Extreme Sailing Series - J.P. Morgan BAR ready for Act 7 fight

by Sarah Alexander on 2 Oct 2014 It has been just over two weeks since Act 6 of the Extreme Sailing Series – Istanbul, ended in frustration, but J.P. Morgan BAR are primed to come back fighting, taking on the next race track on the global circuit – Act 7, Nice – the penultimate event of the year.

Nice has forged a strong identity and been a firm favourite with the fleet since it was introduced in 2011. Just as with most of the other Extreme Sailing Series venues, the tight, compact course punishes even the smallest of mistakes. Add in the light conditions forecast, and the racing looks set to be as arduous as ever, demanding outstanding patience, skill and pin-point accuracy to manouvre the boats in the soft breeze.

The tension across the 11 strong Extreme 40 fleet built in Istanbul, all the teams pushed hard, and with the British entry in fifth place overall, a solid result is important for the team. Trimmer, Nick Hutton commented, 'Istanbul was the ultimate physical challenge and naturally we were disappointed with how the event finished for us.

'But, we have been addressing what worked and what didn’t so we can move things forward, ready to come back fighting in Nice. It’s the second to last event in the Series, there’s not much time left to get the points in the bag and we want to deliver – it’s a great venue and we are looking forward to some solid racing.'

Paul Campbell-James – like Hutton, a previous Extreme Sailing Series Champion – returns to the line-up as team tactician, and continued; 'Nice is notoriously quite light in the mornings, which always makes for tricky racing. When it’s light there’s not a huge change tactically, Ben makes the calls and I try and keep the boat moving fast, but you have a bit more time to look around and make better judgments.

'My last event with the team was a month ago in Cardiff, we finished the last race of the event just missing out on the lead, so we know we can do it and we’ve got a good platform to work from. The aim is to finish the series within the top half of the fleet.'

Racing starts in the capital of the Cote d’Azur, where the fleet will race on the Baie des Anges, on Thursday second up until Sunday October 5th. Nice is the final European stop of the global circuit before the 2014 series concludes in the Southern Hemisphere in December.

The racing in France will be streamed live, with commentary, on JP Morgan BAR blog from Friday to Sunday. The action will also be broadcast live on Canal + sport.