Thanks to Suzanne and Alan for this latest sailing report. Ed
Act 7 of the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series global tour takes place off the shores of Nice, South of France, from the 18th until the 21st October.
Four days of racing are planned in the final European Act of the 2012 Series as the eight Extreme 40 teams prepare for what is sure to be a nail bitingly close regatta for the penultimate event of the year. Current Series leader and skipper of The Wave, Muscat, Island sailor Leigh McMillan, is one again looking forward to the event.
Joined by Olympian Hannah Mills
In a new addition to his team Leigh will be joined by London 2012 Olympic silver medallist Hannah Mills, who said: “Cardiff was a great event for me and really fun but it was obviously a real learning curve as it was my first multihull experience. With Leigh currently leading the Series there is more pressure on me for Nice. I wouldn’t want to let them down and I hope to bring some new skills to the team. There is a lot I can learn from Leigh and the team about multihulls which could be useful for my next Olympic campaign.”
Three victories this year may see Leigh top of the leaderboard, but just seven points behind, and breathing down his neck, are two teams tied on points – Oman Air fresh from a win at the previous Act in Cardiff,and the Austrian squad Red Bull Sailing Team.
Finale takes place in Rio de Janeiro
The highly anticipated finale of the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series will take place in the city of Rio de Janeiro as the Series heads West to make its South American debut, announced Series organisers OC Sport on the 3rd October at the São Paulo Boat Show alongside Host Venue partners BR Marinas.
This event will be the culmination of 11 months of global touring for the eight Extreme 40 teams when the final races of the Series will be played out for the overall 2012 Series championship title.
Known as the cidade maravilhosa – or marvellous city – Rio de Janeiro has been enticing visitors for years. Flanked by mountains, white-sand beaches, lush rainforests and with a bustling city centre at its heart, Rio seems to have it all.
Racing in December
Racing will take place over four days from the 6th-9th December – the first of which will be open water racing in front of the world-famous Copacabana beach, before three days of stadium racing off Flamengo Beach and under the silhouette of Brazil’s most widely recognised landmarks, the Corcovado and Sugarloaf mountains, providing an iconic backdrop for the stadium racing.
Image: © Lloyd Images/Oman Sail
