Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 3 at Istanbul, Turkey - Overall
by Extreme Sailing Series 11 Jun 2012 08:17 BST
7-10 June 2012
Leigh McMillan wins closest Extreme Sailing Series Act this year
In the closest finish we have seen so far this year, British Olympian Leigh McMillan and his crew onboard The Wave, Muscat won Act 3 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Istanbul, after four days and 29 races which has seen them in a game of cat and mouse with Roman Hagara and his Austrian Red Bull Sailing Team since the word ‘go’. After day one Hagara was on top – day two and it was McMillan. Day three and Hagara was back in pole position and the question everyone was asking this morning was whether Hagara and his men could defend their position at the top of the leaderboard, and win their first ever Extreme Sailing Series Act. But no one was discounting Pierre Pennec and his all-French team on Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, and a win for the French in the final double-points race was enough for Pennec to leapfrog Hagara to claim second place.
Six races were sailed in the final day with the forecasters predicating big breeze this morning with gusts of up to 17 knots – and the weather didn’t disappoint. In the strongest breeze the fleet have sailed in all week, it was hull flying, water spraying action as the Extreme 40s charged around the race course in 15 knots of wind, completing each race in less then 14 minutes.
An elated McMillan, whose smile said it all tonight, commented: “It’s been a really tough week. I am just over the moon with our result here. It’s been a heroic effort from all the guys on the boat – a fantastic performance, we are getting better all the time and learning how each other sail. We are already looking forward to the next Act in Porto, it is getting very close, so [the competition] is just going to be getting tighter and tighter, and more stressful. We are sure we will be battling it out until the end of the Series.”
Three races in and it was clear today the battle for the podium was between Oman, Austria and France. Pierre Pennec saved his best race of the event until last, and his winning performance sees them go one better then their results from Act’s 1 and 2 to finish second. “We were close to finish in first position but a second is a positive result. We are consistent and have been on the podium at all three events this year. In the overall ranking, The Wave, Muscat increases their advantage but the season is long and we will have to maintain the pace until the end of the season in Brazil.”
The real story of the Act unfolded today in race 27. Hagara led Red Bull Sailing Team to a great start, powering off the line as the fleet drag raced to the first mark – while McMillan was stuck in seventh place. But going into the second lap, Hagara’s men got their gennaker tangled which cost them five places on the water – including a place to The Wave, Muscat. McMillan took full advantage, picking off the rest of the opposition one by one, before ultimately winning that race – and they never relinquished the lead. An understandably frustrated Hagara commented: “The final day just didn’t turn out well for us. In the end, it’s the little things that are crucial, even a wrong spinnaker hoist or a bad start can turn out really bad overall. Our attitude is that you’ve got to go for the win, we still have that as our aim and that’s what we are looking for from the next Act in Porto.”
Watch McMillan’s analysis of that race here
Act 1 winners Oman Air, who were in contention for a podium place going into the day, won the opening race today but fell short of the podium, finishing the Act fourth. The form team of the day was the 2012 new boys, SAP Extreme Sailing Team. They won two races, more than any other team today, and finished fifth overall – the best result so far this year for America’s Cup sailors and co-skippers Rasmus Kostner and Jes Gram-Hanson. Despite dominating the Bosphorus racing yesterday, three times world match-racing champion Ian Williams could only manage a seventh place for his all British crew GAC Pindar.
Istanbul has seen two new faces on the start line, with Alain Gautier making his Extreme 40 debut at the helm of the Swiss team Alinghi, while Erik Maris returns to the Extreme Sailing Series at the helm of ZouLou having competed in 2008 and 2009 with LUNA. Maris, whose all-French team missed the first two races today while they made repairs to their main halyard, showed some real moments of potential in Istanbul and he had nothing praise for his competitors. “As far as racing is concerned I think that the level has significantly increased since I last sailed in this Series, as we expected. All the boats sail and race extremely well, so it’s tough. The fleet is still fantastic, the guys racing are just the best frankly.”
Istanbul has delivered the eight Extreme 40s with the best conditions they have sailed in all year – blue skies, warm weather and most importantly – great breeze. From racing on the stunning waters of the Bosphorus to the stadium racing against the backdrop of Istanbul’s old town and the famous Blue Mosque, Istanbul is an Act the fleet and the public of Istanbul will not forget in a hurry. Next stop is Porto, as we move into the second third of the 2012 Series, Act 4 5th-8th July.
Overall Results: (29 races)
1st The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan / Ed Smyth / Pete Greenhalgh / Hashim Al Rashdi / Rachel Williamson 174pts
2nd Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA) Pierre Pennec / Christophe Espagnon / Hervé Cunningham / Bernard Labro / Romain Petit 169pts
3rd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara / Hans Peter Steinacher / Matthew Adams / Graeme Spence, Pierre Le Clainche 159pts
4th Oman Air (OMA) Morgan Larson / Will Howden / Charlie Ogletree / Nasser Al Mashari / Max Bulger 146pts
5th SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram‐Hansen / Rasmus Kostner / Pete Cumming / Mikkel Rossberg / Jonas Hviid 131pts
6th GAC Pindar (GBR) Ian Williams / Nick Rogers/ Mark Bulkeley / Adam Piggot / Andrew Walsh 113pts
7th Alinghi (SUI), Alain Gautier / Jean-¬‐Christophe Mourniac / Christophe Lassegue / Morgane Gautie / François Verdier 99pts
8th ZouLou (FRA) Erik Maris / Philippe Mourniac / Jean-Sébastien Ponce / Bruno Jeanjean / Patrick Aucour 86pts
Extreme Sailing Series 2012 Overall Series Results: (after Act 3, Istanbul)
1st The Wave, Muscat 29pts
2nd Groupe Edmond de Rothschild 25pts
3rd Red Bull Sailing Team 24pts
4th Oman Air 23pts
5th GAC Pindar 18pts
6th ZouLou 13pts
7th SAP Extreme Sailing Team 13pts
8th Alinghi 11pts
www.extremesailingseries.com
Edmond de Rothschild Group happy with second in Istanbul (from Extreme Edmond de Rothschild Group)
Three podiums in a row for the Extreme Edmond de Rothschild Group! After four days of lively, windy competition on the Marmara Sea, the catamaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild has secured second place in the event. Great work by Pierre Pennec and his crew, who have shot up from fourth to second place in the annual standing for the Extreme Sailing Series. Though victory in Act 3 went to The Wave Muscat, the men on Gitana Team demonstrated solid potential and real confidence, which they intend to turn to their benefit in a few weeks’ time during the Porto Grand Prix.
Pierre Pennec and his four crew gave everything they had to add a win to their list of podium places in 2012. Prior to the twenty-ninth and final race of the Istanbul Grand Prix, which scores double points, the men on Gitana Team were still in with a chance of snatching the top spot. At that stage, they were just nine points shy of The Wave Muscat, but also under threat from Red Bull, with whom they were tied on points.
It was a tricky mission, but not impossible. To secure a win, Edmond de Rothschild Group had to ensure there were five boats between them and the Omani one-design. The French team didn’t falter on the start line and were at the front of the fleet out of the starting blocks, whilst Roman Hagara overshot the line and had to watch the fleet make good their escape as he paid the penalty for his early start.
Back on the racetrack, the duel was on though. Putting in some solid tacks and managing to contain their main adversary, Pierre Pennec, Christophe Espagnon, Hervé Cunningham, Bernard Labro and Romain Petit carried the race. However, just a few seconds later, McMillan crossed the finish line and went on to take outright victory in the Grand Prix.
“First place just escaped our clutches but it’s a very positive result for us on every level after four days of competition and for me that’s the important thing at this stage of the event. First of all, we’re consistent because in three events we’ve made the podium three times. Furthermore, compared with the previous two Grands Prix we’ve progressed by moving up a place and finishing second. That’s nothing to be sniffed at as the line-up boasts some top-level performers. A move up the ranking isn’t the only area where we’ve progressed so that’s very encouraging,” explains Pierre Pennec. “The most positive point for us is the way the crew pulled together and the atmosphere on board. We’ve really enjoyed ourselves over the past four days. Gitana Team is a great team, both on land and on the water! In this Grand Prix, my approach to the racing has been more confident and I think that is translated by our results. In Oman and in China, I didn’t manage to make a stand for myself at the starts and that put us in the position of chasers rather than attackers. In Istanbul we managed to reverse the trend by getting off to some good starts and by increasing our success rate over the course of the event. We had to call ourselves into question, but the communication aboard the boat, combined with a better vision of what was happening on the line for my part, paid off. It’s hugely satisfying to have made progress with this phase of the game, which is such a crucial element. We need to build on that during the next meetings and the event in Porto is fast approaching.”
In the annual standing for the Extreme Sailing Series, this Istanbul Grand Prix has made things clearer at the top of the leaderboard. Indeed, at the end of the race contested in Qingdao back in April, Oman Air, Red Bull Sailing Team and Edmond de Rothschild Group were tied on points but were ranked in that order according to the best performances per event. The French team’s second place in the Marmara Sea means that the catamaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild is now in second position overall, whilst the Austrian one-design completes the podium.
Meanwhile, The Wave Muscat has confirmed her position at the head of the fleet by securing a second consecutive win. Leigh McMillan’s team are leading the way in this championship and now have a few points on their pursuers. However, the men on Gitana Team have shown that they’re still a force to be reckoned with and are determined not to rest on their laurels: “In the overall standing, The Wave has extended their lead again but the season is far from over and we need to keep up the pressure all the way to Brazil in December. We’re certainly up for the challenge!” said an assured Pierre Pennec, before heading off to the closing ceremony.
In Porto, the crew will welcome a new member to the crew. Indeed, Christophe Espagnon, who joined the team’s ranks for the Istanbul Grand Prix, will be alongside Sébastien Josse for the next event and will be focused on the stable’s first transatlantic race aboard their 70-feet trimaran: “I’m happy to have been able to participate in an Extreme Grand Prix this year. It’s a craft on which you learn a great deal and it’s always a lot of fun. We may be lacking a place in this evening’s standing to be entirely satisfied with our performance, but we still managed to sail well and we’ve secured a fine second place. We also ended the day with a victory, which is always very important for the crew’s confidence, and most importantly we gained in strength over the past two days of racing. I’d like to wish Pierre and his crew the best of luck for the rest of the season and I’ll certainly be glued to their upcoming races,” admitted the sailor, based on Ile de Ré offshore of La Rochelle. To replace Christophe Espagnon as mainsail trimmer, the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild Group has turned to a Swiss sailor: “We’ve chosen to bring in Arnaud Psarofaghis. He’s an excellent Swiss sailor, whom I sailed with last year in the AC45 series during the event in San Diego. He’s also a real talent on the D35 circuit, where he’s excelling with his crew. I have absolutely no concerns about his ability to adapt to this format and we’ll be there to give him all the help he needs. We’ve really got the manoeuvres sussed now and we’ll make the most of our two days of training prior to the Grand Prix to quickly get our bearings as a team.”
The Extreme Sailing Series fleet will have just three weeks’ break before they head for the waters of the Douro to contest the fourth act of the 2012 sailing season. Set a date with Pierre Pennec and Edmond de Rothschild Group in Portugal from 5 to 8 July 2012.