X-40 Catamaran World Tour Debuts in Hamburg

Red Bull X Sailing Team in tight upwind sailing the X-40

The sun of Germany Hamburg and its swift ocean waters will shine bright on the new stop of the Extreme Sailing Competition World Tour. The scaled up X 40 Catamaran -with design origins based on the Olympic Class Catamaran Tornado will take to the water arena in hopes of blowing the minds of spectators. What can and can't be done on a Catamaran will be put to the test again in Hamburg on the final days of July. 

Winds are expected to pick up for Teams sailing the X-40 World Series. “Once the winds kick in the hull starts to fly peaking to as much as 30 knots”, the organizers promised adrenaline rush and raw sail down show down. 

The X Sailing Series counts with big names like Red Bull and Land Rover. Teams and athletes sailing include World Champions, Olympic heroes, America’s Cup winners and “Round the World Sailing Legends”. 

Teams GAC Pindar, Team Russia, SAP, Red Bull, Oman Air, Team Germany and others will take to the Hamburg Venue from the 23rd to the 26th of July. Hamburg is but one of the 8 stops of the World Tour with set dates in three Continents. 2015 World Tour dates include venues in Singapore, Oman, China, UK, Istanbul, Australia and others.

On July 6th Extreme Sailing Series communicated that “Germany’s top sailors have come together for world-renowned series debut in Hamburg”.

“Fresh from taking gold in the Nacra 17 class at Kiel Week less than two weeks ago, 20 year-old Paul Kohlhoff -a rising star of German sailing, has joined forces with one of the country’s best known and most successful sailors, Roland Gaebler, to take on some of the world’s top sailing teams at the Extreme Sailing Series™, Act 5 Hamburg, presented by Land Rover,” the organization which continues to gain waters and world public stated. 

Venues are designed for masses of spectators to be able to witness “live-on-the.water” sail racing. From startline to finish line viewers attending in person will be able to absorb the fast spirit of the X-40. 

Extreme Sailing Series is also boosting its reporting and taking broadcasting, social media and online communication strategies very seriously. 

For the past years the Cameramen from the Series -working with the official broadcast partners, Sunset+Vine|APP, have produced some of the most breathtaking films ever recorded in sailing.

“Sailing an X 40 is hard enough. Imagine what it is like for the cameramen who go on board these highly unstable platforms and try to record broadcast-standard film while the boats are hammering along or doing handbrake turns,” the organization explained.

“It is hard to think of another sporting environment that demands more from cameramen than the Extreme Sailing Series fleet at full throttle,” the sport organization added. 

Ralph Hewitt has been working as a film editor and an on-board cameraman at the Series for the past three years and knows what it is like trying to operate at the sharp end. 

Hewitt, has to concentrate on hanging on, trying to keep his camera out of the spray, moving from one side of the boat to the other as required, keeping an eye out for what manoeuvre might be coming next while all the time trying to focus on what he should be filming.

Hewitt assures that it is hard to get across to the audience the excitement of the race and the most dramatic moments “of acceleration when the catamarans respond to a puff of breeze and jump into action. 

Sailing Scuttle Butt reported on June 20 that the Cardiff Event of the Series delivered “relentless days, fast pacing courses, speeds of up to 23 knots and tight competition sailing”. 

“Now in its ninth season in 2015, the award-winning and adrenaline-fueled global Series has given the sport of sailing a healthy dusting-off. Bringing the action to the public with Stadium Sailing, putting guests at the heart of the battle and dramatically increasing the pace on the water, the creators of the Extreme Sailing Series™ have set new standards, both in terms of high level competition and sporting entertainment,” the organization ends it. 

Land Rover official presenter of the Extreme Sailing Series Stop 5 Hamburg assures that the Race Village will be free and open to the public. Viewers attending will be able to experience the unique stadium racing meters from the shore in HafenCity.

Lining up alongside are 40 of the world’s best sailors from up to 12 nations. The competition will be tough and...fast...really fast.