An amazing 50,000 spectators came to see Extreme 40 racing in Kiel, Germany during the 3 day event held on August 29 – 31.Overcast skies on the first day of racing gave way to sunshine and great sailing breeze for Saturday and Sunday.Although the rain does not scare away residents of this city in Northern Germany.When we were rigging our Tommy Hilfiger Extreme 40 it was freezing cold and rainy.Yet, there was a steady stream of observers, inspecting boat parts and asking questions about the design and construction of our craft.There is a great deal of enthusiasm for sailing in the city of Kiel, and it is a great place to race because of that.
This event was held in Kiel’s inner harbor, within walking distance of downtown.Our team for the event consisted of Americans, Randy Smyth, Jonathon Farrar, and myself.Of course we also had our Dutchie, Mark van Gelderen.We also brought in our long-time friend and former Tommy crew member Richard Feeny to coach us during the event, and the four practice days we had prior to the regatta.We had ten boats on the line, which made for some close quarters racing, as the course was set up right off the seawall.Spectators were able to reach out and touch boats, as groups of these 40 foot catamarans were gybing within feet of floating docks as they approached marks or the finish line.Of course, there were a few collisions, and it almost seems as though racing these boats resembles NASCAR more than it does typical sailboat racing.It has almost become normal for at least one boat per event sustain enough damage that it must be hauled or it will sink.A crane and a mobile repair shop are now normal fixtures throughout events on the iShares Cup circuit.The lucky boat in Kiel was TEAMORIGIN, who received a massive hole near their transom with 4 races to go in the 18 race event.They were found to be not at fault, and received redress for the remainder of the day’s racing.TEAMORIGIN finished 2nd in the event to Alinghi.We finished 5th for the event on the Tommy boat.We were within reach of the podium going into the final day, but we had a couple of high scores, including an OCS, which set us back early in the day on Sunday.
Alinghi and TEAMORIGIN have definitely established themselves as the tops of the fleet by finishing first and second respectively in the past three events.But the final iShares event will be held in Amsterdam from September 19 – 21.Racing there will be a close as it gets (an average two lap race will be about 8 minutes long).With ten competitive boats on the line in a venue that tight, it will be anybody’s race.
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Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
Comment by James — September 18, 2008 @ 4:49 am