Oman Sail's teams prepare for Sydney

Extreme Sailing Series defending champions The Wave, Muscat have vowed to 'sail their socks off' in the grand finale in Sydney to retain their title while Oman Air's new look crew, skippered by Australian champion Tom Slingsby, fully expect to cause an upset.

For the final time in 2014, after more than 100 hours of racing across seven different countries, Leigh McMillan's team will go head to head with Swiss rivals Alinghi in front of the iconic Sydney Opera House to decide one of the most closely fought championship contests in the history of the series.

Morgan Larson's team stretched their lead to eight points at the last event in Nice but with double points up for grabs in Sydney, that advantage could quickly vanish McMillan says, if The Wave, Muscat put in a 'storming' performance and keep something in reserve for the final push.

"We knew the last event in Nice really affected our chances but it is not over yet. We need to have a storming event so if we can go into the last day in the lead with a little bit of a margin, we can still influence the result but we can only do that if we are in a really strong position.

"Alinghi are in a very strong position so we really have to sail our socks off for the entire week then see what we can do at the end.

"Morgan and the guys have been strong this year but they have had their bad days and shown lapses. They have made it as hard for us as we have made it for them but now this championship is theirs to lose.

"They are not unbeatable – we have beaten them two years running and we hope to do it again this time."

Despite winning the Extreme title in both 2012 and 2013, their appetite for more success remains as strong as ever, McMillan said.

"It means just as much this year as it has in previous years so we will be giving it our all in Sydney. We want to keep learning, winning and proving ourselves."

McMillan has made one change to his line up with familiar face Ed Smyth returning to the Oman Sail fold in place of Kinley Fowler who is having surgery on a long standing shoulder injury. The Wave, Muscat favourites Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh and Nasser Al Mashari are also back in action.

On Oman Sail sister ship Oman Air, it is a matter of 'all change' for the final event after skipper Rob Greenhalgh was called up to join the Spanish team MAPFRE for the Volvo Ocean Race.

Taking over the Oman Air helm is Australian Olympic gold medallist Tom Slingsby, regarded as one of the world's most naturally gifted sailors, who although making his debut in the Extreme 40 class, knows his way round high performance catamarans after being part of Oracle's winning team in the last America's Cup.

Slingsby is used to winning and despite the level of competition and his lack of experience in the class, is hoping he can do enough in his home waters in Sydney to ruffle a few feathers.

"It is going to be a tough learning curve because I have never been on one of these boats before and we will be up against some of the best sailors in the world but I have a great crew who I'll be relying on to quickly get me up to speed," he said of Oman Air regulars Kyle Langford and Ted Hackney who will be showing him the ropes.

"Oman Air is lying 8th overall and has made some real progress and had some successes over the year but we have no real expectations of ending up on the podium. Having said that, I will be doing everything I can to give it a go."

He brings with him Joe Newton, another thoroughbred from the Oracle America's Cup stable who will be sharing bow duties with Oman's Ali Al Balushi in the absence of regulars Hashim Al Rashdi and Musab Al Hadi who have stepped off to focus on their Olympic 49er training.

Like Slingsby and Newton, Oman Sail's young sailor Al Balushi is also making his debut on the Extreme racetrack. A former footballer before he took up sailing in 2010 as part of the Oman Sail national initiative to get a generation sailing, he is a solid member of the Omani offshore squad and one of the core crew members on the Oman Sail Tour de France a la Voile and EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour squads. Commenting on the imminent high-intensity stadium racing in Sydney, Al Balushi said: "I am very excited at this opportunity to be sailing with such high calibre sailors on Oman Air and learning from some of the best in our sport."

Racing in the 8th and final Extreme Sailing Series Act of 2014 gets underway at 14.00 (03.00 GMT) on Thursday December 11th and continues through to 17.00 (06.00 GMT) on Sunday December 14th. It will be held in the waters of Sydney Harbour, between Garden Island and the Sydney Opera House.

More details of schedule and live coverage of the event at www.extremesailingseries.com.