Singapore will present the ninth and final Act of the global 2011 Extreme Sailing Series™ on the waters of Marina Bay in Singapore between the 7th – 11th December (the 9th-11th constituting the public days of the event with the Extreme Race Village open to the public). This dynamic and fast paced stadium sailing event for spectators will consist of ten Extreme 40 teams who have been battling it out throughout 2011 to be recognized as the Extreme Sailing Series™ overall champions.
Extreme Sailing Series 2011 heads to Singapore for last Act on Marina Bay waters
The Extreme Sailing Series™ is a unique and high integrity sporting concept, pitting some of the very best professional sailing teams in the world against each other on identical Extreme 40 catamaran yachts, on challenging, tactical courses, close to shore to provide spectacular, stadium-style racing for the public. The award-winning circuit started in February visiting Muscat (Oman), Qingdao (China), Istanbul (Turkey), Boston (USA), Cowes (UK), Trapani (Italy), Nice (France), Almeria (Spain) and, finally, Singapore this December.
Singapore’s iconic Flyer will provide a stunning backdrop to what will be a dramatic end to the season following the penultimate Act in Almería, Spain which was won by the Swiss team, Alinghi, who are now currently in 4th place on 59 points. Luna Rossa’s second place in Spain elevated the Italian team to the top of the 2011 overall rankings, just a single point ahead of the all-French team of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild. These two teams will be fighting for overall victory and behind them, six teams will be locked in a close battle to claim third place on the podium.
2011 Extreme Sailing Series
The Extreme 40 fleet will be boosted by two further entries from France and Switzerland alongside the regular teams of Luna Rossa, Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, Emirates Team New Zealand, Alinghi, The Wave Muscat, Red Bull Extreme Sailing, Oman Air and Team GAC Pindar. A new team supported by Stéphane Kandler, SOITEC and the first club™, named Team Extreme – the first club™, comes with a strong French crew line-up and in addition, the Swiss team headed up by Alex Schneiter, Team TILT, will compete in Singapore after their debut at Act 8 in Almería.
Having such a strong calibre of international sailors in one series competing against each other is rare, however in December, Singapore will be witness to this wealth of experience and skill with sailors including the revered America’s Cup skipper, Dean Barker, world champions Glenn Ashby and Tanguy Cariou, Olympic medalists Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher and Chris Draper, and match racing champions Ian Williams and Sébastien Col.
The on-the-water action will be complimented by bespoke VIP corporate hospitality whilst attracting international media attention including a TV-series distributed in over 100 countries. The Extreme Sailing Series™ has been granted “Special Event Status” by ISAF, the sport’s governing body, and is a strong supporter of promoting sailing in new markets and to new audiences. This series sets itself apart from other sailing events by providing entertainment and drama directly in front of the spectators, racing within metres of the shore, in an easy to understand format with short races (approx 10-15 mins). Spectators are also in for a treat at the Extreme Race Village, which opens from 9th – 11th December, the Extreme Race Village will provide all-day entertainment for spectators with activities for kids, including arts and crafts stalls, live race commentary, music entertainment, food and beverage stalls and exciting on-water activities such as the NeilPryde Racing Series which will see 20 of the best professional and amateur windsurfers, coming from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia alongside exciting Moth demonstration sailing and young sailors racing Optimist dinghies.
Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of OC ThirdPole, the organisers of the event said, “After venturing to Singapore in 2009 for the Extreme Sailing Series Asia exhibition event, we decided Singapore had to be included as one of the strategically important venues for the new scaled up global 2011 series. We’re always trying to redefine the sport of sailing, pushing the boundaries and we believe Singapore has the same ethos pertaining to sport, so the fit is ideal. Stadium Sailing in Singapore will truly bring the sport to the people in this city with the world’s best sailors close enough to almost touch, and the entertainment package at the race village will provide something for everyone.”
The 2011 six-part series of Extreme Sailing Series will also be broadcasted on TV channels around the world.
