EXTREME SAILING IS BACK
The Extreme Sailing Series is back in Cardiff Bay for a seventh year this weekend. Here’s all you need to know
CARDIFF Bay will welcome some of the world’s finest sailors as an annual adrenaline-fuelled boating event returns to the city.
During this weekend, the Welsh capital will see boats and sailors take over the Bay, as part of the Extreme Sailing Series.
In previous years, crowds have lined the waterfront at Cardiff Bay to see Olympic gold medallists and round-the-world sailing legends, and you can expect the same at this year’s event.
“The Extreme Sailing Series is all about incredible adrenalinepumping, elite-level racing, and is the perfect headliner for Cardiff Harbour Festival,” said Extreme Sailing Series commercial director, Scott Over.
“This buzzing city provides the series with all the ingredients for a phenomenal event.”
He added: “From a fantastic racecourse on the water, to a firstclass Race Village and brand activations on the shore.
“We are looking forward to returning to this cultural hub for the seventh time, as the crowds turn out for yet another superb sailing spectacle.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the Extreme Sailing Series in Cardiff...
Where and when is it taking place?
The event is taking place in Cardiff Bay from today to Monday.
It’s the only UK act of the global series. This year’s circuit began in Muscat, Oman, in March, before moving on to Riva del Garda, Italy, for the GC32 World Championship.
The next stop was Barcelona in Spain and most recently, Cascais in Portugal.
After the Cardiff event, the final two acts will take place in San Diego, USA, and Los Cabos, Mexico.
What can I expect?
As well as watching all the sailing action, there will be a number of on-shore activities, such as a market in Roald Dahl Plass, family friendly activities in Britannia Park, live music tomorrow evening, and the nearby Cardiff Bay Beach Festival to keep the whole family entertained.
The free-to-enter public Fan Zone will offer a live music stage,
food and drink stalls, walkabout characters, an Eco Lounge containing furniture upcycled from debris collected in the Bay, and much more.
Joining the series regulars on Cardiff ’s famously tricky and tactical course, Extreme Sailing Series wildcard Team Wales will be looking to prove themselves as hot competition on home waters as they race in the headline act of the Cardiff Harbour Festival.
Crewed by a mixture of Welsh and English sailing talent, Team Wales boasts an array of racing accolades, from Olympic campaigns to European and World Championships, with many of the team also having competed on the Extreme Sailing Series circuit in recent years.
With the Welsh capital providing the perfect Stadium Racing setting, the crew onboard Team Wales is keen to come out on top in front of Cardiff’s crowds.
“I can’t wait to get back out on Cardiff Bay for another year of the Extreme Sailing Series,” said Martin Evans, Team Wales’ mainsail trimmer.
“My very first sailing experience was with my grandfather in a mirror dinghy in Swansea marina so it’s a real treat to come back to South Wales as part of a professional outfit – it will give my grandfather and the Welsh crowds something to cheer for.” How much is it?
The event is free to watch from a designated Fan Zone – complete with front-row seats to the exhilarating onwater action.
However, VIP tickets to the event are available, and can be bought from the Extreme Sailing Series website.