The press conference of the regatta began stressfully - with the midday salvo of the cannon of the Peter and Paul Fortress. Despite all the warnings, it is impossible not to flinch. But then everything went smoothly: the performance and blitz survey of skippers. The water area is familiar to many of them last year, however, it has not become easier for a year and, it cannot be said that this knowledge gives a big advantage.
For «Extreme Salin», the track in Peter is one of the shortest and requires special concentration. Athletes need not only to catch the wind and think how not to crash into the neighbors in such tight conditions, but also to take into account the rather strong current of the Neva - up to 2 knots - and changeable wind.
Leigh McMillan, skipper of The Wave, Muscat, said about the strategy of his team simply - to go «out and win». For others, the plan is minimum - not to run into anyone and not make mistakes. «The capsize» for Extreme Sailing is rare (which allows you to take guests on board), but it also happens. SAP team skipper Rasmus Kostner was tortured by leading press conferences on the subject of his boat's coup d'état in Hamburg and poisoned the soul with a video of that moment.
He admitted that they tried to survive out of the boat more than she could, but now the catamaran has been repaired, repainted, everything is fine - new paint skipper promised not to scratch, well, at least not too soon.
By the way, the Australian Mitch Booth, known for the fact that thanks to him the catamaran Extreme 40 was born. Mitch is one of the designers of the catamaran. Who but him must know the secrets of these technological boats. He is chasing the debutants of the St. Petersburg stage - the Turkish team Team Turx. An interesting detail is that they were supported not by a commercial partner, as it often happens, but by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism promoting yachting in the country.
The format of the races implies «stadium» - a compact water area with bright decorations, available for spectators far from sailing, and even more - ordinary spectators can participate in the race as a guest. The word «to participate is» too loud, of course. The main thing here is to sit where they say, and not to disturb anyone.
On the boat The Wave, Muscat, where I became a guest, of course, no one needs to interfere, but you can not sit. I was immediately instructed by the grid markings: here's a «green» square, here's a «white»square, here's a «red»square. When I shout: «Guest, red! You move to red». By the way, it was one of the two races where The Wave came first - perhaps because of the aggressive tactics they chose, but I'll be tempted by the thought that it was cool and quick to learn how to crawl from the white square to the green one.
The editorial staff would like to thank Skymec for the equipment provided for the aerial survey.
The results of the first day:
