Extreme Sailing Series™ 2014 Act 8, Sydney - Reflections
by Extreme Sailing Series 15 Dec 2014 08:55 GMT
11-14 December 2014
A tough way to close to the series for J.P. Morgan BAR
The final day of racing in the final Act saw eight races sailed in around 20 knots. Stepping back out onto the racecourse, the team was fired up and opened fast and strong, claiming third, second and first place finishes consecutively, their highest positions of the event.
It was a day that promised a lot, but faded at the end, and it was a tough way to finish the series.
A total of 26 races were completed over the three racing days and J.P. Morgan BAR finish the event in fifth place, on 156 points. After eight global Acts, with Act 8 offering double points, the team mirrored a fifth place position in the series, with 49 points.
Team Tactician, Paul Campbell-James talked through the final races, "We basically had a great day and it was going right until the last race, the double pointer. We were getting good results and it was working well but that final race dropped us back down to fifth place overall, so ultimately we are a little disappointed.
"That's the way it is with this racing, it comes down to the last race, and in the last race we didn't get the result we wanted."
J.P. Morgan BAR's 5th man, Bleddyn Mon, continued, "Everyone worked really hard all day, it was a tough and physical day, and unfortunately it just didn't fall into place at the end. It has been a great venue and it is frustrating to end the event with this result, but when we got out there and got going, we got some great racing in this week."
The team first came together for Act One in Singapore back in February, with a crew change for the home event, Act 5 – Cardiff. Bowman, Matt Cornwell, summarised their first series, "It's been an interesting year, we kind of struggled when we started, getting to grips with the style of racing but we really got a hold of it these past few events.
"When we think about the the bigger picture, it's not all about one race or one Act – it's about the series as a whole and there have been some real highs to the racing.
"Ideally we would have liked to finish one or two places higher up the scoreboard but, it's our first go at it as a team, it's a new format and we probably finished where we deserved to finish. It has been a pleasure sailing with the guys and ultimately, it's one step forward in the long road to 2017."
Skipper, Ben Ainslie concluded, "The guys worked incredibly hard today but it didn't go the right way for us in the final race which was really frustrating.
"I would like to thank the shore team, commercial team and sailing team for all their hard work this season.
"We've developed a lot from racing on the Extreme Sailing Series and this will undoubtedly help us towards our goals in the America's Cup."
Final curtain: Groupama sailing team
Tenth in Sydney and tenth overall, Groupama Sailing Team wasn't able to make the most of the last event of the year to make up ground on Gazprom, SAP and Oman Air: "As has often been the case since the start of the season, we totally stuffed up one day of sailing. It's a shame, as it has dragged us down in the overall ranking. We did do some great things though," explained Franck Cammas.
Alongside him, tactician Tanguy Cariou reviewed the season as a whole: "Those who are very familiar with the whole circuit have an unquestionable advantage. It's all about sailing with your reflexes. The top three quickly find a solution when they're in a bad situation. We, like Ben Ainslie's team, lack a bit of experience. However, in contrast to the English, we don't attack enough in the handling of the boat and in close tactics. We don't take enough risks".
Franck Cammas' tactician for the past fifteen years, Tanguy Cariou, remains realistic though: "We are doing battle with teams for whom the Extreme Sailing Series is objective number 1 for the season. For Franck, that isn't the case because he's also racing in the Nacra 17 circuit within the context of the Olympic preparation and also in the Tour de France à la Voile. In the medium term, this multiple programme will give him the edge, but in the short term it's more of a handicap. We lacked unity in the team and leadership too".
So that's the score. We now have to share the lessons we've learned and take them into account for 2015, which promises to be very busy again, even though Groupama sailing team won't be present on the Extreme Sailing Series circuit.
GAC Pindar have their day cut short
The 2014 Extreme Sailing Series finale ended with late drama as GAC Pindar Team Australia capsized in front of their home fans.
Sydney locals were out in full force to cheer on the home team but GAC Pindar, who have been flying the Australian flag all season, had their day cut short following an unfortunate incident with Realteam.
Nathan Wilmot, GAC Pindar's Skipper, commented "From my point of view we sailed over the top of Realteam on the run. We were hit hard with the impact just ripping off the rudder and the capsize was then imminent. Everyone is fine and we're hoping the rig is in one piece. Obviously we're down one rudder but the main thing is that everyone's O.K"
"It's a disappointing end to the week for us but it's been incredible sailing on Sydney harbour and we've enjoyed all the support from our home fans".
Chief Umpire, Ewan McEwan, called the incident differently: "There was about 15 knots on the course, so fantastic sailing conditions and very manageable. GAC Pindar were the windward boar and therefore required to keep clear of Realteam. The resulting damage to their (GAC Pindar) rudders meant they lost control of the boat which caused them to capsize."
"The safety team were quickly on hand, and the guest who was part of the GAC Pindar team was transferred back to the guest RIB – with a smile on her face".
Leigh McMillan (The Wave, Muscat) congratulates Alinghi
After an epic year-long battle between Leigh McMillan and Morgan Larson and their crews, spanning 12 months, 8 countries and 223 races, the Swiss team were crowned new champions when they crossed the finish line of the final double points race in second place to earn a 12 point advantage over The Wave, Muscat for the Sydney Act and a 10 point lead on the overall leaderboard.
For McMillan, it brought to an end an Extreme Sailing Series championship tenure that started in 2012 and continued through 2013 with an historic second win. His hopes of retaining it for the third consecutive year were still very much alive until this final event in Sydney.
He was the first to congratulate Alinghi: "It is frustrating not to win the last event but it was a battle like it has been all year and Alinghi have been sailing really well and they got the better of us so many congratulations to them!" said McMillan.
"To finish second in this event and overall is still a good result and it was a fantastic team effort from our guys but there are areas where we could have been better so we have some work to do.
"Sydney has been a fantastic location but the two home wins in Cardiff and Muscat were definitely the highlight of the year for us," McMillan added paying tribute to his crew of Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Nasser Al Mashari, Kinley Fowler and Ed Smyth. "The team really gelled well together and did a great job."
Slingsby, who started the event with a stellar reputation but no experience in Extreme 40 sailing, had a spectacular day to lift Oman Air to fourth place, posting a stream of podium places including a win in the penultimate race. He was awarded the Land Rover 'Above and Beyond' award for his contribution as the most outstanding debutant skipper of the series.
The happy Australian Olympic gold medal and America's Cup winner, standing in for regular Oman Air skipper Rob Greenhalgh for the last event of the year, was thrilled to have taken Oman Air to fourth place in Sydney, matching their best performance of the year back in Istanbul in September.
"We are all really happy," he said.
"It was really tough racing and we had a bit of good luck out there at times and a bit of bad luck at others but that is the way it goes – there are a lot of good sailors on this circuit.
"This is a great series because they really involve the spectators in the sport. Ali [Al Balushi], Joey [Newton] and I were all new to the boat and to the crew for the final Act. We all really improved as a team so we got a nice result in the end."
It has been a challenging and rewarding year for both Oman Sail teams from the moment the flag went up on the 2014 series in Singapore last February. The new line up of skippers read like a hall of fame of the best sailors of the current generation, all using the circuit to stay fresh for the next America's Cup.
They included Dean Barker, Sir Ben Ainslie and Franck Cammas so on top of the ever present threat from Alinghi, Leigh McMillan knew from the outset The Wave, Muscat had a mountain to climb to keep hold of the crown which he won first in 2012 and again the following year.
The opening Act in Singapore was a major test for McMillan and his new look crew who spent the first few days gelling as a team and on the final day clawed back points to finish second though it was Alinghi, with Morgan Larson back on the helm who snatched victory with one race remaining, while Greenhalgh's new crew on Oman Air had a tough initiation to finish in 9th place.
Act 2 in Muscat and The Wave returned to form to take their first win of the series in front of a jubilant home crowd while Oman Air's steep learning curve continued and they finished 10th.
The Qingdao event was just 30 seconds old when Oman Air were T-boned and forced off the race track, leaving their shore crew - Jo Lees, Suleiman Al Manji and Hilal Al Zadjali - with a massive overnight repair job. They came back strong and finished in 6th place while The Wave, Muscat finished just off the podium in 4th and Alinghi notched up their second event win. The shore team became the first recipients of the Land Rover "Above and Beyond" Award for their dedication and hard work. Oman Sail team members – including Suleiman again when he stepped in for a Team New Zealand sailor in Nice – went on to win the award a further four times during the season – the most wins of any team!
The old battle with Alinghi continued into the new venue of St Petersburg and in light airs and a strong current, the Swiss boat edged to victory though on the overall leaderboard were just three points ahead of The Wave, Muscat. That was reduced to two in Cardiff following a thrilling and highly tactical final day won by McMillan. Oman Air finished 6th making incremental gains every time they crossed the line.
Pressure built in Istanbul and although The Wave, Muscat were in pole position going into the final race, Alinghi had one eye on the overall title when they sailed a tactical race to make sure Emirates Team New Zealand topped the leaderboard keeping McMillan at bay though the gap between the two teams narrowed to a single point.
The frustration spilled over to Nice and points were hard to come by in the light airs for The Wave, Muscat who slipped to 8th place. This widened the gap between them and Alinghi to 8 points on the overall leaderboard going into the decider in Sydney that proved to be an excellent venue and a most welcome addition to the circuit.
Oman Sail will be back in 2015 gunning to bring the Extreme Sailing Series Championship title back to Oman starting with Act 1 in Singapore in February. The crew will be announced in the New Year.