After scoring a podium place finishing in third position at the inaugural iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series in Lugano (Switzerland), now the circuit moves to Hyères in France for round two of five events. Skipper Nick Moloney and the BT crew are already in Hyères putting in some training before the event starts on Friday, 13th June.
"We're really excited about Hyères. The team is in good form and we hope the confidence we gained with each other in Lugaeno continues. As with any new team a down curve can create a spiral into a rut that is tough to climb out of. We gained a lot of belief and trust in each other at the last event and if we have another good one here in Hyères I will feel confident in our chances of making the podium for the season and possible outright win," commented Moloney.
"We have a crew change for this event as this is the one event for the season that Steve [Mitchell] cannot make. This is very tough as Steve plays a vital role onboard particularly in starts and rules. His replacement is Nigel King who is strong and fit and determined to get a solid result in his first appearance on this tour alongside the regular crew of Ed Barney and Andrew Walsh."
"We got here at the weekend and put the BT Extreme 40 together yesterday so now we start some training in earnest. Hyères is generally light winds or blowing a gale so will be watching the forecast Lclosely towards the end of the week."
"Another interesting round where you wish you had a chance to look into that crystal ball to get a glimpse of what's to come!"
If its anything like the Lugano event that saw the America's Cup team Alinghi capsize and break their mast in the first race as a strong squall swept through the fleet, it should prove to be exciting! Two new teams - Tommy Hilfiger and Twins - join the Extreme 40 fleet which means there will be 11 boats on the start line within view of the spectators in Hyéres.
The iShares Cup will be based in the Port St Pierre harbour in Hyères, with the race village jutting out into the water next to the Bassin des Deriveurs for a close-up view of the action. Racing takes place from on Friday June 13th to Sunday 15th, with corporate sailing or practice session each morning with racing scheduled to start at 2.00pm local time each afternoon with six races planned each day.
OVERALL POSITIONS AFTER ROUND 1, iSHARES CUP
1st JPMorgan Asset Management (Shirley Robertson) 10pts
2nd TEAMORIGIN (Robert Greenhalgh) 9pts
3rd BT (Nick Moloney) 8pts
4th Oman Sail (Pete Cumming) 7pts
5th Alinghi (Ed Baird) 6pts
6th iShares (Hugh Styles) 5pts
7th Holmatro (Andreas Hagara) 4pts
8th Team Aqua (Cameron Appleton) 3pts
9th Volvo Ocean Race (Herbert Derckson) 2pts
