four days of sensational foiling action on the iconic waters of Sydney Harbour.

“Foiling has really added a new dimension to the sport,” Tourell added. “Everything about the Extreme Sailing Series is about engagement with the public, clients and the world’s media.”

Reflecting on the sporting element, Touell continued: “At the start of the year there was quite a big difference between those teams that raced in the Extreme Sailing Series before and those that hadn’t. But by the last Act here in Sydney those differences have disappeared and those new teams are posting some great results. The sporting side has been a huge success and so has the commercial side.”

On the water, the battle at the top of the leaderboard was intense from the word ‘go’ with Alinghi and Oman Air trading honours at Acts throughout the season. It wasn’t until the penultimate race of the year, that the Swiss managed to secure the 2016 title.

Tourell concluded: “Honestly I don’t think we could have had a better year. It’s been absolutely sensational.”