A new chapter in Turkish sailing opened on 15 May, as Ya?ar Do?a Ar?ba? and ?brahim Balanl?were crowned the country’s first-ever national champions of Red Bull Foiling Generation, mastering next-generation foiling catamarans in a regatta where low winds limited Sunday’s final to one all-or-nothing race.
Capturing the victory after three thrilling lead changes on Istanbul’s sunny Fenerbahçe Bay was the perfect 21st birthday present for skipper Ar?ba?: the national title clinches a place for him and Balanl? in the first-ever Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final, to be held in Newport, Rhode Island, USA this October.
More than a #competition, Red Bull Foiling Generation was created by double Olympic champions Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher as a search for the best young sailing talent aged 16-20. Istanbul – the second act of the 2016 season across eight countries – was special because none of the 32 young sailors competing in two-person teams had ever before sailed catamarans of any kind, let alone advanced Flying Phantom foiling catamarans that lift over the water at up to 35 knots. In the regatta organized by Red Bull Foiling Generation and Red Bull #turkey with the Istanbul SailingClub, participants had two intensive days of training from Austria’s Hagara and Steinacher before #racing in four-boat heats that narrowed the field on Friday and Saturday – despite inconsistent winds and two capsized boats – to set up Sunday’s final.
“Foiling boats are completely new for the kids, and this is how you find talented young sailors,” said Steinacher, who noted that the participants now understand the difference between traditional dinghy sailing and high-performance sailing. “The winning team has a good chance to perform well at the World Final. They have six months to prepare, and they must use that time wisely.”?
Hagara, who will return to #turkey in September to compete in the ExtremeSailing Series as skipper of the Red Bull Sailing Team, along with Steinacher as Tactician, added, “If these young sailors from #turkey have the talent, they can catch up with kids from other countries like the UK, France and New Zealand who have been sailing catamarans before. I’ve heard that the winning team eventually wants to try to compete in the Red Bull YouthAmerica’s Cup, which is the next step after the Red Bull Foiling Generation boats. That is exactly what we want to achieve. We want them to start with Red Bull Foiling Generation, continue with Red Bull Youth America’s Cup and then, hopefully, they will join the America’s Cup one day.”
Red Bull Foiling Generation 2016 – Istanbul, #turkey: 1. Ya?ar Do?a Ar?ba? / ?brahim Balanl?, 2. Haydar Baran Y?lmaz / Özgür Daniel Foster, 3. Engin Özgen / Ömer Olgaç, 4. An?l Çetin / Ege Eros Güven
Red Bull Foiling Generation sees the hulls lift over the water in eight countries in 2016. In addition to the March season opener in New Zealand and the stop in #turkey, regattas will take place in Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and the USA, followed by a World Final featuring 15 national champion teams. Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher are the series‘ sports directors – the double Olympic champions from Austria are also in charge of staging the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup 2017 and are the masterminds of the Red Bull Sailing Team participating in the Extreme SailingSeries.
The foils fly again at the next Red Bull Foiling Generation regatta in Kiel, Germany on 27-29 May 2016.
Red Bull Foiling Generation race calendar 2016
4–6 March Auckland / New Zealand
13–15 May Istanbul / Turkey
27–29 May Kiel / Germany
1–3 July Geneva / Switzerland
15–17 July Lelystad / Netherlands
5–7 August Cadiz / Spain
19–21 August Knokke / Belgium
14–16 October Newport / USA
October WORLD FINAL / Newport, USA
?Technical data for Flying Phantom
The Flying Phantom earns raves as the future of sailing because unlike other small boats, it uses hydrofoil technology to lift completely out of the water. The cutting-edge system allows it to hit blistering speeds of up to 35 knots – almost 40 mph – making it by far the quickest sailing boat of its size in the world.
Length: 5,52m (18ft), width: 3,00m, weight: 155kg, mast height: 9,6m, mainsail: 18sqm, Jib: 5,5sqm, Gennaker: 24sqm, crew: 2
About Red Bull Foiling Generation
Now in its second season, Red Bull Foiling Generation sees Flying Phantom catamarans lift over the water at up to 35 knots in a novel new format. Sailors aged 16–20 compete in a series of heats on four identical boats of distinct colors until the final race determines the team that will represent its country in the World Final. The biggest youth sailing program on the planet, in 2016 Red Bull Foiling Generation holds regattas in eight countries to give more talented sailors the opportunity to qualify for the World Final, to be held in the USA in October.
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