Oman Air won its first act of the Extreme Sailing Series ™ 2017 season and SAP Extreme Sailing Team went up to the top of the general ranking after a final infarction in the first act contested in Barcelona in the 11 years of the Series history. Before starting the last test of the day, valid by double score, only 10 points separated four teams: Oman Air, Red Bull Sailing Team, SAP Extreme Sailing Team and Alinghi; the suspension was guaranteed to the end.

After a fair trial, Phil Robertson's men sealed the win in the fourth stage of the season by winning the tenth trial of the Act with two minutes of advantage over their closest rivals, the Dane of SAP Extreme Sailing Team. The audience gathered in the Village, next to the Hotel W de la Barceloneta, were able to hear the celebrations of the Omani crew that thus achieved their first triumph of the year in this global and annual circuit.

Three first positions in six tests gave Red Bull Sailing Team the second position and one second in the last test secured a third position to SAP Extreme Sailing Team. Alinghi's hopes of not getting off the podium this season ended in years after finishing in seventh place of the last test, so the Swiss have to settle for a fourth square. In the general classification of the season, SAP Extreme Sailing Team goes to the first place, tied to 43 points with Alinghi while Oman Air reduces the difference in points against its rivals.

The two local teams: FNOB Impulse and Team Extreme, close the classification of Act 4 in Barcelona. FNOB Impulse's pattern, Jordi Xammar, said that the experience of competing on a flying GC32 has been unforgettable. "It has been amazing and we have to be very proud of what we have achieved. It has been an opportunity that we will not forget," said the Barcelona pattern of FNOB Impulse, a team promoted by the partner of the host city, the Fundación Navigació Oceanica de Barcelona (FNOB), with the support of Panasonic, Pierre & Vacances, Factorenergy and SeQura.

The 22 tests of Act 4 first contested in Barcelona with the support of the FNOB concludes with great success and under almost perfect conditions of navigation. In the Flying Phantom Series, the Austrians of Red Bull Sailing Team repeat their victory in Madeira. The next Extreme Sailing Series ™ event will be held in Hamburg, Germany, from 10 to 13 August. The final classification in Barcelona was as follows:

Final classification in Barcelona
1 Oman Air (OMA), 233 points.
2nd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT), 227
3rd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN), 221
4th Alinghi (SUI), 214
5th NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL), 191
6th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR), 190
7th FNOB Print (ESP), 159
8th Team Extreme (ESP), 129

General ranking of Extreme Sailing Series 2017
1 SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 43 points
2nd Alinghi (UI)
3rd Oman Air (OMA) 42
4th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 37
5th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) 32
6th NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL) 31

22 / 07 / 2017 - Omar Air takes the lead of the Extreme Sailing Series in Barcelona

Oman Air in Barcelona waters. Photo: Lloyd Images

The men of the New Zealand world match race champion Phil Robertson gave a full water performance lesson to the rest of the fleet and added three first, three seconds and three third of the ten sleeves today under perfect navigation conditions for the international GC32 fleet.

If yesterday it was the Swiss of Alinghi who dominated the day, followed by the New Zealanders of NZ Extreme Sailing Team, today the torns have changed in favor of the Omani who are closely followed by the Austrians of Red Bull Sailing Team, with the double Olympic gold medalists on board: Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher, while Alinghi and NZ Extreme Sailing Team have come down from the podium, waiting for what happens on the last day. The last Sunday test is worth double score.

The Spanish of FNOB Impulse, one of the two local teams invited in the race that is being fought in Barcelona, managed to add four quarters but remain in the seventh position of the general, which closes Team Extreme, also local crew with the Olympic medalist of the Games of Barcelona '92 Mitch Booth in front.

At noon the spectacular CG32 flying catamarans carried out an exhibition tour inside the Port Vell of Barcelona just before they resumed the competition. An adrenaline injection and speed that, until July 23, citizens will be able to follow from the beaches, thanks to the format of the circuit in stage format, designed to bring action to the coast and to the spectators.

In the Flying Phantoms fleet, the fast catamarans that compete in the European stages of Extreme Sailing Series, the French Cup Legend led the classification, followed by Red Bull Sailing Team and also the Welsh Solidaires in Peloton. The competition will end on Sunday at 14: 00 local time until 17: 00. The international fleet of 12 Flying Phantoms will sail from 10: 00 in the morning. The general is as follows:

1 Oman Air (OMA), 164 points.
2 Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT), 158
3 SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN), 154
4 Alinghi (SUI), 151
5 NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL), 129
6 Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR), 129
7 FNOB Print (ESP), 113
8 Team Extreme (ESP), 90

21 / 07 / 2017 - The FNOB Impulse escapes its first victory in the Extreme Sailing Series

The FNOB Impulse by Jordi Xammar sailing next to the Village at Hotel W (Photo Lloyg Images)

The first day of the Extreme Sailing Series Act 4 in Barcelona saw one of the two local teams, the FNOB Impulse, escape their first victory in water. The young crew, with the 23-year-old Barcelona Olympic regatist Jordi Xammar, was heading towards the first-place arrival line when their GC32 catamaran ran into one of the beacons of the race field. The crew did everything they could to get the ship out of the entourage and, when it finally did, the Kiwi NZ Extreme Sailing Team approached on its heels. Although the local crew managed to mount the beacon in front of the kiwis, they found a penalty on the part of the referees for preventing the passage to Chris Steele's crew that cost them to win the test.

Once the regulatory penalty shift was completed, six teams had advanced the Xammar crew, which ended with the hope of the premises to add their first 12 points to the classification. A hard lesson for the Spaniards who close the provisional classification of the day, which at the same time demonstrates the potential of this young crew. Promised by the partner of the host city, the Fundación Navigació Oceanica de Barcelona (FNOB), the FNOB Impulse has the support of Panasonic, Pierre & Vacances, Factorenergia and SeQura.

The leaders of the general classification, Alinghi, continued their dominance also in Barcelona by winning three of the six competitions in the race field. In the Flying Phantoms fleet is Red Bull Sailing Team, with Austrian Olympic medalist Thomas Zajac as the patron, who heads the classification. The competition will continue tomorrow Saturday at 15: 00 local time. The international fleet of 12 Flying Phantoms will sail from 10: 00 in the morning.

Classification of Extreme Sailing Series Act 4, Barcelona after 6 tests

1 Alinghi (SUI), 64 points.
2 NZ Extreme Sailing Team (NZL), 58
3 Oman Air (OMA), 56
4 Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT), 53
5 Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR), 53
6 SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN), 50
7 Team Extreme (ESP), 37
8 FNOB Print (ESP), 36

20 / 07 / 2017 - The state of the sea forces to postpone the opening day of the EXSS in Barcelona

Multudinaria presentation of the Extreme Sailing Series in Barcelona. Photo: Lloyd Images

The first day of competition of Extreme Sailing Series in Barcelona will have to wait until tomorrow Friday. The state of the sea, accompanied by a strong wind of up to 25 knots, forced the Director of Regatas, John Craig, to cancel the race this Thursday so as not to jeopardize the integrity of the international fleet of eight GC32 that compete in the fourth Act of the 2017 season.

The state of the sea has brought very high waves and a lot of wind. The forecast for tomorrow is that the wind amaine so we hope to be able to live an exciting competition from Friday to Sunday. The state of the sea will calm down because the wind will roll to the south, so we wait for little wind in the morning and the breeze will come later to reach 10 or 12 knots; everything makes it possible to anticipate very good conditions to start the competition here in Barcelona.

With today's conditions it is very difficult for any ship to compete, also for catamarans on foils; the fleet would sail very together and the proas of the ships would be constantly entering the waves so it could become a dangerous situation. It is therefore a decision made prioritizing the safety of the ships and crew, "Craig explained.

During the official press conference of patterns, the eight teams of the international fleet gathered in front of the national and international press. These are some of the statements of the patterns. The start of the competition is scheduled for tomorrow Friday at 15: 00 local time. The international fleet of 12 Flying Phantoms will sail from 10: 00 in the morning local time.

19 / 07 / 2017 - The Extreme Sailing Series show comes to Barcelona for the first time

The GC32 sailing in Funchal waters in Madeira... in the third race of the World Circuit (Photo Lloyd Images)

Tomorrow Thursday the Extreme Sailing Series starts in Barcelona, the extreme sailing competition par excellence that will be held for the first time in the conical city, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Olympic Games. From July 20 to 23, citizens will be able to follow the show of these very fast flying sailboats from the beaches, thanks to the circuit format - the current format - designed to bring the action to the coast and the spectators.

For four days, Barcelona will host the fourth stage of the season, which will have some of the best regatists around the world who compete in flying catamarans over GC32 hydroalas in short and fast sleeves. These are light ships with a 10-meter unique design - made of carbon fiber and equipped with hydroals - manned by teams of 5 regatists, in addition to a VIP guest, who can experience the feeling of flying on a GC32.

8 teams will participate in Barcelona: the regular international fleet of 6 teams, which is joined by the local guest team FNOB Impulse - with the Barcelona Olympic crew Jordi Xammar as the master of a crew formed by the best promises of the national sailing - and the second guest team, Team Extreme, with the Australian Mitch Booth, veteran of the Extreme Sailing Series and Olympic medalist at the head of the crew.

The FNOB Impulse, promoted by the partner of the host city, the Fundación Navigació Oceanica de Barcelona (FNOB), with the support of Panasonic, Pierre & Vacances, Factorenergy and SeQura, has a crew that competed at the recent Red Bull Youth America's Cup. For its part, Team Extreme has the support of the Municipality of Calafell (Tarragona), with a sailing school that aims to develop the candle in catamarans at the highest level. In its 11th edition, the Extreme Sailing Series travel 8 countries on 3 continents in 10 months. After Muscat (Oman), Qingdao (China) and Madeira (Portugal), the competition comes to Barcelona with the support of the FNOB.

The eight teams will race from 15: 00 local time on Thursday 20 and until Sunday 23 July. The fleet was last confronted in the Madeira race field three weeks ago and, despite the fact that the Danish crew SAP Extreme Sailing Team was the one who got on the podium in the Portuguese archipelago, the Swiss of Alinghi lead the general classification of the season for just one point. The show in the water will be completed with the fleet of catamarans Flying Phantom, which will compete every morning as part of the 2017 championship of this class that is disputed in the European Acts of Extreme Sailing Series for the first time this year.

How to see the Extreme Sailing Series?

The Extreme Sailing Series provides the public with a unique opportunity: to get on one of the fastest sailing boats in the world to live from within and in the first person this extreme sailing competition.

The spectators who prefer to follow all the action from the ground will be able to see the four-day show from the beaches of Barceloneta or from the free entrance Village located next to the hotel W, in the square Rosa dels Vents, from where they will be able to follow live the competition in stage format of which the Series is a pioneer. Free public activities are held in the Village, which will be open from 10: 00 to 19: 00 from 20 to 23 July. Those who seek a more exclusive experience can access the VIP packages on the website in this link.

Also, on Saturday, July 22, at 14: 00, the GC32 flying ships will take an exhibition tour at Port Vell so that citizens can see the ships closely.

The action can be followed live on the live blog on the website from 15: 00 to 18: 00 on July 20 and 21 and live images through the official Facebook and YouTube channels on Saturday 22 from 15: 00 to 18: 00 and on Sunday 23 from 14: 00 to 17: 00.