Extreme Sailing Series - NZ's Minoprio helms SAP to win in Muscat

by Sail-World.com NZL on 12 Mar 2017 New Zealand sailors were scattered through the teams competing in the first round of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series.

Five of the nine teams had Kiwis on board, four were skippered by New Zealand sailors and two New Zealand teams were entered in the event which has just concluded in Muscat, Oman. The regatta was sailing in one design GC32 foiling catamarans.

SAP Extreme Sailing Team, helmed by former World Match Racing Champion, Adam Minoprio (NZL) won the four day regatta by a 16 point margins from the next two teams, Oman Air and Alinghi, who finished on equal points, with Alinghi taking the runner up spot after the tiebreaker was applied.

Current World Match Racing Champion, Phil Robertson (NZL) had taken the helm of Oman Air for his first event with the team. The Oman Air team who also has Ed Smyth (NZL) as a long standing crew member, led the regatta for a time during Day 3, but SAP took the lead at the end of the day's racing and maintained that position during the strong winds of the final day's racing.

In fourth place was the Red Bull Sailing team with Stu Dodson (NZL) and Will Tiller (NZL) in the crew.

The top Kiwi entry was Tawera Racing skippered by Chris Steele which finished in seventh place overall, with NZL Sailing Team two places back in ninth.

The NZL Sailing Team might have finished at the foot of the table after four days of racing at the Extreme Sailing Series in Oman but they collected the trophy for the fastest team on the water, says Yachting New Zealand.

The crew, skippered by Logan Dunning Beck, were recorded as travelling at 31 knots on the penultimate race and picked up the Zhik Speed Machine Trophy.

It was good reward for a team who were using the first act of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series as valuable training for June's Red Bull Youth America's Cup in Bermuda. They were frustrated at times with their results over the 27 races but showed improvement over the four days and collected a fifth in the second-last race - their equal best result of the series.

There was delight for Kiwi Adam Minoprio, who helmed his team SAP Extreme Sailing Team to overall honours in the first act of this year's Extreme Sailing Series. Three teams were in contention going into the final, double points race but SAP Extreme Sailing Team clinched victory with a second-place finish, crossing the line behind young wildcard crew Team Tilt.

It was their first act win since May 2015 when they took the top spot in Qingdao, China

Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 1, Muscat standings after Day 4, 27 races

Position / Team / Points

1st SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Adam Minoprio, Rasmus Køstner, Mads Emil Stephensen, Hervé Cunnigham, Richard Mason 286 points.

2nd Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 270 points.

3rd Oman Air (OMA) Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 270 points.

4th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Will Tiller 247 points.

5th Team Tilt (SUI) Sebastien Schneiter, Jéremy Bachelin, Nils Theuninck, Arthur Cevey, Jocelyn Keller 235 points.

6th Team ENGIE (FRA) Sébastien Rogues, Gurvan Bontemps, Jules Bidegaray, Antoine Joubert, Benjamin Amiot 199 points.

7th Tawera Racing (NZL) Chris Steele, Graeme Sutherland, Shane Diviney, Leonard Takahashi Fry, Josh Salthouse 195 points.

8th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Rob Bunce, Owen Bowerman, Will Alloway, Adam Kay, Oli Greber 173 points.

9th NZL Sailing Team (NZL) Logan Dunning Beck, Harry Hull, Isaac McHardie, Matthew Kempkers, Luca Brown 142 points.