The āDigital Revolutionā has reached the sports of sailing, advanced equipment aids the crews: SAP, Official Technical Partner of the Series since 2012, provides cutting-edge business software and analytics solutions to deliver an unprecedented sailing experience to sailors, spectators and the media.
They offer fans and broadcasters insights to enable them to decipher exactly what is happening on the water through the use of live leader boards and 3D and 2D visualizations providing charts and data about wind, speeds, distances, cross-track errors and time gaps of all competitors in real-time. Post-race, SAP provides teams with tools to analyse their performance and optimize their strategy helping them sail like never before.Ā
Established in 2007, the Extreme Sailing Series is the original Stadium Racing sailing circuit designed for spectators, delivering high-performance action close to shore and putting viewers at the heart of the battle. Thanks to technological innovation, the Series is at the forefront of the digital revolution in sailing. Attracting some of the worldās top sailors, the global circuit spans 8 events at the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
The Series has become even more spectacular since introducing a new weapon of choice in 2016, the state-of-the-art hydro-foiling GC32 catamaran. These ultra-light, ultra-responsive watercraft can reach speeds of up to 39 knots. Their magic lies in their unique J-foils which work much like an airplane wing to lift the hulls out of the water, reducing drag and rapidly increasing speed. This makes for a magnificent spectacle for everyone watching and a physical balancing act for the crews who have to work hard trimming the sails to keep their boat in the air.
