Extreme Sailing Series at Cowes Week Best Ever Despite Restrictions.

The Extreme Sailing Series and Cowes Week have a tense relationship. Even though the Extreme 40 series has been to Cowes a number of times and adds an entertainment element that would otherwise be missing from the competitor based regatta, the catamaran event has been forced to play by Cowes Week rules to the detriment of their crowd-pleasing formula. In the beginning, the Extreme Series benefited from the media activity that Cowes enjoyed with a title sponsor, but now, the balance of power has probably shifted and Cowes Week perhaps gets more benefit more from having the OC Events run circuit next door than the other way around.

Despite having to fit in with a timetable imposed by Cowes Week management that saw hundreds of spectators watching Moth and windsurfer demonstrations while some of the best sailors sat in the hospitality tent, the UK round of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series exceeded OC Event’s expectations both on and off the water. In a statement released late last week, organisers said:

In ‘Stadium’ sailing mode, the 12 to 15 minutes races delivered some of the most spectacular racing the circuit has ever seen, in front of an estimated total crowd of more than 60,000, every day the beachfront being packed over a full kilometre.

Visitors to Cowes had more choice for night-life this year. As well as the old pubs, London nightclubs Raffles and Mahiki added a welcome touch of glamour to the event and the Extreme Bar also proved a popular destination for visitors with a four-fold increase on 2009. Over 900 guests were entertained in the VIP lounge of the Extreme Race Village, many of whom were reintroduced to sailing from a new point of view.

The online following was boosted by dramatic action captured on video, including Groupama’s near collision with the sea wall that had the crew leaping for safety. That video alone has already been viewed over 40,000 times across youtube and other channels.

It remains to be seen if the Extreme Sailing Series will return to Cowes Week in 2011. While the event can probably stand on its own two feet, there are still some advantages to being part of the Cowes Week activity. For some media, Cowes Week is the only UK sailing event covered and having thousands of competitors who are sailing fans in the same place provides an audience that is ready-made. Perhaps the two do need each other, but as the Extreme Sailing Series grows, Cowes Week will have to change to accommodate the growing popularity of the Extreme 40 event.

More Cowes Week News..

Extreme Sailing Series Moves Sailing Closer Towards Being a Professional Sport.

Last week in Cowes, sailing fans got to see several forms of the sport side by side. Beside the amateurs, who disappeared off the start line into all corners of the Solent, was the 1851 Cup – an exhibition match for version 5 America’s Cup boats, the Artemis Challenge for the IMOCA 60 class and the Extreme Sailing Series.

Each of these events is designed for a different audience. the general racing is for competitors – participants who drive the grass roots of the sport. the americas cup also exists for competitors, just more wealthy ones – with spectators requiring sizable power boats to watch. On the other hand, The Extreme Series unapologetically places the spectators at the centre of their product offer.

Part of the product that OC Events is selling with the extreme series is a sailing format that rewards good sailors and punishes the smallest of mistakes.

There is a dark side of many spectator sports that tempts viewers to keep watching because there is a high risk of something going wrong. Just as a percentage of ice hockey fans want to see a fight or NASCAR fans want to see a wreck, the prospect of an extreme 40 flipping or breaking adds a different dimension to the sport of sailing that many other formats either fail to communicate or hush up.

Some may want to criticise the promotion of a 40 foot carbon catamaran sailing into a wall at 35 mph, but the 50,000+ Youtube views of Groupama’s accident at cowes week dwarfs viewing numbers of any other clip from the event. People are still talking about it, but they are also talking about the good news too.

I was asked again last week – “If you had a client with a decent budget, which sailing event would you place it with.” Like all good sponsorship consultants, my answer was “it depends” – because different sponsors have different objectives. However, the Extreme Sailing Series consistently delivers to its sponsors and partners and has aggressive plans for the future.

Regular readers will know that we have a problem with the phrase ‘the F1 of sailing’ because nothing in the sport currently comes close. But if the Extreme Sailing Series expands from its current European and Asian events into a couple more international markets, then the series may just be the platform to help sailing really go pro.

A Week of Sailing Business Thoughts for 2010-08-09

• @nickmoloney There’s hitting the wall and then there is hitting the wall nick see you on Wednesday! in reply to nickmoloney #
• @markchisnell sail 4 gold is next week?? That arrived fast! Might be tough to get there – too much on. in reply to markchisnell #
• Bright sunny morning in cowes. great to catch up with the guys from the even keel project and @PRPETA last night. #cowesweek #
• http://tweetphoto.com/36599111 There’s a giant at the helm #artchal #
• 1851 cup. Who the fuck cares? @TEAMORIGIN @bmworigin2010 #
• Sorry about a tweet that seems to have been published from our account last night. Investigating. #
• First up today – news from the velux 5 oceans race, then off to see the extreme 40s in action later #cowesweek #
• 2 British skippers announced for the velux 5 oceans race. The eco 60 concept combined with a stopover based race makes a lot of sense. #
• Who’s at cowes and would like to Win a signed Ben Ainslie book? /via @hlmarine #cowesweek #
• lots of aggressive match racing tactics going on between @TEAMORIGIN and @bmworacle2010 in the 1851 cup. Looks like ben’s come out on top. #
• http://tweetphoto.com/36963422 the cup that all the fuss is about. #
• Surprised by the action at the 1851 cup. @BMWORACLE2010 clear winners twice thanks to NASCAR-esque restart. #
• Looking at photos and video content from 2010 #cowesweek including super cool extreme 40s and surprisingly engaging 1851 cup #
• @markchisnell According to our sources, the WSTA is dead! #LVT #
• Seems that this new Twitter ‘Who you should follow feature’ is delivering us a lot of new followers – Welcome! #
• I uploaded a YouTube video — Dee Caffari At the 2010 Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week http://youtu.be/q7FPmbwSwG8?a #
• I uploaded a YouTube video — Extreme 40 Sailing Series – Cowes Week 2010 http://youtu.be/lcXaXvs882M?a #
• I uploaded a YouTube video — 1851 Cup Featuring BMW ORACLE and TEAMORIGIN http://youtu.be/Op3GJJxyPU8?a #
• Some photos from #Cowesweek at our facebook page: http://bit.ly/9aU0vP – Includes Artemis Challenge, 1851 Cup and Extreme 40s #

Yacht Racing Business Thoughts For 2010-08-08

• Seems that this new Twitter ‘Who you should follow feature’ is delivering us a lot of new followers – Welcome! #
• I uploaded a YouTube video — Dee Caffari At the 2010 Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week http://youtu.be/q7FPmbwSwG8?a #
• I uploaded a YouTube video — Extreme 40 Sailing Series – Cowes Week 2010 http://youtu.be/lcXaXvs882M?a #

Extreme Sailing Series Flying Circus Comes to Cowes Week.

This weekend, tens of thousands of car enthusiasts will be at the home of the British Grand Prix, Silverstone, for a unique event. The Silverstone Classic combines a packed weekend of racing with concerts and other entertainment. Although the cars would attract huge crowds in their own right, organisers realise that by creating an entertainment experience, a wider audience can be reached.

Combining multiple forms of complimentary entertainment is used widely in sports where the focus is the spectator rather than the competitor and in 2010, OC Events, the organisers of the Extreme Sailing Series Europe will push the boundaries of sailing as an entertainment product under a new brand – “Sailing Rocks“.

Normally rocks are the last thing that sailors want to think about, but an eclectic mix of on-the-water action will be followed every evening by BBC Radio 1 / Bestival star Rob da Bank’s top choices of island-based DJs. On the 5th of August, the event will culminate with a set by Rob himself. He says:

‘Weirdly sailing and DJing are two of my favourite things in the world… so I’m very excited about getting back to Cowes to help kick start the party for the locals and the Extreme 40 crews. I’ve never sailed on such an exciting boat in my life and really believe sailing could be opened up to a lot more young people, which is kind of what I want to do with music and DJing. See you at the bar!’

While Cowes Week organisers have to cater to a broad audience in the Yacht Haven, the positioning of the Extreme Sailing Series allows OC Events to aggressively go after a different crowd. As well as the music, the Extreme end of town will add demonstrations in the art of ‘on the water flying’ by a line-up of talent including Simon Payne, the Moth World Champion and a team of pro windsurfers.

It’s a shake up that should showcase sailing as something different to those who are there to watch, and hopefully the balance can be kept between sport and travelling circus.

More Cowes Week News…

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