The new season promises to be a busy one for sailing enthusiasts. Not so long ago we learned about the arrival of prestigious Extreme Sailing Series races in St. Petersburg. The fact that the Russian team will participate in the St. Petersburg stage was almost certainly - according to the tradition of the series, the host side has the right to exhibit its team. As a guest. However, a little later, even more joyful news came from St. Petersburg Yacht Club and OC Sport - our team, not only will be a guest of the Russian stage, but officially came to the Extreme 40 class, becoming the eleventh member of the series and this season will fight with sailing professionals - Emirates Team New Zealand, Groupama Team France, The Wave, Muscat, Alinghi and J.P. Morgan BAR. The first stage will start in less than a month - February 20 in Singapore.
Crew of Gazprom Team Russia
The skipper of the Russian team will be Igor Lisovenko, a participant of two Olympic Games in Laser class, who also drove several seasons in RC44.
«Being the skipper and tactician of the first Russian team in the Extreme Sailing Series is both a great responsibility and a rare good luck," comments Igor Lisovenko on his appointment.
Alexey Kulakov, 49er class driver and «Synergy»team will compete in the tank position. Victor Serezhkin, representative of RUS7 club, former member of Russian national team in Laser class, is training as a reserve trimmer with the team.
The most experienced athletes of the Extreme Sailing Series from Great Britain joined Gazprom Team Russia. The helmsman invited twice the winner of the series with the teams The Wave, Muscat and Luna Rossa Paul Campbell James.
«Like all other participants, we start the series with the hope of winning," comments Paul Campbell James. - I am looking forward to the first starting signal, because the Extreme Sailing Series is simply a unique sailing cycle».
Alistair Richardson, the Luna Rossa project participant in the 34th America's Cup, will be in the mainsail trimmer position, and Pete Cummings will be in the control of the stack, with victories in the Extreme Sailing Series 2009 and 2010, as well as management and coaching work.
Pete Cummings noted that being in the same team with a helm like Paul Campbell James is an opportunity that should not be missed.
«In my opinion, Paul is one of the best helmsmen in class. His sporting character perfectly reflects the very philosophy of the Extreme Sailing Series. My 7 years of experience and two victories in the series will help us to form a great crew, worthy of a place on the podium!»
Extreme Sailing Series
The race is on the Extreme40, a 12-meter catamaran capable of 40 knots in 25 winds. The Extreme format is always a spectacular race near the shore, attracting sailing enthusiasts and casual spectators. This format has become a landmark for the organizers of the New Colony «America»'s Cup.
The live broadcast can be seen on the racing site www.extremesailingseries.com.
