2011 Extreme Sailing Series line-up

Among the 11 teams are 29 Olympians, 4 gold medallist with 69 America's Cup sailed...

World Champions and ocean racing record holders, will be squaring up against Olympians and America’s Cup hotshots, in the final roll call for the opening regatta in the Extreme Sailing Series this yea to be held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman over 20-24 February.

With a wealth of new teams and crew from 15 nations, the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series season promises to be the most competitive yet with 11 boats manned with talent from every corner of competitive yacht racing.

The stats are impressive:

29 Olympians
12 Records set/broken
97 World Championships contended
11 Round the World navigations
69 America’s Cup sailed
4 Olympic Gold Medals
2 Olympic Silver Medals
2 Olympic Bronze Medals

Olympic and America’s Cup sailors dominate the teams this year including Artemis Racing's Terry Hutchinson, Emirates Team New Zealand's Dean Barker, Red Bull Extreme Sailing's Roman Hagara with more than a smattering of BMW Oracle Racing crew among the rank and files including all three of Ian Williams' GAC Pindar crew and beefy grinder and Olympic medallist Craig Monk who has slipped on board with Roman Hagara. 

Australia match racer Torvar Mirsky will inherit the 'young gun' title aboard The Wave, Muscat from the skipper he is replacing, Paul Campbell-James. Campbell-James’ unabashed and aggressive style saw him grab the 2010 title from the more seasoned skippers and, no doubt, his new Luna Rossa team will be hoping for a repeat performance. At the other end of the age spectrum the experience is mind-blowing - Olympian Roman Hagara has attended the Olympic Games six times, winning two gold medals and Team Extreme skipper Roland Gaebler won bronze. Terry Hutchinson and his Artemis Racing team have between them 15 America’s Cups.

Groupe Edmond de Rothschild return for their third Extreme 40 season having finished second overall for the past two years, but this time the all-French team will be headed up by Pierre Pennec replacing Yann Guichard. Pennec, who represented France at the Sydney Olympics in the Tornado, has been instrumental in the team’s success to date and is relishing the chance of leading the team. Meanwhile Sydney Olympics crew, Guichard has just been announced as helmsman for Alinghi. Guichard is in good company under the leadership of Tanguy Cariou who has sailed past seasons with Franck Cammas’ Groupama 40 and seasoned Swiss multihull sailors Nils Frei and Yves Detrey.

On team Niceforyou an all-Italian line-up, skippered by Alberto Barovier, will use their combined America’s Cup experience to the max. Team GAC Pindar will return for a full season in 2011, at the helm match racing supremo Ian Williams who is stepping from one hull to two in his first Extreme 40 venture. This diverse range of competitive skills and experience is going to turn up the heat on the 2011 circuit making the outcome almost impossible to predict.

Going into this season probably at least two thirds of the teams have the experience, talent and sheer nerve to win, and they could all climb on to the podium. Paul Campbell James, helmsman of the 2010 winning team, now signed with Luna Rossa gives his assessment: “Artemis Racing and The Wave, Muscat again will be strong. They [The Wave, Muscat] have Torvar, who has done a bit of 49ering and a lot of match racing and they have Nick [Hutton] and Khamis [Al Anbouri] back with them. You can’t rule out Alinghi and Team New Zealand. It is going to be wicked season!”

The 2011 Extreme Magazine is now available on line and contains a particularly insightful and well written form guide. View the magazine online here.

Full crew line-up