I was in Cardiff for the August bank holiday, which began almost predictably with driving rains, but that was about all I could have predicted in the week that followed. Cardiff played host to the ‘World Extreme Sailing Series’ (extremesailingseries.com), a relatively new brand of high-tempo elite sailing competition that brings the audience into close quarters with the crashes and splashes that only these ’extreme 40' catamarans can produce. Just how close I was to eventually get, was not part of my consciousness at that stage, as I enjoyed a drink and my comfortable perch on the VIP balcony as a guest of the organisers.
The catamarans weigh-in at 1400 kg, can be assembled in 5 hours and are then shipped across 3 continents to take part in 256 races a year. They are light, sleek and their multi-hulls give stability even when the wind raises one hull out of the water, leaving the other to slice through at speed. As we watched the 62ft high masts and branded sails pass beneath our noses in the welsh bay, one of the organisers asked if I wished to sail on one of the boats in an official race; having picked my jaw off the floor, I was soon donning helmet and waterproofs before stepping onto the netting between the two hulls of the ‘Emirates New Zealand’ boat captained by Dean Barker a world-renowned America’s Cup sailing legend, for a unique and exhilarating experience.
Looking across at other competitor boats, I realised that the JP Morgan BAR catamaran was skippered by quadruple Olympic gold and silver medalist, Sir Ben Ainslie, the most successful Olympic sailor of all time. The field was packed with racing superstars and I could not quite believe I was in an official series race! The other unbelievable sensation is the speed of these boats, the competitiveness of the crews and the risk of being hit as we vied for prime positions around the course.
As far as I know, there is no other professional sporting event in the world, where a guest can be part of an actual race. This adrenalin-fuelled sailing and the intimacy it allows with spectators is part of the reason why major corporate brands are attracted to sponsor the event. The current global partner is ‘LandRover’ and they see this series as a great platform to connect and reach out to b2b and b2c audiences in various global markets.
After the thrills and spills of Cardiff bay, I was now jetting off to Carinthia – Austria’s ’sunny side of the Alps’ for the ‘17th Franz Klammer wooden spoon', an annual travel trade golf event. The informal gathering is one of the many events that Klammer supports in his ambassadorial role on behalf of the regional tourist board of Carinthia. In February 1976 he brought an entire nation to a standstill, glued to their TV’s, as he skied on to an Olympic gold medal and the iconic status he still holds today amongst fellow Austrians.
A new golfing product (golflust.at) created in the Alps-Adria region was the perfect opportunity to showcase some of the courses, with the ‘golf mad’ Klammer heading up the first team of four. The blend of dramatic landscapes formed of lakes and mountains has become a sporting ‘Mecca’ for both amateur and professional athletes. The ebbs and flows of cultural influences have always swept back and forth across the Alps-Adria region. Austria, Slovenia and Italy have long shared the exchange of tourist traffic and this new co-operation targets the global golfer.
The Austrian National Tourist Office and their regional partner Carinthia are promoting their new Alps-Adria Golf Card offering over 20 courses stretching from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. The beauty of the card means ‘flexibility’ in terms of course choices, year round playing conditions and a fixed standard price.
This year injury did not allow me to compete, but was an opportunity to experience activities away from the first tee. This included walking part of the Alps-Adria trail stopping at many of the ‘huttes’, quaint wooden refuges that supply regional food and drink for the weary traveller. Many of the hotels in the region are family-run and some date back over 300 years, such as the Trattlerhof.at, which includes a fully-equipped health and well-being area as part of a very re-invigorating stay under the eaves of the timber framed hotel dating to 1642.
The Adria golf card will be a popular addition to all types of sports groups heading to Carinthia and the region. This part of Austria is already popular with pre-season football teams attracted by the healthy lifestyle and facilities. The only part not guaranteed is a round with Franz, but I am sure that with the right incentive that could be arranged!
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