China One joins Extreme Sailing Series

Craig Monk's new team has Taylor Canfield on the stick

The China One sailing team, skippered by former world match racing champion Taylor Canfield, is to compete in the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series.

Jointly run by Canfield, sailing team manager Hayden Goodrick and Kiwi America’s Cup veteran Craig Monk, China One joins seven other crews contesting this year’s Series that starts 1 in Muscat on 16 March.

Canfield is looking forward to getting to grips with the foiling GC32 catamaran: “It is great to have the opportunity to compete in the Extreme Sailing Series. As the sport of sailing has transitioned from monohull racing to multihull racing, we are excited to get the chance to do both.”

The China One team is a new franchise created by the sailors behind the US ONE team and aims to achieve success while looking to develop sailing in China through education and world-class events.

Team principle and chief executive officer, former Olympic and America's Cup grinder Craig Monk, views the Extreme Sailing Series as an ideal vehicle to achieve his team’s goals. “The Extreme Sailing Series is the ultimate start to our sailing journey,” he said. “It has all the elements that represent the highest level in our sport. We are looking forward to testing ourselves against the best in the world.”

Goodrick said: “It’s an exciting time for our team. Over the past 10 months we have expanded our existing US One program by creating a second franchise brand in China One. Our team is focused on Grand Prix multihull circuits and we want to compete against the best in the world and we see foiling as an important stepping stone in heading down the America’s Cup pathway.”

The China One team is made up of experienced match-racers with Canfield on the helm, alongside Kiwi tactician and bowman Chris Steele, trimmers Goodrick and Shane Diviney and Australian Luke Payne.