Extreme 40's to feature at Volvo Ocean Race stopovers

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The Extreme 40 Series will be part of the on-the-water entertainment package at selected stopovers during the 2008-09 race.

The Extreme 40s will feature in Alicante, Singapore, Qingdao, Boston and Stockholm with fleets of up to 10 boats.

The Extreme 40 is a new generation of mid-sized sports catamaran. The brainchild of Tornado Sport founder, Herbert Dercksen, it is a strict one-design catamaran that has been purposely designed and built to race inshore and short offshore regattas.

The concept is simple, it is easy to sail, lightweight, easily transportable and like the Volvo Open 70’s that will compete in the race, it is at the forefront of sailing technology.

In each port, the racing will take place between the in-port race weekend and the leg start weekend.

In the previous Volvo, the Extreme 40 series included over 80 races, in five countries, during seven months. Knut Frostad, Chief Executive Officer of the Volvo Ocean Race, said: “The inclusion of the Extreme 40s is based on the excitement the series generated in 2005-06.

“At stopovers during the previous Volvo, the Extreme 40s provided some fantastic racing and they are sure to catch the eye of visitors to the race village again this time round.”