Extreme Sailing Series - Podium finish possible for J.P. Morgan BAR
by Sarah Alexander on 22 Mar 2014
J.P. Morgan BAR Extreme Sailing Series 2014, Act 2 Muscat.
Lloyd Images
Following three days of racing in Act 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series, J.P. Morgan BAR show potential for a podium finish in Muscat. Today the team, skippered by four times Olympic gold medallist, Ben Ainslie, delivered a solid set of results - including three race wins, to move the British entry up into fourth overall. Eight races were sailed off the Arabian coast and once again in light, tricky winds.
The team may be stacked with America’s Cup sailors, Olympic and Match Race champions but they sailed together for the first time at Act 1, Singapore and with good progress up the leaderboard today, tactician, Paul Goodison felt the five sailors were now really coming together as a team.
'It was the first time we have felt like we were racing properly against everyone else. The crew manoeuvres came together and the plan that we put together we managed to execute. We got on with what we wanted to do and we got on the right side of a couple of things and it all managed to work out in our favour.'
Bowman, Matt Cornwall continued 'It felt like we were really racing the other boats for the first time - but we didn’t force it – we just let it happen so it worked well and paid off, it’s the first day in the regatta that we’ve had a really good set of results.
It was tricky, really light so testing for the tactician and helmsman, but they did a really good job – probably better than most of the other teams out there.'
At the end of the third day it’s close at the top with all teams in the top five showing the potential to win the event. J.P. Morgan BAR head into the final day fourth and on 122 points, only five points behind Emirates Team New Zealand and just ten points behind overall leaders, Alinghi.
Although pleased with their success today the new team are still learning the ropes of the Extreme 40, Olympic gold medallist Pippa Wilson concluded 'We take it one race at a time, we always have and the plan is to just keep to that. The Extreme 40 racing is hugely temperamental; anything could happen tomorrow, it’s all to play for.'
Ahead of racing, Muscat's Optimist sailors enjoyed a special visit from Skipper, Ben Ainslie, who encouraged and inspired the local sailing community by passing on his winning knowledge.