iShares Cup teams ready to race

From Friday (16 May) to Sunday (18 May) the teams will be put through their paces with three informal races a day. These races will be around 30 minutes in duration — slightly longer than the normal iShares Cup events to give the chance for the Extreme 40s to stretch their legs and the teams an opportunity to really work on their boatspeed. The windward-leeward courses will also test their crew work and boat-handling, racing to an upwind leg, then hoisting the huge gennaker for a downwind blast to a leeward gate, then back up the finish.

Valencia is the perfect venue for training. Home to the America’s Cup regatta last year, the purpose-built marina basin has a huge amount of room for teams to work on their Extreme 40s, as well as ample pontoons and space for support boats. Meanwhile out on the water there is a fantastic sailing area on the open sea just a few minutes away from the team bases, although this weekend’s weather forecast is for light, shifty winds of no more than 10 knots, which will keep the crews on their toes. There might even be a spot of rain coming through on Saturday, but the Extreme 40 teams won’t mind that — these boats are a wet ride even on the sunniest day!

We'll be watching for any clues to who's on winning form, so look out for updates over the weekend...