The 2009 destinations

  • Round #1 : Venice (Italy)
    from 15th to 17th May
  • Round #2 : Hyères - TPM (France)
    from 3rd to 5th July
  • Round #3 : Cowes (England)
    from 1st to 3rd August
  • Round #4 : Kiel (Germany)
    from 28th to 30th August
  • Round #5 : Amsterdam (Holland)
    from 25th to 27th September
  • Round #6 : Almeria (Spain)
    from 10th to 12th October

The Extreme 40 circuit, Sport and adrenaline guaranteed

Launched in 2007, on the initiative of Offshore Challenges Events – one of the subsidiaries of Mark Turner and Ellen Macarthur’s company – the Extreme 40’ circuit is experiencing increasing popularity. For its third season, the iShares Cup has passed an important milestone, as the very fine 2009 line-up bears witness. The six dates of this new edition will take the ten participating teams around the four corners of Europe: Italy, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Holland and Spain.

The participating crews will do battle on equal terms on 40 foot one design catamarans: the Extreme 40’. Each team comprises four sailors, to which a guest is added – the 5th man – when weather conditions allow. Besides their resolutely spectacular tone, the Extreme 40’ races can be distinguished by a singular formula which consists of a series of small scale courses which rarely exceed 15 minutes of racing. Their aim is to enable the general public to see nautical jousts up close, with the organisers favouring race zones immediately next to the coast, or even within the very heart of the selected towns. This is why Gitana Extreme and her rivals will be able to race just a stone’s throw from the famous Saint Mark’s Square in Venice for example, or even close to the legendary canals of Amsterdam.

The only one of its kind, the circuit blends a clever mixture of competition and spectacle, which is something that has already proven to be such a tremendous success with the owner of Gitana Team during the multihull Grands Prix.

The forces present

  • BMW Oracle Racing – James Spithill (Aus)
  • BT - Nick Moloney (Aus)
  • Ecover – Mike Golding (Gbr)
  • Gitana Extrême - Groupe LCF Rothschild – Yann GUICHARD (Fra)
  • Groupama 40 – Franck Cammas (Fra)
  • Holmatro – Carolijn Brouwer (Ned)
  • iShares – Shirley Robertson (Gbr)
  • Luna – Erik Maris (Fra)
  • Oman Sail Masirah – Pete Cumming (Gbr)
  • Oman Sail Renaissance – Loïck Peyron (Fra)

« I’m a competitor through and through and I’ve always thought it would be more interesting to perform or even win against stiff competition. As such the 2009 line-up, where helmsmen such as Franck Cammas, Loïck Peyron as well as James Spithill are announced, is naturally a source of additional motivation. The Extreme 40’ circuit today is the only European circuit with such a high sporting level. »