The fifth season of the Extreme Sailing Series continues this week, swooping into Istanbul's historic harbour for five days of wind-powered action.
Follwing a dramatic Act 2 in Qingdao, China, which was won by Luna Rossa in tricky conditions, the 11 international teams competing on the tour assembled their Extreme 40 rigs on the Halic estuary before doing battle on day one yesterday. The 11 crews – including the Red Bull Extreme Sailing crew of Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Will Howden and Craig Monk – are currently competing in two days of open-water racing before they move on to the stadium races tomorrow (Friday).
Speaking ahead of the start of Act 3, Red Bull skipper Roman Hagara was notably wary about Istanbul: 'It’s going to be a really difficult challenge. And not only because of the high level of the competition. It’s a tricky city venue with a lot of tall buildings that will have an influence on the winds. We were on the podium in Muscat and were close to winning in Qingdao. But after we capsized it took us too long to get back to full speed. We’re well prepared for Istanbul.'
'It’s a tricky city venue with a lot of tall buildings that will have an influence on the winds'
The results at the end of day one suggest Roman was right to be wary. Conditions were gusty with shifting wind directions and there were six winners across the seven races. Sweden's Artemis Racing took the top spot with 52 points. Red Bull Extreme Sailing were back in ninth with 34 points.
Day two, today, is going much better for Red Bull. They're up to seventh, with one win and one second-place among their finishes.
With the team currently in fourth place in the series standings, Red Bull Bowman Craig Monk is full of optimism and has only praise for Hagara: 'He's the perfect skipper on board. He directs us well and the tactical skills of Hans Peter are impressive. It’s only a question of time before we get our first event victory.'
All the best action from day one in Istanbul:
What the skippers had to say:
Want more?
- Official website for the Extreme Sailing Series
- Official website for the Red Bull Extreme Sailing crew
- Follow all the action in Istanbul at the Extreme Sailing Series Facebook page
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