Alinghi sneaks ahead on light winds opener in Cardiff

by Extreme Sailing Series on 26 Aug 2017 Consistency paid off for Alinghi on the opening day of Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 6, Cardiff, as light winds prevented a full day of scoring racing. SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Oman Air took a bullet each but paired it with a finish off the podium, allowing the Swiss crew to edge ahead.

Despite the forecast earlier this week showing plenty of breeze, the wind did not materialise and only two races were completed. Alinghi demonstrated its prowess in these conditions as it bagged a brace of seconds, ending the day in the lead by one point.

“It was a really good day for us,” said co-skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis. “We had a really tricky first race, we struggled to start well but then we had a nice first downwind and came back to take second.

“There is still a lot of work to do before the end of the Act. We will just take it easy every race and see how it goes. The boat sailed really well and the guys did a fantastic job, it was really calm and a nice day to sail,” added Psarofaghis.

SAP Extreme Sailing Team follows the Swiss in second, with current season leader Oman Air making up the podium in third.

“We expected these conditions today and we were quite pleasantly surprised that we managed to get two races in,” said Oman Air skipper Phil Robertson. “We’re happy, we won the last race, it’s always nice to finish on a high.”

NZ Extreme Sailing Team missed out on the podium by two points, with Kiwi America’s Cup sailor Josh Junior having made his debut as helm.

Local wildcard entry Team Extreme Wales, who sits a further two points back, took third in the second race of the day to the delight of the home crowds.

“It’s always quite nice to beat the Kiwis, and there’s not a lot of sports that you can beat them in at the moment, so we’ll take that,” joked skipper Stevie Morrison, a two-time British Olympian.

“It was very light winds and tricky, but the guys are really quick learners. Everyone is having a good time and is open-minded to learn,” he added.

Land Rover BAR Academy lies tied on points with its fellow British squad, while Red Bull Sailing Team sits bottom of the table.

The season finale of the Flying Phantom Series kicked off the morning’s racing on Cardiff Bay. ZEPHYR by Ireva, sailed by Charles Hainneville and Antoine Rucard, took the early lead of the Act.

“I feel pretty good,” said helm Hainneville. “Winning two of the three races was a very good way for us to start the final Act of the 2017 Flying Phantom Series but there are still three days of racing to go so we will see what happens.”

Culture Foil, sailed by Eric Peron and Théo Constance, finish the day in second with Solidaires en Peloton, sailed by Thibaut Vauchel-Camus and David Fanouillere, in third. Current season leader Red Bull Sailing Team had a slower start to the regatta, managing only one podium finish, and sit sixth overall.

Racing resumes for the Flying Phantoms tomorrow at 10:00 UTC+1 with the GC32s scheduled to start at 14:00 UTC+1.

The free-to-enter Fan Zone will be open to public from 11:00, with plenty of on shore entertainment for the whole family. Get more information on the official event page.



Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 6, Cardiff, standings after Day 1, 2 races (25.08.17)

Position / Team / Points

1st Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 22 points.
2nd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Rasmus Køstner, Adam Minoprio, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi de Felice, Richard Mason 21 points.
3rd Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 20 points.
4th NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) Graeme Sutherland, Josh Junior, Harry Hull, Shane Diviney, Josh Salthouse 18 points.
5th Team Extreme Wales (GBR) Stevie Morrison, Alain Sign, Martin Evans, Michael Beckett, James French 16 points.
6th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Rob Bunce, Owen Bowerman, Oli Greber, Adam Kay, Mark Spearman 16 points.
7th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Will Tiller 13 points.

Flying Phantom Series Cardiff standings after Day 1, 3 races (25.08.17)

Position / Team / Points

1st ZEPHYR by Idreva (FRA): Charles Hainneville (FRA)/Antoine Rucard (FRA) 58 points.
2nd Culture Foil (FRA): Eric Peron (FRA)/Théo Constance (FRA) 54 points.
3rd Solidaires en Peloton (FRA): Thibaut Vauchel-Camus (FRA)/David Fanouillere (FRA) 53 points.
4th Oman Sail (OMA): Thomas Normand (FRA)/Antoine Joubert (FRA)/Ahmed Al Hasani (OMA) 48 points.
5th UON (POR): Helder Basilio (POR)/João Sousa (POR) 48 points.
6th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT): Thomas Zajac (AUT)/Will Ryan (AUS) 46 points.
7th Flying Frogs (FRA): Pierre Le Clainche (FRA)/Arnaud Vasseur (FRA) 40 points.
8th Masterlan (CZE): David Krizek (CZE)/Milan Harmacek (CZE) 37 points.
9th Lupe Tortilla (USA): John Tomko (USA)/Jonathan Atwood (USA) 37 points.
10th Team Razzle Dazzle (SUI): Florian Trüb (SUI)/Ian Andrewes (USA/NZL) 37 points.
11th EVO Visian ICL (GER): Raphael Neuhann (GER)/Elias Neuhann (GER) 34 points.
12th Red Bill II (FRA): Dominique Pichon (FRA)/David Mirabel (FRA) 26 points.
13th Back to Basics (FRA): Bruno Marais (FRA)/Eric Le Bouedec (FRA) 26 points.