GC32s ESS Qingdao ‘Mazarin Cup’ 2017: Day 1

by Editor · Published April 28, 2017 · Updated May 24, 2019

Photo: ESS Press. Full day 1 report at extremesailingseries.com
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Extreme Sailing Series Qingdao Mazrin Cup – 28.04.2017
Qingdao went from calm to classic in a matter of minutes today as Act 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series™ got off to an exciting start.

China’s Olympic Sailing City is renowned for its tricky weather conditions that can catch sailors off guard with sudden changes – and the opening day of Act 2 Qingdao “Mazarin Cup” was a prime example.
As the fleet of seven international crews hit the water the wind was down to just a couple of knots, delaying the start of racing for almost two hours.

But just when it looked like Race Director John Craig would have to give up hopes of running scoring racing on day one the weather gods woke up and, from nowhere, delivered an unexpected but welcome 15 knots to the race course outside of Fushan Bay.

The new wind was more than enough for the fleet of super-fast GC32 catamarans to ‘fly’ on their hydrofoils providing a stunning spectacle for the crowds that lined the shore.
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Full report at extremesailingseries.com/news/view/challenging-qingdao-tests-extreme-sailing-series-fleet

Position / Team / Points
– 1st Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Bryan Mettraux, Yves Detrey 34 points.
– 2nd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi de Felice, Richard Mason 30 points.
– 3rd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Will Tiller 30 points.
– 4th NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) Chris Steele, Graeme Sutherland, Shane Diviney, Leonard Takahashi Fry, Josh – Salthouse 26 points.
– 5th Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 24 points.
– 6th Team Extreme (CHN) Liu Xue (Black), Bernardo Freitas, Martin Evans, Rob Partridge, Tom Buggy 23 points.
– 7th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Rob Bunce, Chris Taylor, Will Alloway, Adam Kay, Sam Batten 22 points.