From August 20 to 23, the Extreme 40 catamaran race will be held on the banks of the Neva near the Peter and Paul Fortress. In addition to the difficulty of the water area itself, for Gazprom Team Russia the performance in front of the Russian fans will be an important test.
This year the crew of the team was reinforced by one more Russian sportsman. Skipper Igor Lisovenko and bowman Alexey Kulakov, who were hardened in 2014, were joined by Alexander Bozhko, who is responsible for setting the jib and gennaker. Gazprom Team Russia's foreign contingent for 2015 remained the same, with Phil Robertson and Garth Ellingham both from New Zealand.
With two medals, Igor Lisovenko's team is confident of their strength.
He comments on the upcoming sixth round of racing: «Now we are the fourth in the season overall standings, and our strategic goal is to finish in the top three in 2015... From the sport point of view, the race in St. Petersburg does not differ much from the other stages of the season - everything is dynamic and very sharp, but for us it is very important to please Russian fans, and this is an additional motivation», - the Russian team skipper says.
Phil Robertson, on the contrary, is convinced that this stage will be one of the most difficult due to its location and the complexity of the water area.
«I had the chance to compete in St. Petersburg," said Robertson, "and I must admit that it will be the toughest stage of the race, but our guys are ready for the hardest test» " he added with optimism.
The Yacht Club of St. Petersburg is organizing the regatta. The racing village will be open for visitors since August 21, starting from 10 a.m. on Hare Island near St. Peter and Paul Fortress.
Spectators will be able to watch the competitions from here every day. Apart from that, some coastal entertainments will be possible: sailing academy seminars, sand sculpture festival and test drive of Land Rover cars.
As a reminder, this is the second time that the prestigious series of sailing races is coming to the city on the Neva. In June 2014, Russia hosted the fourth stage of the competition.
