San Diego Delivers Extreme Sailing
Act 8 of the Extreme Sailing Series is now in the books, and San Diego delivered the goods in wholesale fashion. Just as forecast, the breeze filled in after Day 1 of racing with San Diego Bay providing perfect conditions for the GC32 foiling catamarans during the final three days of the series’ first-ever stop in San Diego. Breezy conditions and flat water provided plenty of action for the throngs of fans who showed up to view the regatta from both Harbor Island and the USS Midway. When the dust settled it was the Danish-flagged SAP Extreme Sailing Team, skippered by Kiwi Adam Minoprio, standing on the top step of the podium after a hard-fought battle with the Swiss Alinghi syndicate, skippered by Swiss sailor Arnaud Psarofaghis.
After 25 races over four days, the battle between SAP Extreme and Alinghi came down to the final race — a double-points affair — to determine the weekend’s winner. SAP Extreme extended their lead in the championship over Oman Air to six points, while Alinghi’s second-place result allowed them to claw two points back from Oman Air in the overall 2017 season championship, to sit just one point astern of the Omani syndicate. While SAP Extreme’s championship lead has become a bit more secure, the season’s final event in Cabo San Lucas will be a double-points event, ensuring that the three top teams all have a fighting chance to win the 2017 title. The series will visit Mexico for the first time ever on November 30-December 3.
For the American sailors onboard Team Extreme San Diego and Lupe Tortilla Demetrio, San Diego was a humbling event, with the two American teams bringing up the rear of the fleet with Team Extreme San Diego finishing in seventh overall for the weekend and Lupe Tortilla Demetrio in eighth. A technical issue forced Land Rover BAR Academy to miss two races on the final day, which allowed Morgan Larson and Team Extreme San Diego to pull tantalizingly close to the British team, coming up just three points short of moving into sixth place for the weekend.
In addition to the foiling GC32 cats, a fleet of foiling kiteboards sailed 13 races over four days with Frenchman Axel Mazella storming to a commanding victory. The Bay Area’s Johnny Heineken worked his way up through the fleet after a slow start to earn a spot on the podium in the 15-strong fleet.