Climbing the leader board at Istanbul

Dean Barker and the Emirates Team New Zealand crew had a better result on the second day of the Istanbul Extreme Sailing Series regatta, finishing second on the day. They also climbed two places to third on the leader board.

Barker says that out on the water the day “did not feel much different that yesterday  (fifth on the leader board after seven races) so it was good to come ashore and see the leader board figures.”

Artemis on 116 points is leading after two days, with Emirates Team New Zealand and Alinghi tied on 97. On count back Alinghi claims second spot.

Conditions on Day 2 were shifty and gusty and the breeze was hard to read. Some big gusts resulted in a few minor collisions and there were numerous close calls on the tight courses. The short two-lap races last 10-12 minutes.

Barker “The racing is pretty brutal but we keep improving. We had a couple of shockers, but we deal with what we get and try to do things a little bit better each time, and make fewer mistakes. Of course there's a lot we can do better, but we jump on every opportunity we can and try to make the best of it.

“Artemis had a really good day. It wasn’t trouble free but they managed to turn bad into good. They’re on a roll.”

Tomorrow’s forecast is for conditions much like today. The breeze is expected to die away on final two days.

Extreme Sailing Series Act 3 Istanbul

Current overall standings after Day 2 (26.5.11)

Position / Team / Skipper and crew / Points

1st Artemis Racing (SWE), Terry Hutchinson / Rodney Ardern / Morgan Trubovich / Julien Cressant 116 points

2nd Alinghi (SUI), Tanguy Cariou / Yann Guichard / Nils Frei / Yves Detrey 97 points

3rd Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Dean Barker / Glenn Ashby / James Dagg / Jeremy Lomas 97 points

4th Luna Rossa (ITA), Max Sirena / Paul Campbell-James / Alister Richardson / Manuel Modena 95 points

5th Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA), Pierre Pennec / Christophe Espagnon / Thierry Fouchier / Hervé Cunningham 95 points

6th The Wave, Muscat (OMA), Torvar Mirsky / Kyle Langford / Nick Hutton / Khamis Al Anbouri 87 points

7th Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT), Roman Hagara / Hans Peter Steinacher / Will Howden / Craig Monk 78 points

8th Oman Air (OMA), Sidney Gavignet / Kinley Fowler / David Carr / Nasser Al Mashari 76 points

9th Team Extreme (EUR), Roland Gaebler / Bruno Dubois / Sebbe Godefroid / Nicholas Heintz 64 points

10th Niceforyou (ITA), Alberto Barovier / Mark Bulkeley / Daniele de Luca Simone de Mari 64 points

11th Team GAC Pindar (GBR), Ian Williams / Mark Ivey / Mischa Heemskerk / Jono Macbeth 55 points