Josse, MacArthur join Extreme 40 fleet Marseille

by Myrrh Walker on 5 Jul 2007 Extreme 40s to fight for French honours at the iShares Cup, Marseille
In round two of the iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series, the action will heat up on the Mediterranean, as the Extreme 40 fleet heads to the French port of Marseille.

Based out of the Vieux Port and racing off Le Roucas Blanc beach, close enough for spectators to get a close up view of all the action, the iShares Cup, Marseille will see top international sailors Sébastien Josse and Ellen MacArthur join the six-boat foray. From 7-9 July the battle will continue for the overall iShares Cup trophy as some of the world's best round the world, America's Cup and Olympic discipline sailors attempt to steal valuable points from current series leader, Basilica.

Sailing hero Sébastien Josse, 32, will compete on board BT (formerly Offshore Challenges Sailing Team). 'I have seen these boats race and they are incredible. I hope we have some breeze to give the spectators some spectacular racing!' Josse is used to high speed sailing having broken the crewed, non-stop round the world Jules Verne record in 2002 onboard the maxicat Orange. Josse once again entered the record books in 2006 when his crew claimed the monohull 24-hour distance record as the skipper of Volvo Ocean Race entry ABN AMRO II, clocking up 562.96 nautical miles.

World record holder Ellen MacArthur, whose company OC Events organises the series, will also attend the iShares Cup, Marseille, on board BT for the morning exhibition sailing. Like Josse, MacArthur is no stranger to speed having set a new solo, non-stop round the world record of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds. 'These boats are just awesome, challenging to race, intense but fun too. I'm really looking forward to the Marseille event.'

Jennifer Grancio, Head of Distribution, Europe iShares, title partner to the series, commented, 'In the run up to the series we have been really excited but it isn't until you actually see the boats racing on the water that you really appreciate how innovative and competitive the iShares Cup actually is. France is a key market for iShares and it is fitting that we are able to bring the series to Marseille. Sailing continually pushes the boundaries of technology and innovation and we are delighted to be supporting a sport whose characteristics mirror our approach to investing.'

Marseille brings new challenges to the Extreme 40 fleet. With the possibility of building sea breezes and an ocean swell, handling these racing thoroughbreds will be all the more challenging for the crews. Racing an Extreme 40 is a balancing act - flying one hull for optimum speed is the objective - but one false move can result in a potential race-ending capsize or nosedive.

The current leader of the iShares Cup is British team Basilica, which lead Volvo Ocean Race by a single point. Basilica will once again field their first round winning team of Robert Greenhalgh, Peter Greenhalgh, James Grant and Justin Slattery for the Marseille round. Reckoned by many to be the favourites to win the series, the team hope to keep their top position. 'The wind and sea conditions will be the major factor in Marseille,' helmsman Rob Greenhalgh divulged. 'Our boat handling should give us an edge when it is breezy, although the racing will be much tighter now and I'm sure all the other boats will prove to be strong. We have a good team which will be tested throughout the iShares Cup series and while I am pleased to go into this event leading, obviously we still want and need to perform at the top of our game.'

Trailing just behind on the leaderboard is Volvo Ocean Race who has recruited a new, all-Swedish team for the French event. Göran Marström, owner of Marstrom Composities which supplies the Extreme 40 class and America's Cup yachts with masts and booms, will skipper the Extreme 40 for the first time in the series. The four time Olympian and one time bronze medalist will bring Per Wärn, Tomas Persson and Sven `Berra´ Johansson with him to challenge for pole position.

After a shaky start to the Munich regatta, Dutch representatives Holmatro picked up the pieces on the final day of racing to finish third overall, knocking closest rival Tommy Hilfiger off the podium. Andreas Hagara will be back in the driving seat with his crew of Gerd Hebermuller, Greg Homann and Arend v. Bergeijk.

American boat Tommy Hilfiger will be in the hunt for points in Marseille after falling one point short of a podium finish in Munich. 'None of the guys racing Extreme 40s like losing, so everyone is going to be working hard in Marseille' skipper Stan Schreyer commented. 'It is no surprise that Basilica are sailing well this series. They work hard and will be solid competition throughout the season but every boat has tons of talent on board so I think we can expect to see competitive racing with different teams on top of the leaderboard at each event. I know that after finishing fourth in Munich we have our work cut out for us moving forward and that the racing is only going to get tougher.'

Also fighting for recognition in the Marseille round of the iShares Cup will be BT, skippered by Nick Moloney and crewed by Seb Josse, Hugh Styles and David 'Freddie' Carr. The core team has racked up a substantial number of hours on the water in between iShares Cup events at both the Bol d'Or Mirabaud on Lake Geneva and the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race in Cowes, UK, and are hoping that this experience will translate into solid results and extended confidence on the French racecourse.'In order to have half a chance of doing well in the fleet this year you need to be really throwing yourself and your boat into some risky situations where you will be forced to take chances, and a few scratches will inevitably come with the territory,' skipper Nick Moloney revealed. 'We were a bit cautious in Munich so in Marseille we need to stop worrying about the boat and start getting in the thick of the action and be more aggressive. As I have said to the guys, we have all learned how to win races in other classes, be it Tornados, Stars or Open 60s and we will learn how to win races in this class.'

Team SLAM Denmark also returns to the circuit. This amateur team seem to be truly enjoying the Series, celebrating in every point they win off the professional teams. 'We're determined not to finish bottom of the leaderboard and will try to give the other boats a real run for their money,' boat owner and skipper Erik Filso Pedersen explained.

Event website www.iSharesCup.com