Extreme Sailing Series - Istanbul delivers four days of great racing

by Land Rover Sailing on 15 Sep 2014 The stunning city of Istanbul has delivered in spades for Act 6 of the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series™ with four days of spectacular action in the Land Rover backed Stadium Racing circuit. Near perfect conditions saw the 12 international teams compete in 31 action-packed races, as the stars of the international sailing world came together in the city where ‘east meets west’ for the sixth Act on the global Series calendar.

The spectacular Stadium Racing was boosted on Saturday morning by the unique sight of one of the world’s busiest shipping channels, the Bosphorus Strait, being closed to all but the fleet of Extreme 40 catamarans as the elite sailing teams competed in a passage race right through the heart of Istanbul. The Blue Mosque and the ancient Ottoman architecture were a stunning backdrop to the dynamic Extreme 40s, with the Land Rover Extreme 40 joining the fleet for the return run back to the Race Village.

Groupama sailing team skipper in Istanbul, Tanguy Cariou (FRA) summed up the atmosphere, 'It has been great sailing here in Istanbul. Great conditions, good winds, very physical sailing, very intense racing, but it has been perfect.'

Emirates Team New Zealand took the overall Act trophy winning by just six points ahead of two-times winners of the circuit, The Wave, Muscat, with the Swiss team Alinghi in third.

As part of its long-term commitment to the sport of sailing, earlier this year in Qingdao, China, Land Rover launched the Above and Beyond Award, recognising the finest examples of skill, sportsmanship and strength of mind from an individual, team or group at each of the Extreme Sailing Series™ Acts in the true spirit of Land Rover’s Above and Beyond ethos.

Decided by a Committee chaired by Land Rover Global Brand Ambassador, Hannah White, America’s Cup sailor Dave Carr, the Extreme Sailing Series’ Phil Lawrence, Race Director, and Andy Tourell, Event Director, there was one clear winner in Istanbul.

Hannah White explained who the Committee had chosen, 'Racing at this level, at one of the very best Sailing Series in the world, things don’t always go to plan and determination has been a critical attribute across the 31 races we’ve seen here in Istanbul this weekend. One team has been plagued with misfortune, not only here, but throughout the Series so far, and they have always come back fighting with absolute professionalism, determination and a will to succeed.

'With their regular skipper handing over the helm of his Extreme 40 to a newcomer to the Extreme Sailing Series, one might have thought that this team would have taken time to find their pace on these Stadium racecourses. With a dismasting on day one, subsequently missing four races and languishing in last place, this team still managed to bounce back to finish sixth overall.

'For their persistence, commitment, and tactical performance on the water, it was a unanimous decision to present the Land Rover Above and Beyond Award to Groupama sailing team.'

Tanguy Cariou, Skipper of Groupama sailing team commented, 'We are really proud to have won this Award. This year we have had no luck with a lot of collisions and here [in Istanbul], we started the Act well, with a new helmsman, Francois Morvan and we had a good dynamic but in race four on day one we broke the mast. We worked through the night to be ready the day after that, it was difficult the second day, it was difficult in terms of points, but the way we sailed the boat was quite OK and yesterday we had a good day and today some downs and ups, but we finished on an up.

'You learn so much from your mistakes, but sometimes, when it is not our fault, like the collision, or the mast breaking, it’s tough. We love sailing, we love the Extreme Sailing Series and we have to come back and do our best so we can close the gap with the top teams, that’s the most important thing.'

Following Acts which started in Singapore in February, and passing through China, Russia, The Sultanate of Oman, United Kingdom and Istanbul, the Extreme Sailing Series™ heads back West to the French riviera and Nice, Host Venue to the penultimate Act in two weeks time before the overall Series winner will be decided in Sydney, Australia from 12-15 December 2014.