Further to the Suzanne and Alan’s piece earlier today about the unconfirmed news that Extreme 40s racing would leave Cowes this year, this official confirmation from organiser of the series. Ed
The UK round of the award-winning Extreme Sailing Seriesâ„¢ now in its sixth year will be staged in Cardiff, Wales, between the 24-27 August, 2012, coinciding with the Cardiff Harbour Festival.
In a three-year deal, Cardiff won the bid to host the UK event of this global sailing circuit that is only one of four events with ISAF (International Sailing Federation) Special Event status, positioning the city alongside the other seven premium international sporting venues hosting an Extreme Sailing Series Act in 2012.
Backed by Welsh Government
The host venue agreement with Cardiff City is backed by a Welsh Government grant for 2012-2014.
Since the circuit’s inception in 2007, the UK round of the Extreme Sailing Series has been staged during Cowes Week with the support of the Isle of Wight Council and Cowes Week Ltd, entertaining thousands of spectators along The Esplanade shoreline. “We’ve had some great events in Cowes over the last five years and we’ve made significant investment as organisers to be there, but we just couldn’t afford to continue to subsidise it as a venue in 2012,” said Mark Turner, Executive chairman of the organising company behind the series, OC ThirdPole.”
Never received formal bid to host in Cowes
He went on to say, “Whilst Cowes Week Ltd have accommodated us as best as they could both operationally and politically, we’ve never actually received a formal bid to host the event in Cowes.
“The circuit went global last year and requires significant commercial backing to stage 8 events across 3 continents, and we have worked hard to develop the circuit to attract iconic cities and venues from around the world who value the return on investment.
“Year on year the commercial value to the host cities of securing this event has steadily increased, and this is reflected in the 2012 developments. A pro-active and innovative host venue is critical to the success of the event, and we are very excited in this respect by the partnership with Cardiff and the Welsh Government.”
Disappointing to not stay in Cowes
“Unfortunately, Cowes hasn’t been able to make a bid to keep the circuit here and it’s also disappointing for OC ThirdPole considering it’s home to one of our three international company bases. However, we remain very committed to the area and will continue to bring significant economic value to the Island as a business and through our other operations with our clients, such as, Artemis Investment Management and their extensive activity during Cowes Week itself.
“By 2011 our surveys indicated that there were many people traveling to Cowes specifically to watch the Extreme Sailing Series and we appreciated their support – we look forward to welcoming some of those existing fans to Cardiff along with a new audience the venue will bring us.”
Still chance for Extreme VIP activities
However, it is expected that two or three of the Extreme 40 teams will undertake VIP activities during Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, as the UK’s most popular regatta offers a great experience for their corporate guests.
As we enter the final countdown to the first Act in Oman, the 2012 team line-up will be revealed this coming weekend at the Dusseldorf Boat Show.
2012 Calendar & Host Venues
Act 1 : Muscat, Oman 28th February-2nd March
Act 2 : Qingdao, China 17th-20th April*
Act 3 : Istanbul, Turkey 7th-10th June
Act 4 : Porto, Portugal 5th-8th July
Act 5: Cardiff, UK 24th-27th August
Act 6 : Trapani, Italy 13th-16th September
Act 7 : Nice, France 18th-21st October
Act 8 : Brazil 29th November-2nd December
* Due to official Chinese naval activities in the port of Qingdao, Act 2 will now be staged between 17th-20th April instead of the 19th-22nd April as previously communicated.
Update 12.53:
Why Cowes didn’t bid for the series
We asked Cowes Week Ltd why they did not bid for the series.
A spokesperson told VB, “Cowes Week Limited and the Isle of Wight Council have worked very hard over the years to accommodate the Series within Cowes Week and the Series has always received a considerable amount of support.
“From a commercial perspective, the normal commercial model that is in place for the Series has differed for Cowes Week. In most other situations around the world, the local authority provides funding for the Series in recognition of the visitors that these standalone events bring to a region.
“Given that Cowes Week has always attracted a significant number of visitors and that the event ensures it is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the Island anyway, the dynamics of holding the Extreme Sailing Series as an associated part of Cowes Week were always going to be different.”
