Extreme Sailing Series Act 5 - Pierre Pennec to join Realteam in Porto

by Bernard Schopfer on 24 Jul 2013 When Act 5 of the Extreme Sailing Series commences in Portugal, 25-28 July, French helmsman, Pierre Pennec, who has finished on the Extreme Sailing Series Championship podium three times from 2009-2011, will be onboard Swiss entry Realteam.

Realteam skipper Jérôme Clerc and the crew are looking forward to the opportunity to train with and learn from one of the most experienced Extreme 40 sailors on the circuit.

Act 5 in Porto is shaping up to be a battle among the Swiss with three entries from the landlocked country: Jérôme Clerc’s Realteam will be jockeying for position against Team Tilt and Alinghi.

'We know these two teams well and are looking forward to racing against them in Porto,' said Jérôme Clerc. 'Our aim for this event is to move up in the overall ranking and to beat a maximum of boats on the race course, no matter their nationality.'

Pierre Pennec is looking forward to taking up the challenge alongside the Realteam crew: 'I have often come across the team onboard the Decision 35 and they seem very well structured, I am impressed with their level of performance and focus. I thought that with my Extreme 40 experience, I might be able to bring something to the team and things have progressed naturally from there. Jerome got in touch a while ago about coaching and sailing and I am delighted to be joining the team for Act 5 which is shaping up to be a tough competition!' said Pennec.

Realteam finished 8th at Act 1 in Muscat, Oman, in March, posted a 4th in Singapore and a 7th in Qingdao, China. The young professional sailors are increasing their performance and results with each Act.

'We started the series with a lot of humility, very aware that we were racing against some of the best sailing teams in the world,' said Jerome Clerc. 'But as the season has progressed we have gained confidence in our ability and in the belief that we are competitive against the other teams. We need to work hard on being consistent at the upcoming events.'

Extreme Sailing Series Act 5 will be the fourth race of the season as the event in Istanbul was postponed. Porto race course will present plenty of challenges with more wind than has been seen at previous venues this year, something that the teams are looking forward to and which might prompt a ranking Extreme Sailing Series