Extreme Sailing Series Kicks off First Act in Muscat with New Boats, Foils and Sensors

SAP Technology Brings Powerful, Data-Driven Insights to Extreme Sailing Series Through Boat Enhancements, Helping Sailors Improve Performance in Real-Time

MUSCAT, Oman – 15 March 2016 – The Extreme Sailing Series is set to bring catamaran racing on foils to life like never before, with the provision of data from new sensors mounted on the foils of the GC32.

The new boat sensors measure the height of the boats above the water as they fly along on the Stadium Racing course. The performance data secured from the new sensors are quickly processed through SAP Sailing Analytics, providing real-time data directly to the teams and enabling them to get better insights and modify their strategy throughout the race.

“When this information is combined with GPS tracking, along with improved wind measurement and the power of our in-memory database SAP HANA, we can provide even more real-time and post-race insights for fans, media, and sailors,” said Milan Cerny, Business Intelligence Consultant, SAP.

Andy Tourell, Project Director of the Extreme Sailing Series, welcomes SAP’s continued commitment to the Series. “Having SAP on board as our Official Technology Partner for a fifth year allows us to stay at the forefront of innovation in the competitive sailing world,” he said.

Jes Gram-Hansen, Co-skipper of the SAP Extreme Sailing Team, said: “We are learning to handle the new boat better with every day on the water and we had the chance to pilot the sensors during our first training session in Dubai last month. Analysing more races and testing data will help us to adapt to the boats faster and gain an edge to win races at the first Act of the new season in Oman.”

The 2016 Extreme Sailing Series season starts on Wednesday, March 16 in Muscat when eight teams of the world’s finest sailors, from 14 different nations, return to the stunning Al Mouj Golf Course in the heat of Oman for four days of intense battle.