Extreme Sailing Series™ 2014 Act 4, Saint Petersburg, Russia - Overall
by Extreme Sailing Series 29 Jun 2014 22:22 BST
26-29 June 2014
Five-team final race shoot-out sees Alinghi clinch victory in a game of Russian roulette
After four days and 22 races, Act 4 of the Extreme Sailing Series™ in Saint Petersburg presented by Land Rover came down to an edge-of-the-seat final race shoot out, with five teams gunning for the podium and no room for error. The game of Russian roulette between The Wave, Muscat and Alinghi continued until the final double pointer, but the Omani team needed seven boats between them to overhaul the Swiss – which proved too tall an order for Leigh McMillan, and Alinghi comfortably took their third Act win of the season. With the Series now at the halfway mark, helmsman Morgan Larson has already turned his attentions towards the bigger picture: "It's nice to put a little stamp on our win and to let the guys know that we're here to try and win the whole Series this time. The team is working well together and we finally feel confident that we can do it. Saying that, the heat is on, some teams are working really hard and we know that we'll have to step up if we want to stay head."
Hoping the Omani team would trip up and waiting in the wings to pounce for second place was Emirates Team New Zealand – and they almost did – until a last minute roll of the dice by Leigh McMillan and the team paid off, and a fifth place in the final race was enough for the boat flying the colours of Oman to take second place. But more importantly, keeping them in touch with Alinghi on the overall season leaderboard. Tactician Sarah Ayton – who was also awarded the Land Rover 'Above and Beyond' award this week, for inspiring the next generation through her ongoing engagement with young aspiring sailors at every Act this year – talked through the strategy: "When you are in that position you need to do something and we needed to attack. We took the split at the gate, we saw the opportunity, took it and it came good for us. You make a choice, you either follow or you make an attack and do something slightly different. We're happy and pleased with the result. It's been a tough regatta, but the standard of the fleet is really creeping up and the Emirates Team New Zealand boys did really well and obviously Alinghi were fantastic. The game is definitely raising."
Emirates Team New Zealand welcomed world-class tactician Ray Davies to the team in Saint Petersburg, and the pairing of Davies with skipper Peter Burling at the back of the boat, quickly gelled. The Kiwi crew finished the day in style, winning the last race, consolidating their position both in Saint Petersburg and on the overall Series leaderboard, where the team are currently third. Burling commented: "We had an up and down day so it's kind of mixed emotions, we're really happy to come away with another podium for the team, and for me to get another podium under my belt. We feel like we're really improving the whole time, but not really being able to show that out on the racetrack was a little bit frustrating, but we were obviously really happy to come away with a win in that last race."
Six short, sharp races were sailed on the final day, and by close of play the teams were jostling in the best conditions of the week, with 10 knots of breeze and 15 knot gusts, that swept over the top of the surrounding buildings on the Palace Embankment, in what is perhaps one of the most picturesque backdrops the high-performance Extreme 40s have ever raced in. The starts were vital as the teams moved through the gears – get it right and reap the benefits; pull the trigger too early and get punished hard, as J.P. Morgan BAR found out in the final race. The team came hurtling into the line – skimming the committee boat and giving race management a fright en route – and were given a restart penalty, which saw their podium ambitions dashed. But the British team, led by Olympic legend Ben Ainslie, was happy to settle for fourth, their best result of the season to date. "It's certainly a better result than the previous events, and we're improving which is great. I think we're slowly starting to understand a bit more about this type of racing, the demands and how to be successful." Looking ahead to the next Act and the UK round of the Series, Ainslie continued: "It will be great to sail on British waters. It's not often I get to do that and get that opportunity so I'm really excited about that."
Host Venue Partners in Saint Petersburg SAP will be pleased with their teams performance – not only winning the SAP Speed King Challenge clocking up a top speed of 21.6 knots – but with a sixth place enough to elevate the Danish entry from ninth to seventh on the overall Series leaderboard. After a strong start to the week, that saw Realteam in a podium position for the first two days, the Swiss team struggled under the bigger breeze, a final hour string of top three results wasn't quite enough for the team to reach the podium, finishing the event in fifth place.
The scores on the second half of the leaderboard are even tighter, with the home entry Gazprom Team Russia leading the way in seventh place, just one point ahead of Oman Air, with Red Bull Sailing Team one point back in ninth. GAC Pindar saved their best for last, with their greatest result of the Act in the final double pointer in second place, to finish the Act in tenth, tied on points with Groupama sailing team. By his own admission Franck Cammas and the team on Groupama sailing team under performed in Russia, but the French finished strong, with two third places.
The invitational home team on RussianFirst certainly had the home support this week, and a race win on the final day saw the team finish on a high – which will be celebrated in true Russian style tonight!
Over four days Russia has thrown just about everything at the fleet, and is not an Act that will easily be forgotten. For now, it's goodbye from Russia with love – next stop Cardiff, where the fleet is awaiting a Welsh welcome, 22-25 August as part of the Cardiff Harbour Festival.
Overall Results: (22 races)
1st Alinghi (SUI) Morgan Larson, Stuart Pollard, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 160pts
2nd The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler, Nasser Al Mashari 148pts
3rd Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Peter Burling, Ray Davies, Blair Tuke, Jeremy Lomas, Edwin Delaat 146pts
4th J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) Ben Ainslie, Nick Hutton, Paul Goodison, Phil Sparks, Matt Cornwell 120pts
5th Realteam by Realstone (SUI) Jérôme Clerc, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Denis Girardet, Bryan Mettraux, Thierry Wassem 117pts
6th SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Thierry Douillard, Peter Wibroe, Nicolai Sehested 113pts
7th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Igor Lisovenko, Paul Campbell-James, Matt Adams, Pete Cumming, Aleksey Kulakov 97pts
8th Oman Air (OMA) Rob Greenhalgh, Tom Johnson, Kyle Langford, Hashim Al Rashdi, Musab Al Hadi 96pts
9th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans-Peter Steinacher, Mark Bulkeley, Nick Blackman, Stewart Dodson 95pts
10th GAC Pindar (AUS) Nathan Wilmot, Troy Tindill, Ed Smyth, Seve Jarvin, James Wierzbowski 88pts
11th Groupama sailing team (FRA) Franck Cammas, Romain Motteau, Tanguy Cariou, Thierry Fouchier, Devan Le Bihan 88pts
12th RussianFirst (RUS) Georgy Shayduko, Sergey Dzhienbaev, Pavel Kalinchev, Leonid Kazinets, Pavel Karachov 40pts
Extreme Sailing Series™ 2014 Standings: (after Act 4)
1st Alinghi (SUI) 38pts
2nd The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 35pts
3rd Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 32pts
4th Realteam by Realstone (SUI) 28pts
5th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) 19pts
6th J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) 17pts
7th SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 14pts
8th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 13pts
9th Groupama sailing team (FRA) 13pts
10th Oman Air (OMA) 11pts
11th GAC Pindar (AUS) 4pts
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Double Olympic Gold Medallist Sarah Ayton wins Land Rover Above and Beyond Award (from Land Rover Sailing)
Double Olympic Gold Medallist Sarah Ayton was the recipient of the second Above and Beyond Award presented by Land Rover in Saint Petersburg this morning by Land Rover Global Brand Ambassador, Hannah White, in recognition of her engagement with the grassroots sailing community. The Above and Beyond Award is awarded to the team or individual who demonstrates the finest examples of skill, sportsmanship and strength of mind at each of the Extreme Sailing Series™ Acts, in the true spirit of Land Rover's Above and Beyond.
Ayton, who won Olympic Gold for Great Britain in the Yngling class at both the Sydney and Beijing Olympic Games, is the Tactician for The Wave, Muscat, and in St Petersburg is the only female sailor in the 12-strong fleet of 60 elite-level sailors.
The Above and Beyond committee is chaired by adventurer Hannah White, joined by America's Cup Sailor and former winner of the Extreme Sailing Series™, Dave Carr; Race Director, Phil Lawrence and Event Director, Andy Tourell.
The citation states, "Sarah Ayton continually inspires the next generation of sailors and at every Extreme Sailing Series™ Act she has proactively engaged with the young, aspiring sailors who visit the Series to come and meet their heroes as seen here at the 'Chat with Champions' with the children from the St Petersburg Yacht Club. Sarah is also extremely well respected by the international sailing community and is competing at the very top of her game."
Commenting on her win, Ayton said, "I was six years old when I first started sailing and I was really lucky when I was growing up and my parents gave me opportunities. We are a non sailing family and I tried loads of sports and then I had a go at sailing. I was very lucky, my parents made huge sacrifices to make that happen and I am a great believer we need to be providing opportunities and as professional sailors we need to inspire and engage with the next generation. I'm just a normal person, I had a dream and worked hard and I went on to achieve some pretty exceptional things.
"Do I notice being the only woman? No, it's a professional sport, I work hard to keep my place on the boat, I go to the gym a lot and I add to the team as well. On the water, you are a crew member and that's the way it is.
"I haven't yet taken my children sailing, at the moment they are playing loads of other sports I am giving them that opportunity, when they are six or seven I'll get the Optimist out and we'll see how it goes!"
The Award was presented on the final day of the fourth Act of the global Extreme Sailing Series™ circuit which has seen spectacular racing on the River Neva in the heart of the historic city of St Petersburg. Swiss team Alinghi won their third Act of the year, beating The Wave, Muscat into second place and Emirates Team New Zealand in third. Alinghi now leads the overall Series leaderboard as the circuit moves to Cardiff, UK for the fifth Act from 22-25 August 2014.
Thrilling finale in St Petersburg for Oman Sail Extreme teams and Sarah Ayton wins Above & Beyond Award (from Oman Sail)
In a thrilling climax to the St Petersburg Act, Extreme Sailing Series defending champions The Wave, Muscat fought valiantly for the inaugural Russia title to post a second place overall while Oman Air also proved plucky opponents on a tricky final day marked by light and shifty winds.
Going into the final double-points race, Leigh McMillan and his crew were still vying with Alinghi for the overall win, knowing they had to be seven boats ahead of the Swiss boat at the finish to take their second series victory.
They also had Emirates Team New Zealand snapping at their heels, just two points behind on the leaderboard, so had to make sure they were not leapfrogged which forced skipper Leigh McMillan into some dramatic risk-taking on the race course.
It was not enough to beat Alinghi who won by 12 points, but the champion team did manage to hold off Team New Zealand and skipper McMillan paid tribute to his exceptional crew of Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler and Nasser Al Mashari.
"It was very difficult out there today with big holes in the wind and big gusts which placed a lot of emphasis on the starts," said McMillan.
"But the team have been exceptional, pushing all the way. Even when we are right up against it, the atmosphere on the boat is really good. I couldn't ask more of them.
"Getting a second here in St Petersburg is a good result and as the year goes on, the venues will swing in our favour so staying in touch with Alinghi, who are very strong in these conditions, means we are staying in touch overall which is good.
"Looking ahead to Cardiff, it will be another tricky one but we know how the place works because we won there last year so we will be going all out to defend our title."
For Rob Greenhalgh, skipper of Oman Air, the patchy winds and strong current on the River Neva proved challenging for the new team.
"It was a pretty disappointing day because it was all about the starts and we were struggling to get the starts right so that was that," he said.
"But everything is moving in the right direction and we are getting close to getting good.
"We need to keep pushing hard and perhaps be a little more aggressive which we may try at the next event. We are looking forward to Cardiff and will really be aiming to finish in the top half."
For the second consecutive month, an Oman Sail crewmember won the Land Rover Above and Beyond Award, given at each of the Extreme Sailing Series Acts for the finest example of team spirit, sportsmanship and strength of mind from an individual, team or group.
Sarah Ayton, two-time Olympic gold medal winner and crew on The Wave, Muscat was awarded the prize for her commitment at the four Extreme venues visited so far, to talking to schoolchildren about her sailing career and inspiring them at the Extreme Sailing Series 'Chat with Champions' sessions.
An emotional Sarah Ayton said: "The goal is to try and be good at what I do and to inspire people, especially children, as they are what it is all about and if you can do that, then it is really special so I am thrilled to have won this award."
Tricky, unstable conditions wrap up Act 4 in St Petersburg (from J.P. Morgan BAR)
On the finale of Act 4, six races were completed in front of the spectacular Russian backdrop, taking it to 22 in total over the four days. Each race was equally demanding, offering a different set of conditions and today was no exception with tricky, unstable and shifty racing for the 12 Extreme 40 teams.
A full range of winds, from extremely light to a full on breeze, created its own set of unique challenges, even for the most experienced Extreme 40 teams. Fighting it out until the bitter end, J.P. Morgan BAR finished the event fourth overall, with 120 points, to place their highest position of the global series so far.
Trimmer, Nick Hutton, summarised the day's racing, "Today was around 8 – 10 knots, gusting 15, with a split wind across the Neva. We won a race, our third of the event, but unfortunately in the final race, which was also a double points race, we pushed a bit too hard on the start line and were OCS, which held us back from the fleet. But, it's not been a bad finish to the event and we are moving forward as a team, our performance is good – we have been doing more overtaking, feel like our boat speed is picking up pace and can see it coming together more now."
J.P. Morgan BAR Skipper, Ben Ainslie, continued, "It's a better result for us than any of our previous events, and we're improving which is great. With all of these events there have been pretty challenging conditions, so for all of the teams it's about dealing with that and I think we're slowly starting to understand a bit more about this type of racing, the demands and how to be successful."
The fourth Act, which marks the half way point in the international circuit, moves the British team up to sixth place overall on the scoreboard, with 17 points, setting them up in a good position ahead of their home racing debut at Act 5, Cardiff, in August.
Sailing Team Manager and three times America's Cup winner, Jono Macbeth, is positive about the team's performance on the first half of the circuit, "We've reached the half way point of the series now and we are absolutely making a lot of positive gains. We have a solid team, who are really gelling and making good progress. This week we have taken our best result to date and it leaves us looking forward to the second half where we have four more interesting and challenging venues, so it looks set to be even more exciting."
Jono concluded. "It feels like the competition at the top end of the leaderboard is starting to close in and a few of the teams who haven't raced on the series are starting to get a better feel for the boat so, the competition is going to get a lot tighter. Cardiff will be a great next event for the team, it's a strong venue for racing and we are looking forward to being there."
The Extreme Sailing Series continues with the UK leg, Act 5, Cardiff, from 22nd August to 25th August.
Alongside their partnership with J.P. Morgan, BAR are supported in their Extreme Sailing quest by sustainability partner, 11th Hour Racing, their technical clothing supplier, Henri Lloyd, Scorpion Ribs, who supply the team chase and hospitality boats for the series and SOS Rehydrate (Medical drinks).
Not enough attack (from Groupama sailing team)
After 22 races contested over four days on Saint Petersburg's race zone, which was as sumptuous as it was complicated, Groupama 40 secured a rare eleventh place out of twelve competitors. It goes without saying that such a result isn't equal to the qualities and ambition of Franck Cammas and his crew, in contrast with the Swiss on Alinghi, who once again took the win ahead of The Wave Muscat and a fast improving Emirates Team Zealand.
The Neva hasn't been gentle with the skipper of Groupama, who only finished on the podium five times in twenty-two races. In on the action in the first two days, Franck Cammas slipped up in the third, which is the day when the greatest number of races were run: "We didn't find the correct modus operandi on a strategic or tactical level aboard Groupama and we were off the pace at the starts and in the tack choices on a fair few races. It was a day where things were lacking."
Eleventh after the first three days, Groupama 40 gained a place in the overall ranking prior to the last race. Out of luck, GAC Pindar made the most of the only manoeuvring error of the week in the final double-point scoring race to get ahead of them: "On the final day, things were a little better, but it didn't enable us to recover enough points to rank well. This is a very poor ranking."
Clear-minded and self-critical, Franck Cammas can fully identify where things turned pear-shaped: "The starts weren't good, but there were also a lot of coups to be had afterwards and we stuffed them up. We were overly passive and didn't have enough attack."
Present alongside Franck and his crew, coach Thierry Péponnet only managed to get Groupama back on the right track fairly late in the day: "The races go so fast that it's not easy to adapt. It's essential to get off to a good start, which is what Franck managed to get a handle on in the last start phases. In that instance, the next stage of the race becomes a lot easier."
As far as the rest is concerned, it is worth saluting the excellent work performed by the crew, which comprised Tanguy Cariou calling tactics, Thierry Fouchier trimming the headsails, Romain Motteau on the mainsail traveller and Devan Le Bihan on the bow.
With regards to the competition, of note is the remarkable consistency of Morgan Larson at the helm of Alinghi, as well as that of Leigh McMillan on The Wave Muscat, the ability to adapt quickly demonstrated by Peter Burling, silver medallist on the 49er at the Olympic Games in London, who was at the helm of Emirates Team New Zealand and finally the constant progress by the tremendous British champion, Sir Ben Ainslie on JP Morgan.
In contrast, there was a slight dip in performance for the second Swiss boat of the line-up, Realstone, which finished fifth and has dropped a place in the overall ranking after the first four events of the 2014 season.
This overall ranking is now logically dominated by the top trio in Saint Petersburg, with Groupama 40 down in ninth place, tied on points with Red Bull.
There are now four events to go (Cardiff, Istanbul, Mediterranean France and Sydney) for Franck Cammas' crew to get more on the offensive and secure points against some of the best racers in the world.