Team Russia’s Extreme 40 team – steppingstone to the 35th America’s Cup
Affiliated with the Saint Petersburg Yacht Club and sponsored by energy giant Gazprom, Team Russia’s Extreme 40 campaign could be the steppingstone to a Russian challenge for the 35th America’s Cup.
Skippered by tactician Igor Lisovenko, Russia’s top Laser sailor, the team has recruited a core of top Extreme Sailing Series’ stars, including Britain’s Paul Campbell-James, who helmed The Wave, Muscat and then Luna Rossa to victories in the 2010 and 2011 Series respectively. Alister Richardson, who has been part of two ESS winning teams, will trim the mainsail. Like Campbell-James, Richardson sailed on Luna Rossa’s AC45 during the 34th America’s Cup. A third Brit, Pete Cumming, who was the 2009 Extreme Sailing Series winning skipper, will be the headsail trimmer. Young Russian 49er sailor Aleksei Kulakov will be the bowman. Alex also sails on the Gazprom Youth RC44.
- Igor Lisovenko (RUS) – tactician & skipper
- Paul Campbell-James (GBR) – helmsman
- Alister Richardson (GBR) – mainsail trimmer
- Pete Cumming (GBR) – headsail trimmer
- Alex Kulakov (RUS) – bowman
“Vladimir (Liubomirov, Saint Petersburg YC Commodore) has made his opinion pretty public that he really wants to be involved [in the next AC] and Gazprom are keen, as is the Saint Petersburg YC,” says Campbell-James. “The Extreme 40 is usually the first step for most aspiring America’s Cup teams, and basically we’ll put a good team together and see how it goes. Our big goal is St Petersburg, half way through the season. I was told pretty frankly that if we do well in St Petersburg, then the chances of that [moving on to a full-blown AC team] are pretty good. So – a little bit of pressure, but no different to the position Luna Rossa put me in a few years back.”