iShares Cup 'Rock Stars'
03 August 2009Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran fame met raced onboard Team iShares with Shirley Robertson today. TV presenter and adventurer, Ben Fogle, had the Extreme 40 experience as a special guest of Ecover sailing with Mike Golding as 5th man and Formula 1 Brawn GP CEO, Nicky Fry, had a high-speed ride on one of the Extreme 40 Formula 1 machines with Oman Sail Masirah....
Day 2: Crowd pleasing Extreme 40s steal the show
02 August 2009Thousands of spectators as far as the eye could see lined the Cowes shoreline to watch the Extreme 40 fleet racing on day 2 of the iShares Cup at Cowes Week. The action was spectacular and the crowds loved it - roaring their appreciation at every photo finish! The nine-boat fleet playing 'who dares wins' coming as close to the shore as possible to avoid the adverse tide. A punishing day for the Extreme 40 crews and their boats – few overnight repairs are required. Sunshine and a strong breeze provided a great combination that saw Oman Sail Masirah finish 1st or 2nd in every race. Can either Gitana Extreme – Groupe LCF Rothschild or Oman Sail Renaissance break Masirah's stronghold? Find out tomorrow on the final day....
Day 1 Belongs to Oman Sail's Masirah
01 August 2009Day 1 of the iShares Cup at Cowes Week firmly belongs to Pete Cumming and the crew of Oman Sail Masirah - winning 5 out of the 6 races held today. Olympic Double Gold Medalist Shirley Robertson and her crew on Team iShares excelled at their ‘home’ event, benefiting from their local knowledge scoring their best result to date in the iShares Cup 2009 series and go into the second day of competition in second place on the leaderboard. French team Gitana Extreme - Groupe LCF Rothschild rallied in the second half to put them third overall just ahead of Loick Peyron on Oman Sail's Renaissance. Throughout the racing there was plenty of action – the 40-ft catamarans regularly flying a hull thanks to the sometimes gusty conditions, the crews screaming for water, daring to come as close to the shore as possible without hitting the rocks - all keeping the spectators enthralled at the iShares Cup Race Village which is currently proving to be the most popular place in Cowes. ...
UK Round of the iShares Cup Could Not Get Any Closer!
31 July 2009The UK round of the iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series could not get any closer for both the spectators and the teams at the top of the leaderboard… This year the iShares Cup at Cowes Week will see the Extreme 40 race courses set just metres off the shoreline. Only 2 points separate the four teams at the top of the iShares Cup leaderboard which is still wide open, especially now current overall leaders BMW ORACLE Racing have been forced to miss the UK round due to commitments testing their new America’s Cup boat in San Diego. The racing action looks set to be spectacular with a good breeze forecast for the weekend and a stronger breeze on the final day on Monday (3.8.09). Celebrity guests Ben Fogle, Dee Caffari and Iwan Thomas could have the ride of their lives! Last year at Cowes, the Extreme 40s were victim to multiple capsizes, dismastings and damage. This week’s blustery conditions on the Solent has made the training sessions challenging and Holmatro were victim to a dismasting two days ago due to gear failure. In today’s practice racing, LUNA, Gitana Extreme and BT took a race apiece. Follow all the breaking news at www.iSharesCup.com/cowes...
Star Radio 1 DJ to play at Extreme Bar
27 July 2009Rob da Bank, BBC Radio 1 DJ and founder of the Isle of Wight's famous Bestival music festival, will be playing the all-new Extreme Bar at Egypt Point, on Monday 3rd August from 8.30-10.30pm. ...
All to play for as iShares Cup comes to Cowes - event preview
23 July 2009There's just one week to go until the iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series arrives at Cowes Week for Round 3 of the European circuit from August 1-3, and it's all to play for amongst a top-class fleet. Against the backdrop of around 1,000 boats on the Solent taking part in Cowes Week, the Extreme 40s are the 'headline act' at the start of the week. The UK round has a brand new location, racing off The Green and The Esplanade with live commentary from Cowes Week Radio, and an all-new public race village and Extreme Bar with top entertainment at Egypt Point. On the water, the infamous Solent conditions will provide the crews with a fresh set of challenges for Round 3: "The class is full of rock-stars, but even they will find Cowes a handful," warns Team iShares skipper Shirley Roberston. After two rounds, there are currently just two points separating the top four teams, and with current iShares Cup series leaders BMW ORACLE Racing unable to take part due to their America's Cup training program, the iShares Cup 2009 Extreme 40 Sailing Series is wide open: the leaderboard looks set for a shake-up next week. ...
New Extreme Bar Open to All
23 July 2009The iShares Cup at Cowes Week has a brand new spot for 2009, racing right off The Green and The Esplanade at Egypt Point, and an all-new iShares Cup Race Village open to the public right through Cowes Week. On Egypt Point, just minutes along from The Green, the Extreme Bar offers free entry and panoramic spectator views of the Solent racecourse. It will be open daily from Friday 31st July to Saturday 8th August between 11am-8pm, plus special late opening (until 11pm) on Monday 3rd August for the iShares Cup finale with BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank (more details to follow next week) and Friday 7th August for Cowes Week's famous fireworks night. ...
iShares Cup rivals team up in bid for Olympic selection
17 July 2009iShares Cup sailors Chris Draper and Pete Greenhalgh both sail for Oman Sail, but when it comes to Extreme 40 racing they are very definitely rivals as they sail on different boats. ...
The French connection: excelling on multihulls
16 July 2009There's no question that France is a great sailing nation, but there's one area where French sailors seem to excel more than ever - in multihull racing....
Featured News
- The female factor17 June 2009
- Surviving the capsize15 June 2009
- A word with Mr Multihull - Loïck Peyron10 June 2009
- May we quote you?17 May 2009
- iShares Cup 09: Ticking all the boxes17 April 2009
