The World Sailing Show – October 2018

From non-stop around the world racers, to Olympic campaigns; from seasoned professionals, to grass roots sailors, The World Sailing Show provides a monthly view of the racing world. Here’s the October 2018 show synopsis.

SUMMARY:
To complete the 1,800 mile course means negotiating the UK’s most notorious headlands while coping with strong tides and wild weather. Little surprise that the RORC Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is considered by many to be Europe’s toughest race. This year was no exception.

A big day for the most prestigious trophy in the sailing world as the America’s Cup returned to Cowes to take centre stage where plans for the 2021 event were revealed. The World Sailing Show was there.

Plus, we head to Puerto Portals for the 52 Super Series’ penultimate event and to the Extreme Sailing Series for some straight talk.

36th America’s Cup Overture
The planning for the 36th America’s Cup started the minute Emirates Team New Zealand crossed the finishing line in Bermuda last June. News of the radical 75ft foiling monohull that would be used for the next cycle followed shortly afterwards. But until now there has been little detail on the dates and the race format for the next Cup match.

A flying visit by the 167 year old trophy to her spiritual home, Cowes, Isle of Wight, along with her entourage changed all of that as the America’s Cup Overture presented a fuller picture for the 2021 event. The World Sailing Show was there and talked directly to the key players.

Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race
The 1,800 mile course takes the fleet around some of the most notorious headlands on the UK’s jagged coastline. Strong, complex tides and the potential for some wild weather add to the pressure on boats and crews leading many to claim that the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race is Europe’s toughest race. We follow Phil Sharp and his crew aboard Imerys Clean Energy among others as they charge around the UK.

52 Super Series – Puerto Portals
It was the penultimate event of the 52 Super Series season, the pressure was building and the results sheets proved it. In this fiercely competitive fleet, winning continues to be anybody’s game. We find out who came out on top in Mallorca as well as talking to one of the world’s leading coaches about how his team trains for success.

Extreme Sailing Series – Straight talk
Oman Air skipper Phil Robertson gives a candid assessment of; the season’s racing so far, his team’s performance, the challenge of foiling and how the Extreme Sailing Series might affect other areas of the sport.