Extreme Sailing Series™ 2014 Act 2, Muscat, Oman - Overall
by Extreme Sailing Series 22 Mar 2014 19:24 GMT
19-22 March 2014
Big breeze final race shoot out in Muscat sees The Wave, Muscat snatch victory
Four teams – The Wave, Muscat, Emirates Team New Zealand, Alinghi and SAP Extreme Sailing Team – in the running heading into the final race, with no room for error and just four points between them – and 20 points on the table for the taking
It was a sweltering hot day in Muscat, Oman, for the final showdown at the Extreme Sailing Series™, where the Arabian peninsula saved the best for last, with winds that blasted across the course at a steady 20 knots, with gusts of 26, before a final race shoot out. Four teams were gunning for the top spot and there was no room for error, with just four points between them – and 20 points on the table for the taking. The defending champions and home team on The Wave, Muscat made a real statement of intent from the gun, with an aggressive start that saw them lead the fleet of the line, and Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler and Nasser Al Mashari didn't look back, snatching the win from the hands of the Kiwi, Swiss and Danish teams, to claim not only the Act win, but putting them top of the overall Series leaderboard after two Acts.
"It was too close for comfort, that's for sure," commented an elated McMillan after racing. "Today we had a fight on our hands, we knew we had to be exceptional and raise our game. I was just enjoying the sailing, the challenge of it, the situations that were tight and it all worked out for us. The wind came in and it was absolutely amazing sailing out there, absolutely perfect for the Extreme 40s."
Today's racing was all about brute power and strength, requiring a huge shift in mindset for the teams, who have raced in light breeze all week. The fleet of 11 Extreme 40s and their 55 elite level crew members powered off the start line, blasting to the windward mark and wrestling their boats around the course, before unfurling their gennakers and flying downwind, trying to maximize power and speed. One team who had the formula nailed were Emirates Team New Zealand, with two race wins and a third place in the final race enough for them to claim second overall, bettering their fourth place finish from Act 1, Singapore, which for skipper Dean Barker, was the objective this week. "We wanted to improve after Singapore, we wanted to sail well and get on the podium here, and we've achieved it. There's still a lot we can improve on but in saying that everyone struggles with the conditions and the guys remained very positive throughout even when things didn't feel like they were going our way. We had a good chance to get onto the podium, and to get a second place we're really happy."
Overnight leaders Alinghi came out of the blocks with a win in the first race of the day, but couldn't replicate the performance, and a fourth place in the last race left the Swiss settling for third, one point behind the Kiwis. "We should be pleased with the result in such a tough field but we were quite disappointed with how we sailed today. We need to do a better job staying out of the fray and we didn't achieve that today and The Wave, Muscat did and you've got to hand it to them, they earned the win. It's a long season ahead and if we can keep on the podium this year we'll have a shot at the title at the end of the year, this will be our objective," commented the team's helmsman Morgan Larson.
The Danish match racing experts on SAP Extreme Sailing Team came heartbreakingly close to a podium position, leading the pack for most of the day, but found themselves stuck in the tussle mid-fleet in the final race, and unable to make a clean break, with a sixth place in the final race putting them in fourth position overall. The team however, have showed a marked improvement from Act 1 in Singapore, where they finished tenth, and co-skipper Jes Gram-Hansen was quick to talk about the learnings from the Act: "Of course we're a little bit disappointed not to be on the podium, we sailed a great regatta which literally came right down to the last race. In hindsight I think we sailed well, which is what we will take away from this. It was a difficult day today with good breeze but it was a bit up and down for us. We were a little unlucky at times but overall we sailed pretty well. I think we have a great team, a good boat and the pace to match the best teams in the Extreme Sailing Series."
The Russian skipper on Gazprom Team Russia Igor Lisovenko seemed to have a point to prove today, and the team, helmed by two-times Series winner Paul Campbell-James, were moving through the gears, and up the leaderboard, with a string of consistent results elevating them to fifth place overall – topping their eighth place from Act 1, Singapore.
Campbell-James commented: "We got another bullet today, and we almost won the last one but Leigh (McMillan) just managed to sneak around us on the second leg. Today was the best day of racing this year with a good bit of breeze, it got really exciting there in the middle where the leaderboard was constantly changing and it was just really fun."
Realteam finish the event in sixth place, five points behind the Russians, leaving them a solid fourth place on the overall Series leaderboard, with Red Bull Sailing Team in seventh on 145 points, one point ahead of Groupama sailing team. Heading into the final day, J.P. Morgan BAR were within touching distance of the podium but the Brits struggled under the building breeze, before a hydraulics failure in the penultimate race forced them to retire for the day, dashing their podium dreams. Oman Air and GAC Pindar struggled for consistency in the testing Omani conditions, but both showed moments of brilliance, posting a handful of results in the top half of the fleet over the course of the four-day event.
Muscat has delivered some incredibly hard fought racing over 29 races, and the fleet have just under six weeks to regroup, debrief and prepare themselves for Act 3 of the 2014 global tour in Qingdao, China, presented by Land Rover, one of the most notoriously tricky racecourses on the circuit, 1-4 May.
Standings after Day 4: (29 races)
1st The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler, Nasser Al Mashari 188pts
2nd Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker, Glenn Ashby, James Dagg, Jeremy Lomas, Edwin Delaat 180pts
3rd Alinghi (SUI) Morgan Larson, Anna Tunnicliffe, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 179pts
4th SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Thierry Douillard, Peter Wibroe, Nicolai Sehested 176pts
5th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Igor Lisovenko, Paul Campbell-James, Alister Richardson, Pete Cumming, Aleksey Kulakov 158pts
6th Realteam by Realstone (SUI) Jérôme Clerc, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bryan Mettraux, Thierry Wassem, Nils Palmieri 153pts
7th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans-Peter Steinacher, Mark Bulkeley, Nick Blackman, Stewart Dodson 145pts
8th Groupama sailing team (FRA) Franck Cammas, Sophie de Turckheim, Tanguy Cariou, Thierry Fouchier, Devan Le Bihan 144pts
9th J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) Ben Ainslie, Nick Hutton, Paul Goodison, Pippa Wilson, Matt Cornwell 137pts
10th Oman Air (OMA) Rob Greenhalgh, Tom Johnson, Will Howden, Hashim Al Rashdi, Musab Al Hadi 123pts
11th GAC Pindar (AUS) Seve Jarvin, Troy Tindill, Ed Smyth, Sam Newton, David Gilmour 94pts
Extreme Sailing Series™ 2014 Standings: (after Act 2)
1st The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 19pts
2nd Alinghi (SUI) 18pts
3rd Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 16pts
4th Realteam by Realstone (SUI) 13pts
5th Groupama sailing team (FRA) 9pts
6th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 9pts
7th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) 9pts
8th SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 8pts
9th J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) 6pts
10th Oman Air (OMA) 3pts
11th GAC Pindar (AUS) 2pts
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Thrilling finish for The Wave, Muscat who claim victory in front of home crowds in Oman (from Oman Sail)
Defending champions The Wave, Muscat with Leigh McMillan at the helm have won Act 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Muscat after one of the closest series races on record.
The crowds who had gathered to watch their home teams in the grandstand setting of Almouj Golf Club couldn't have wished for anything more spectacular particularly with the nail-biting last race where any one of three teams including The Wave, Muscat, Emirates Team New Zealand, and Alinghi could have taken the overall win.
At the start of the day, The Wave, Muscat was lying in fifth place but McMillan's team, including Pete Greenhalgh, Sarah Ayton, Kinley Fowler and Nasser Al Mashari, were on top form in the tough conditions right from the start and demonstrated, once again exactly what makes them defending double-Extreme Sailing Series Champions.
McMillan commenting as he stepped ashore this afternoon, said: "It was amazing sailing, absolutely perfect. We pushed hard at every opportunity and took gains when we could.
"We all knew we had to be exceptional to raise our game today. We all wanted it, so there was a lot of team effort and we pushed it hard all the way.
"When the pressure is on, it kind of comes off for us, for some reason, and I enjoy it a bit more and that's what happened today, I just enjoyed my day's sailing."
With winds up to 26kts and sparkling sunshine over the Gulf of Oman, the 11 professional teams were treated to a day of first class racing in the stunning open water setting of Muscat. As the wind continued to build and the pressure started to stack up, the Omani teams – The Wave, Muscat and Oman Air – were among those who really came into their own.
Going into the final double points race (Race 29) the situation for The Wave, Muscat couldn't have been much closer with just four points between overall first and fourth position, with The Wave, Muscat in pole, just two points ahead of the Danish SAP Extreme Sailing Team.
The team pulled off an impressive port tack start behind the fleet to hit the favoured right-hand side of the course, which turned out to be a pivotal point in the race. They led round the top mark and crossed the finish line ahead of Gazprom Team Russia, and their closest rivals Emirates Team New Zealand and Alinghi who finished in third and fourth places respectively.
Sarah Ayton, tactician said: "It was an awesome day. We had a lot to do but as soon as the breeze is up, the boys are just incredible."
Nasser Al Mashari, bowman, added: "I am so proud and so happy to have won here in my hometown. We could hear all the Omanis shouting for us as we crossed the line at the finish. It was fantastic."
One of the biggest thrills for Rob Greenhalgh and his young, ambitious team on Oman Air was a win in the third race of the day when the wind was really starting to build. Inspired, Greenhalgh, Tom Johnson, Wil Howden, and Oman Sail's 49er duo – Hashim Al Rashdi and Musab Al Hadi, then went on to score a second place in Race 27.
Greenhalgh commented: "It was great to win a race. We are improving all the time and today we had some good starts. Our boat handling is something we need to work on but other than that, we are pleased with what we have achieved this week and are looking forward to the next Act in China."
Musab Al Hadi, bowman aboard Oman Air said the thrill of winning a race on home waters and sailing well for the crowd is rewarding: "We knew there was a lot of support out there so we were very happy to have won a race in home waters. It was great to have a bit more wind too. We were asking for the wind and it finally arrived today. It was tough but we sailed well. We can see our improvements and we know we have a lot to work on but that gives us encouragement to keep challenging and fighting our way up the leaderboard."
The teams are now looking forward to Act 3 in Qingdao – a venue that can produce a variety of conditions, from light to strong, cold to hot and clear to foggy. It is possibly one of the most challenging venues on the circuit but the 2008 Olympic venue is always a popular one.
SAP Extreme Sailing Team narrowly denied the podium but rise up the overall Series rankings with an impressive fourth place (from Gillian Clarke, SAP Extreme Sailing Team)
At Act 2 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Muscat, the final showdown on Day 4 couldn't have been any closer in the epic battle for the Act title. But how close exactly? And what are the conditions that determine whether you win or lose? To answer these questions, the SAP Extreme Sailing Team reviewed racing stats using the tools provided by SAP to help sailors analyze performance and optimize strategy.
The Danish SAP Extreme Sailing Team along with three other top competing teams The Wave Muscat, Emirates Team New Zealand, and Alinghi were in the running to take the overall Act win heading into the final race on the last day with no room for error and just four points between them. SAP's analytics overview from Oman highlighted that these leading teams stood out in terms of speed and tactical decisions.
All four teams had an average speed of about 9 knots while none of the other teams came over 8.9 knots. Also the four top teams took significantly less time to complete the 29 races in under 400 minutes whilst their competitors took between 406 and 427 minutes to sail the same number of races.
However, what is even more remarkable is that SAP Extreme Sailing Team actually sailed the third longest distance of all the teams. Co-skipper and tactician Rasmus Køstner explains:
"We were one of the teams to sail the longest distance, which was partly a strategic decision. Often we started on starboard tack and went all the way to layline, and even past layline depending on traffic and tacking ability. This meant that we could keep the number of maneuvers to a minimum compared to the other teams starting on port tack and having to tack twice on the first up wind leg."
Advancing from a strong start
SAP Sailing Analytics also showed that SAP Extreme Sailing Team were one of the teams that were in the best position at first top mark rounding and also sailing the most through the mid field in the races.
Rasmus Køstner said: "At the first top mark we are among the best teams and together with The Wave Muscat, we were one of the teams advancing the most throughout the races. Generally we make just as many race podium finishes as the best teams even though we could not match Alinghi's impressive 8 race wins in this event."
Looking forward to China
With Oman repositioning the SAP Extreme Saiing Team back up the leader board, the crew look forward to the next Act of the Extreme Sailing Series in China, racing from the 1st to 4th May.
Rasmus Køstner concludes: "Oman was a really great event for us where we challenged the best teams until the last race. We have shown we are competitive, had good boat speed and the ability to take us forward through the front of the pack. The dynamics of our team are really good and we are confident that we are on the right track and in the position to perform well and consistently for future events."
Caught in a trap in Muscat (from Groupama sailing team)
Out of the four days of racing contested in Muscat, solely the first proved equal to the ambitions of Franck Cammas and his crew. Sailing too inconsistently for the remainder of the competition and not very lucky at times, the crew of Groupama 40 let some good opportunities to get back into the thick of the action pass them by, and in so doing lost their grip on a possible podium position. A team debriefing is now called for to analyse the causes of this result in order to tackle the next event in Qingdao, China, in the best possible conditions from 1 to 4 May 2014.
The Extreme 40 circuit is certainly living up to its reputation. Indeed, at the start of the final race today, some four boats were still in contention for outright victory. Better still, another five competitors were battling it out for fifth place. Suffice to say that in these conditions, the slightest mistake cost dearly: "In the final race, we got off to a very good start. Unfortunately, a series of three waves halted our progress and caused us to lose our position. Instead of rounding the first mark in the top three, we were second to last and that was how the final result played out. It's a bit frustrating but that's the name of the game," summed up the Groupama skipper, who is obviously disappointed by this result.
"And yet we've clearly made a great deal of progress since Singapore, particularly in the start phases, where we pretty much managed to get off to a clean start wherever we chose to," Franck explains. "In the breeze, we were very at ease and really quick. However, in the light airs with the chop, we have to progress with the trimming so that we're able to hold onto the tactical positions, which prove decisive".
Questioned about his rivals, the French skipper highlights the fine progress made by the SAP crew: "Second to last in Singapore, they could have won here. It's very encouraging and it just goes to show that the result was a really close-run thing. It's down to us now to perform as well as they have."
In the meantime, as they await to lock swords in Qingdao with The Wave Muscat, Emirates Team New Zealand and Alinghi in particular, Franck and Sophie de Turckheim will be setting a course for Palma to prepare for and then compete in the Princess Sophia Trophy on the Nacra 17, which will serve as a selection round for the World Championship and the Rio test event.
Frustrating final day in Muscat for J.P. Morgan BAR (from J.P. Morgan BAR)
The breeze picked up in Muscat for the final day of racing, with up to 26 knots testing all the teams. A burst hydraulics pipe, in the sixth race of the day forced the British team to retire, missing the final two races of the event and dropping them down to their ninth place position.
Tactician, Paul Goodison explained "It was a tough day out there today. We sailed reasonably well for the first race then struggled a little bit with some of the situations we got into in the next few races, so things weren't going great. Then we realised that we had a a hydraulic problem, that got worse and worse to the point where we couldn't pull the sails in."
Despite an attempt to fix the problem by the shore team, J.P. Morgan BAR was unable to compete in the double point finale. A disappointed skipper, Ben Ainslie commented after racing "It was a really tough day with the change of conditions and having to learn a whole new skill set in the boats. Unfortunately the gear failure really cost us the final two races and knocked us back in the overall standings so, that was very disappointing.
But during the event there has been a lot of positives; yesterday we really developed our light air sailing skills so we are moving forward but it's a very difficult challenge in such a highly talented fleet. The fact that we are new to the class and because of the logistics we are unable to train - so effectively we are training through the series so that makes it challenging."
The team will now move forward and look ahead to Act 3 in Qingdao, China in just over six weeks. It is a familiar venue for Olympic champions Ainslie, Goodison and Pippa Wilson, who each won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games.
Pippa Wilson concluded "We have a few things to nail down for China, expecting it to be quite windy so potentially lots of drama and action! But really looking forward to the event and moving forward as team."
The 2014 Extreme Sailing Series will continued with Act 3 taking place in Qingdao, China from 1st – 4th May. Follow J.P. Morgan BAR at www.jpmorganbarblog.com
Team GAC Pindar continues its Extreme Sailing Series learning in Muscat (from Adam Tanous, Team GAC Pindar)
High temperatures and changeable winds were the story of the regatta in Muscat, as the young GAC Pindar crew continued their Extreme Sailing Series education, posting some solid results including two podiums, two 4th places and two 5th place finishes.
Having started the Act slowly, results steadily improved for the team over the course of the four days. They equalled their best Series finish of 3rd on Day 3, before registering an excellent 2nd place finish on the final day to give them real confidence for future regattas. As the Extreme Sailing Series moves on to China, the short-term aim for the crew remains their first race victory, but the team are confident of challenging on a regular basis towards the latter stages of the competition.
GAC Pindar skipper, Seve Jarvin, is the youngest skipper in a fleet which boasts a number of World and Olympic champions, including Great Britain's Ben Ainslie and Austria's double Olympic gold medalist, Roman Hagara. He believes that a first win would be the springboard to more success for the team: "The Series is extremely demanding, and the challenge it presents is shown by how many world-class sailors want to be a part of it. It was always going to be a huge learning curve for us, but we're improving all the time, and getting to know the boat better in every single race.
"Competing against sailors of the caliber of Ben Ainslie is a fantastic feeling, and it is great for younger crews, like ourselves, to be able to learn from them. However, we're here to beat them, and as we become more accustomed to the unique challenges of the Series, we're confident we'll be challenging for those top places regularly before long. Some of the results we've had in the last couple of races here have shown what we're capable of – we just need to make it more consistent."
GAC Pindar Tactician, Australian Ed Smyth, was part of the 2012 and 2013 Series winning crew, and is a three-time America's Cup sailor. His extensive knowledge of Extreme 40 is key to the team's fortunes, and he sees great potential in the young crew: "The cohesion between the crew is key to success in this discipline. A lot of the best crews have been sailing together for years, and although we've only been together for a short period of time, there is huge potential within the team. We have to take each race at a time.
"The style of racing in the Series is vastly different to what most of the guys are used to. The physicality, the number of races in a day and the short turnaround time between those races is hard to get used to when you first start out. The boat is a difficult boat to sail, and the more races we take part in, the more confidence the guys will have, and results will start to improve, as shown by the 2nd place here today."
Briton Ian Williams is the team's coach and, as a 4-time world champion, brings a wealth of match-racing experience with him. Williams believes the younger members of the team are learning fast: "This Series is very difficult, as we're only allowed one day of training before each regatta, so to be able to improve quickly is very challenging. All of these guys are fantastic sailors, and are used to success in previous disciplines that they have raced in. We are working hard, but with the only chance to learn coming at each regatta, progress will take a bit of time.
"We're working on a lot of things, in particular getting a real feel for the boat and what makes it go fast. Each member of the crew is learning how to get the best out of the vessel, and we plan to move up the field steadily as the series progresses. A lot of boys are Australian, so by the Sydney Act, we want to be standing on that podium, and there's no reason why we can't achieve that."
GAC Pindar Principal, Andrew Pindar, added: "Following a difficult opening event to the Series in Singapore, Seve and his crew have posted some strong results in Muscat, and are improving all the time. The GAC Pindar team has a reputation for investing in young sailing talent, and this is epitomized in the raw talent we have at our disposal with this crew. We are confident that as the Series progresses, they will show just how good they are, and will be battling it out for top honours alongside some of the best in the business."
Qingdao China will host Act 3 of the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series from 1st-4th May 2014.