Californian Morgan Larson to make Extreme Sailing Series™ return in San Diego

by Extreme Sailing Series 17 Oct 2017 16:59 BST 19-22 October 2017

Morgan Larson returns for Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 7, San Diego © Lloyd Images

Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 7, San Diego will see the return of former Series champion Morgan Larson.

The Californian will skipper Team Extreme San Diego, the second US wildcard to be announced following the entry of Lupe Tortilla Demetrio, in the penultimate stage of the season from 19 – 22 October.

Larson, who narrowly missed out on 2016 victory as skipper and helm of Oman Air, has a history of success in the ultimate Stadium Racing championship. The Santa Cruz born sailor helmed Alinghi to victory in 2014, and he is looking forward to giving it another shot.

“After a year away from the Extreme Sailing Series I am excited to cut my teeth again on the flying GC32. The format of the racing, the competition and the speed of the foiling cats is infectious and I’m confident San Diego will deliver as a great venue for the Series,” said Larson, who comes fresh from competing on board Argo in the GC32 Racing Tour in Calvi.

“I’m looking forward to representing my state and country; competing on your home court is always great,” he added.

Larson’s stellar all-American crew line-up includes three of Oracle Team USA’s America’s Cup sailors: Andrew Campbell, Cooper Dressler and Matt Cassidy who will take the positions of mainsail trimmer, floater and headsail trimmer respectively.

Trimming the foils is Mike Kuschner, who was part of Argo’s winning crew in the GC32 Racing Tour’s Villasimius Cup in Sardinia earlier this year.

“We have a complete Californian squad from our shore team to our sailing team; three of us are San Diego natives. We may be a late entry this season but the calibre of guys on our team is second to none,” commented Larson.

Team Extreme San Diego, which is supported by the Port of San Diego, the San Diego Tourism Authority and its Marketing District, will go up against fellow US wildcard squad Lupe Tortilla Demetrio. With two fully American crews, US sailors will make up the majority of the line-up when the fleet hits the waters of San Diego Bay in three days’ time. Find out more about Lupe Tortilla Demetrio here.

The eight-strong fleet of GC32s, representing seven nations, will race just metres from the shore of San Diego’s Harbor Island from 19 – 22 October. The free-to-enter public Race Village, which offers a prime viewing spot for the sailing, along with plenty of free on-shore entertainment, will be open from 10:00 local time (UTC-7) daily and is located at Harbor Island Park.

For those looking for a more unique experience, the Extreme Sailing Series offers a range of VIP packages, which include the opportunity to race on board a GC32 catamaran. More information on this, and about the event, can be found on the official website.

Find out about the rest of the teams competing in Act 7 here.

Team Extreme San Diego (USA) crew line-up for Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 7, San Diego: