2015 Extreme Sailing Series – Strong Sydney breeze brings out the best

by Oman Sail on 11 Dec 2015 A howling breeze proved merciless in Sydney on Friday curtailing the Extreme Sailing Series race programme but bringing out the best in The Wave, Muscat who moved up the rankings to be joint leaders with Oman Air close behind in third.

With winds in Sydney Harbour gusting 28 knots, race management and skippers had safety as their focus as the schedule was shortened to just four races and the fleet limited to just six boats on the race course but Leigh McMillan and his crew on The Wave, Muscat, renowned for their high wind performance, claimed maximum points in two races to rise to the top with 83 points, sharing the lead with SAP Extreme Sailing Team.

McMillan, who is hoping to nail his third Extreme Sailing Series championship title on Sunday described the conditions as ‘aggressive’ saying a gust which led to the capsize of Lino Sonego Team Italia had served as a wake-up call for his team.

“These were pretty unusual conditions with winds we don't normally see in Sydney,” said McMillan.

“We are racing close to the shore so we are very conscious of safety. Conditions at the top of the course were very aggressive so we didn’t feel we could push very hard because we were always on the edge.

“In the first race we didn't really pull the trigger so in the next races, we had to concentrate more on performance. It was pretty full on out there but it ended up being a good day for us.

“Our focus is purely on trying to win so we have to concentrate on staying at the front and not falling behind.”

It had been a relief to finish the day without sustaining any damage added teammate Sarah Ayton, recently-crowned ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year.

“To come away with the boat and crew in one piece is good though it was hectic out there. We had two good races but it was very windy, very shifty and very challenging so we had to be cautious,” she said.

Omani bowman Nasser Al Mashari added: “It was a tough day for our team and the strong winds required some more physical work. There are two more days left and our focus is on winning the title and raising our national flag.”

While The Wave, Muscat and SAP Extreme Sailing Team share the lead on 83 points, Stevie Morrison’s Oman Air are snapping at their heels just three points behind despite finding the conditions challenging.

“We felt we could have done a bit better – it is a bit frustrating when you lose a few places and today we lost a couple,” said Morrison.

“It was a variable day. We saw what could happen when Lino tipped over – it could easily have gone pear-shaped but we survived the day and are happy with how we are doing. When we came off the dock it was pretty windy and in the first race we were guilty of not pushing hard enough but in the last two we were driving as hard as we could.”

The strong performances from The Wave, Muscat and Oman Air have placed the Sultanate of Oman firmly at the forefront of the sporting action attracting high levels of support from the massive crowds lining the harbour and from the Australian and global media and off the water, Oman is also grabbing attention with the opening on Friday of Oman Sail’s special Oman Tourism Pavilion by Dr. Hamad bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Alawi, Consul General at the Sultanate's Consulate in Australia.

Exhibits in the 15m long pavilion, located in the race village at Royal Botanical Gardens are designed to show off the scenery, customs and culture of the Sultanate of Oman and with a superb view of the racing action, is expected to attract thousands of visitors.