Act 2 of the 2012 Extreme Sailing Series is scheduled to set sail on April 17 to 20 in Qingdao, East China's coastal city in Shandong province, the second time for the city to host the four-day event.

On the first day, sailors will compete around the breakwater overlooking Fushan Bay and in the following three days they will race in the waters of Fushan Bay where spectators can have a full view.

Nine teams from seven countries, including the UK, France, Switzerland, will take part in the Qingdao Act, with the China Team competing for the first time. The teams will be racing for glory to win the Doublestar Cup in Qingdao.

New for the America's Cup World Series, the China Team will be flying the flag as a wildcard entry and Kiwi Phil Robertson from New Zealand will lead them.

As the youngest competing clipper, the 25-year-old Robertson is confident they could match against eight other top teams.

The other four sailors of the China Team are Garth Ellingham and Nick Catley from New Zealand, Kit Cheng and Song Xiaqun from China.

As a Qingdao resident, Song Xiaqun won 8th place in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in the Yingling class.

This year, the competing crews include 47 world champions, four Olympic gold medalists, and 11 world-record holders.

The Extreme Sailing Series gathers the best professional sailing teams to compete on identical Extreme 40 catamarans.

Racing courses are challenging and require tactical skills. All routes are close to shore to provide a spectacular, stadium-style entertainment for the public.

The Qingdao Act last year witnessed four capsizes, one major collision and a broken mast in a single. The routes provide perfect conditions to test sailors to the extreme.

During the competition, various events will include the opening and closing ceremonies, awarding ceremonies, remote control yacht friendly matches and OP yacht performances.

After Muscat and Qingdao, the tour will proceed to Istanbul, Porto, Cardiff, Trapani, Nice, and conclude in Brazil in early December of the year.

By Huang Yaning (China Daily Qingdao Bureau)

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Tom McGregor