Starting in one week, the Extreme 40 yachts have begun to arrive and the Race Village is being prepared for Act 3 of the Extreme Sailing Series™, taking place in Istanbul from the 7th to the 10th June.

Fleet racing in Istanbul in 2011 Credit: Lloyd Images

The tight racecourse located at a new location at the entrance to the Bosphorus will ensure close and aggressive racing for the eight teams, and the consistent winds in Istanbul will make for some spectacular competition. With the Omega countdown clock now ticking, the teams have now turned their attentions to the task at hand – victory at Act 3.

Leigh McMillan and his Omani-flagged team The Wave, Muscat won the previous Act in Qingdao, China, with a race to spare and now have a slim three point advantage at the top of the Series leaderboard, with Oman Air, Groupe Edmond de Rothschild and Red Bull Sailing Team all tied on points behind them.

Red Bull Sailing Team skipper Roman Hagara anticipates tough competition in Istanbul but is quietly confident in his team’s ability to better their position. “We had a great regatta in China and our first podium finish this season. This is exactly what we were fighting for. It is the same goal for Istanbul, but of course we still have a victory on the plan for this season.”

The fleet last met in Qingdao in China for Act 2 Credit: Lloyd Images

Ian Williams and his British crew on GAC Pindar currently top the second half of the leaderboard, three points ahead of ZouLou, while SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Alinghi are tied on seven points at the foot of the leaderboard. Williams is hoping the team can emulate their performance on the Turkish waters from 2011 and narrow the gap on their rivals. “Istanbul was the event that GAC Pindar started to climb the leaderboard last year and we hope that will prove to be the case again in 2012.”

In 2011 the public turned out in their hordes to see the Extreme 40s in action on Turkish waters for the first time, and Mr Kaan Ark, Chairman of Local Event Partner Euroasia Sports, is confident this years event will be even more prevalent. “We’re very proud to host the Extreme Sailing Series in Istanbul once again. We will have some thrilling competitions lined up this year, in both the inshore and the open sea racing. Racing in this new area will attract even more crowds than last year and will add a new dimension to the organisation of the event. We warmly welcome all the crews to Istanbul.”

The first day of Act 3 the teams will race on an ‘open water’ course ahead of the event opening up to the public on the second day (8th June) which will see the Extreme 40s race in close quarters right in front of the spectators through to the 10th June.

Istanbul Race Area

Race Village & Activities 8th – 10th June
The Race Village will be located on the waterfront in Istanbul’s old town, with the breathtaking backdrop of the Blue Mosque and Saint Sophia. The Village will include live commentary in Turkish and English, a resident DJ and food stalls amongst other activities for public of all ages. Visitors can also peruse the Marinepool shop with merchandise from the Official Technical and Lifestyle Clothing Supplier to the Series.

Live Race Coverage online
For the third Act this Series, fans can follow all the action online through the live multi-camera race coverage including onboard footage and expert commentary. Coverage will be streamed to the home page of the official event website during the stadium sailing days on the 8th, 9th and 10th June. Sunday’s coverage will also include the live final of the NeilPryde Racing Series.

The live coverage will be streamed at the following times:
Friday 8th June: 1400-1600 CET
Saturday 9th June: 1330-1630 CET
Sunday 10th June: 1400-1630 CET
(All times CET – Central European Time – GMT -2hr and local time EEST +1hr)

The online video coverage will be complemented by a live interactive blog from the race course, available from the start of racing.