Sultanate of Oman to host first Act of the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series™
by Extreme Sailing Series 19 Jan 2016 10:06 GMT
16-19 March 2016
Stadium Racing against the backdrop of Muscat, Oman © Lloyd Images
The Extreme Sailing Series™ starts a landmark season in 2016 with a Middle Eastern flavour with Muscat in Oman confirmed as the host city for the first Act of the year (16-19 March).
To celebrate its 10th year, the iconic global sailing Series will see a complete refresh in format. The introduction of a fleet of ultra-fast, GC32 hydro-foiling catamarans and a shake-up in racing, to include open water and match-racing elements, will give skippers and crews some tough new challenges. Read more from OC Sport Executive Chairman, Mark Turner, on the future of the Series on foils here.
Returning to the beautiful city of Muscat, the crowning jewel of the Sultanate of Oman, the skippers will get their first chance to open up the throttle and see what the new boats are made of. On day one of the first Act of the year the fleet will race in front of the historic city of Mutrah before racing along the coast to finish the day in front of the Extreme Club. The schedule will then return to three days of spectacular Stadium Racing in front of the Almouj Golf Club.
"Stadium Racing remains at the core of what we do, but in 2016 we will be including a variety of open water race formats to offer the skippers variety and new challenges," commented Race Director Phil Lawrence.
David Graham, Chief Executive of Oman Sail, partners to the Muscat Act explained: "The world will be watching the first Act of the 2016 as the fleet fly on foils for the first time. We are delighted to host the opening Act and to be able to welcome the international sailors to experience Oman, which is becoming renowned as one of the best sailing venues in the world. It will be a spectacle for the ever-growing global audience and the sailing fans of Oman."
The full announcement of venues for the 2016 season and teams will be made in the coming weeks. For more information on the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series visit www.extremesailingseries.com.