| Taming Extreme 40 ‘beast’ as
The Wave-Muscat leads. |
| By Extreme Sailing
Series 2011 Media. |
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Photos by Lloyd Images,
edited By Peter Andrews. |
| August 11, 2011. |
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| Despite winds gusting up into the 30 knot range and a grim sky suggesting the onset of winter, the late afternoon the wind settled to below 20 knots. Combined with the turning tide which flattened out the sea, racing was finally able to get underway on the penultimate day of the Extreme Sailing Series Act 5 at the Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. And perhaps the greatest surprise given the damp overcast weather was the huge turn-out of spectators crowding to Egypt Point and the beach surrounding the Extreme Sailing Series Race Village. |
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Action
at the Extreme Sailing Series 2011, Cowes, United Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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The Extreme 40 crews have been tested to the limit in the breezy conditions that have dominated Act 5 and it has been a case of ‘taming the 40-foot beast’ to the best of their abilities. Asked to compare their Extreme 40s’ to an animal, the skippers came up with some surprising answers.
By the time racing started, much later than usual at 16:40 BST, the wind had dropped down to the teens.
"It was quite windy, gusting to almost 20 knots so it wasn’t nearly as ‘extreme’ as we have had for the rest of this week," described Luna Rossa’s helmsman Paul Campbell-James.
"Nice and flat water as well, which made the tacking and boat handling a little easier. So you didn’t see too many rudders out of the water today, but still a windy day and a hard day to battle a boat around the course," added Campbell-James. |
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Paul Cambell-James in action onboard Luna Rossa, during the Extreme Sailing Series 2011, Cowes, United Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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Alinghi helmsman Tanguy Cariou described that in the conditions, how it was still hard work on board.
"It was really physical, really tough for us, especially at the end as you had to come in so close to the shore before tacking. It was quite difficult, but I think we were quite solid and I think anything could happen tomorrow." |
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Action back on Day 1 of the Extreme Sailing Series 2011, Cowes, United
Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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The 11 Extreme 40s’ were divided into groups again as the conditions on the penultimate day were still on the limit to have the fleet race in one group with reefed mainsails. After the first two races and much to the publics delight, out came the gennakers.
With half of the fleet racing at a time, the tactical objective for the crews was to get as far into the shore as possible on the beat to make the best of the favourable eddy off Eygpt Point, definitely a benefit from being out of the 2.5 knot counter current offshore. |
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Aberdeen Asset Management racing back on Day 1 of the Extreme Sailing
Series 2011, Cowes, United Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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"There was one way to do it; to come off the line, hit the beach and push your luck on the rocks," said Campbell-James. "Whoever nailed that strategy was the guy who usually came up in first at the windward mark."
The most tense moments came on the first beat of each race, when the Extreme 40s’ would get as close as possible into shore and occasionally not get enough room to tack. But despite some hair-raising moments, none of the boats went aground. |
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Action back on Day 1 of the Extreme Sailing Series 2011, Cowes, United
Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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In fact it was the strong tide that proved the major stumbling block with several crews underestimating the angle of the rope tethering the weather mark. As a result several snagged it on their rudders causing them to pop up. Perhaps the most dramatic was when Luna Rossa careered off downwind, seeming to gybe twice accidentally before they got their Extreme 40 under control.
"We just skimmed the windward mark on the way round and that popped the leeward rudder up," said Campbell-James. "It was pretty dangerous in the big breeze with the one rudder in and one out, so we got to the leeward marks and we stuck it head to wind; did our penalty while putting the rudder back down. It was all a bit of a drama, but we managed it. Alister [Richardson] hurt his back a little bit a bit in the process." |
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Oman Air racing back on Day 1of the Extreme Sailing Series 2011, Cowes,
United Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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Team Extreme suffered the same fate in the third race and crewman Benedikt Wenk cut his hand as he attempted to get the rudder back down. As Wenk required a couple of stitches, Roland Gaebler’s team had to retire from racing for the remainder of the day.
The star of today’s competition was ex-Tornado sailor Pierre Pennec and the crew of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, who won three of their four races. Their third race was the tightest of the day, with Leigh McMillian at the helm of The Wave-Muscat first to the top mark with the French team on their transom. |
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Spectators watching the action from shore back on Day 1 of the Extreme
Sailing Series 2011, Cowes, United Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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There were whoops from the crowd ashore as the French crew came close to rolling past their Omani rivals. However, the real coup for the French team came on the second run when The Wave-Muscat crew thought they had crossed the finish line only to find that the race had been extended to finish on the next upwind leg. This wavering allowed the French team to overhaul them and to take their third bullet of their day by a matter of centimetres.
Alinghi won their third race of the day and Tanguy Cariou was satisfied with their performance. "Today it was quite good, quite solid team work and good manoeuvres. We fought well against the other opponents." |
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The Wave-Muscat flying in front of the Race Village back on Day 1 of the
Extreme Sailing Series 2011, Cowes, United Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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In contrast it wasn’t such a good day for the Italian team on Luna Rossa who prior to their rudder incident at the top mark, had suffered a broken outhaul shortly after the start of the first race.
At the close of play The Wave-Muscat continues to lead with a margin of 10 points on Luna Rossa, Alinghi third with Groupe Edmond de Rothschild fourth, now just six points shy of the podium. But as Paul Campbell-James points out, it could inevitably once again come to tomorrow’s double points-scoring final race.
"Leigh is in front of us as he had a really good day today, so we’ve just got to put in a solid day tomorrow and see what happens in the double points last race," said Campbell-James. "Basically it will be man against man with Leigh which I have been doing since I was nine years old!" |
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Niceforyou in action back on Day 1 of the Extreme Sailing Series 2011,
Cowes, United Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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The weather forecast for tomorrow is looking good wit 11 to 15 knots of breeze and sunshine, which will mean the Extreme 40s’ can, once again, race as one
fleet for the for the final day of Act 5.
Extreme Sailing Series Act 5 at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week
Current overall standings, Day 6
Position / Team / Skipper and crew / Points
| 1st |
The Wave-Muscat (OMA), Leigh McMillan, Kyle Langford, Nick Hutton and Khamis Al Anbouri on 138 points. |
| 2nd |
Luna Rossa (ITA), Max Sirena, Paul Campbell-James, Alister Richardson and Manuel Modena on 128 points. |
| 3rd |
Alinghi (SUI), Tanguy Cariou, Yann Guichard, Nils Frei and Yves Detrey on 117 points. |
| 4th |
Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA), Pierre Pennec, Christophe Espagnon, Thierry Fouchier and Hervé Cunningham on 111 points (penalised). |
| 5th |
Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT), Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Will Howden and Luke Cross on 104 points. |
| 6th |
Oman Air (OMA), Sidney Gavignet, Kinley Fowler, David Carr and Nasser Al Mashari on 101 points. |
| 7th |
Team GAC Pindar (GBR), Ian Williams, Mischa Heemskerk, Andrew Walsh and Jono Macbeth on 93 points (penalised). |
| 8th |
Niceforyou (ITA), Alberto Barovier, Stefano Rizzi, Daniele de Luca and Simone de Mari on 81 points. |
| 9th |
Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Adam Beashel, Richard Meacham, Andrew McLean and Chris Ward on 73 points. |
| 10th |
Aberdeen Asset Management (GBR), John Pink, Rick Peacock, Greg Homann and John Gimson on 69 points. |
| 11th |
Team Extreme (EUR), Roland Gaebler, Nahid Gaebler, Benedikt Wenk and Dan Morris on 51 points. |
| 12th |
Artemis Racing (SWE), Santiago Lange, Andy Fethers, Michele Ivaldi and Phil Jameson on 23 points (penalised). |
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Emirates Team New Zealand racing back on Day 1 of the Extreme Sailing Series
2011, Cowes, United Kingdom.
Photo © Lloyd Images.
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| For more information about the Extreme Series, go to the official website at: www.extremesailingseries.com. Video can also be found on the Extreme Sailing Series YouTube channel can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/extremesailingseries.
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| Outimage and the
Extreme Sailing Series © 2011 |
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