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The award winning European series has been running for three years and has revolutionised the way sailing is seen. This inaugural Asian series will focus on sharing this exciting new facet of sailing with local stakeholders, VIPs and the media - with the aim of returning in the future with a fully public orientated event.

The first round of the Extreme Sailing Series Asia will run from 20-24 November, based out of the prestigious Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club right at the heart of this iconic city.

Five days of racing will see the Extreme 40s, a dynamic 40-foot catamaran that can reach speeds of up to 73km per hour, "fly" a hull in just eight knots of wind. The sailors compete in a series of short, sharp races over the five days, as well as the famous Around the Island Race on Sunday 22 November.

The event will also host a youth sailing day when youngsters will be given the chance of a lifetime to sail onboard the catamarans, alongside the top professional crews.

The China Team entry will be helmed by WEARN HAW Tan from Singapore, joined by Mark Mark Stopforth a former Olympian from South Africa now based in Hong Kong, Wang Jue from China and skippered by Thierry Barot, a Hong Kong based Frenchman with immense expertise and experience from America's Cup, Round the World Races and other world class big boat campaigns. These sailors all raced together in the 2007 China America's Cup team but new to Extreme 40 racing so will be joined by experienced Extreme 40 sailors and British Olympian Hugh Styles and Adam Piggott.

Thierry Barot, Skipper of China Team commented, "Since the last America's Cup in Valencia, Wearn Haw and myself have been sailing together to find new Asian talent with the objective of creating a new group, a 'new generation' of Chinese/Asian sailors that are able to race in all the most valuable and high performance races in the world of yachting, like the Volvo Ocean Race, the America's Cup, match racing, TP52s and of course the Extreme 40s. Our participation in the Extreme Sailing Series Asia will be the launch of this team. Although we have not had a lot of time to get the team together we see it as part of the plan to give young Asian sailors the opportunity to get experience in one of the top class events in the international sailing calendar."

Entry List:

BT - Nick Moloney (AUS)
China Team - Thierry Barot (FRA)
Oman Sail Masirah - Pete Cumming (GBR)
Red Bull Extreme Sailing Team - Roman Hagara (AUT)
Rumbo Almeria - Shirley Robertson (GBR)
The Wave, Muscat - Paul Campbell-James (GBR)

Extreme Sailing Series Asia

The inaugural Extreme Sailing Series Asia was launched in October 2009 by OC Events, organisers of the award-winning Extreme Sailing Series Europe, previously known as the iShares Cup, that saw over 200,000 spectators watch this dynamic series. The 2009/10 Series will visit Hong Kong (20-24 November), Singapore (11-15 December) and Muscat, Oman (1-5 February 2010)

The highly successful European Series is the blueprint for this inaugural Asian circuit that couples a sailing event with high sporting integrity with a corporate and public entertainments package. The aim being to build the Asian series up to the same high level as its European counterpart as the series develops.

Read more here - http://www.extremesailingseriesasia.com