Extreme Sailing Series™ 2016, Programme One, Muscat & Qingdao

The curtain was officially raised for the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series™ in March, kicking off the season in style in the Sultanate of Oman. The season started with a stunning coastal race down to the historic old town of Muscat, which saw the new hydro-foiling GC32s race against the backdrop of the Al Alam Royal Castle in the Muttrah Port on the opening day. The fleet then took to the Omani Stadium for three action-packed days of racing, which saw the eight teams really get to grips with flying. Muscat proved the perfect debut for the Extreme Sailing Series to ‘fly’ into its 10th season.

Next stop for the eight-strong fleet was the Olympic Sailing City of Qingdao, China – a regular on the global Stadium Racing circuit. From the 29 April – 2 May Act 2 saw the fleet face the challenging, fickle conditions Qingdao threw at them, with the smallest of mistakes punished on this racecourse. The experienced rose to the top, and a final day showdown saw the eight GC32 hydro-foiling catamarans ‘fly’ on Fushan Bay.

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