Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 4 Cardiff - Overall
by Extreme Sailing Series 22 Jun 2015 08:12 BST
18-21 June 2015
It was a case of survival of the fittest for the final day of racing at the Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 4, Cardiff presented by Land Rover, that demanded all of the teams strength and skill to avoid collisions and capsizes. 60,000 spectators lined the shore over three days, to watch first hand as the teams were battered with a solid 22-knot breeze and gusts of up to 30-knots for the fourth exhausting day of racing, as Leigh McMillan, with double Olympic gold medallist tactician Sarah Ayton and the team on The Wave, Muscat, stormed to an impressive win, putting the Omani team back in the lead at the half way stage of the eight-Act 2015 Series. Watch the highlights from a spectacular week in Cardiff here.
Topping the leaderboard after 32 gruelling races The Wave, Muscat, took control in the wild conditions, posting five podium finishes on the final day and more podiums over the event than any other team. With an eye always on the 2015 Series leaderboard, the final double points race of the day became a tactical game from start to finish, the team using their experience to sail SAP Extreme Sailing Team down the pack, as McMillan explained: "It's a tough situation when you have one eye on the regatta itself and one eye on the Series. SAP Extreme Sailing Team went into this event in the lead in the Series rankings, so we had an opportunity where we could squeeze them back behind Red Bull Sailing Team in the last race, so that's what we did. It never feels good doing that but that's what you have to do to take advantage of the situation when you can." The bold move from the experienced crew on The Wave, Muscat not only cost SAP Extreme Sailing Team second place in Cardiff but it also stripped them of their lead in the overall Series standings.
The battle for second place was intense between the Austrian Red Bull Sailing Team and the Danish SAP Extreme Sailing Team, who went into the final race tied on points – a simple case of who wins, wins. Red Bull Sailing Team were on fire all day and barely put a foot wrong – an impressive four race wins and third in the final race of the day earning the Austrians a well deserved second place. With regular skipper Roman Hagara coaching the team from the support RIB throughout the week due to a shoulder injury, helm Jason Waterhouse and skipper Hans Peter Steinacher clearly relished the conditions that were, at times, on the edge of control. The team even managed to pull back from the brink of a near capsize, to claim an incredible race win. Watch the video sequence here.
Hans Peter Steinacher summed up the day: "Everyone tried to stop us but on days like this we were unstoppable. This is one of the best days we've ever had in the Extreme Sailing Series. We started the day great with a lot of wind, we were so focused and the boys had a lot of energy. They're just working so hard, and in conditions like this with strong winds, they're not scared."
Awarded the Land Rover Above and Beyond Award for teamwork and performance under pressure this week, and for securing their best Act result so far this year, GAC Pindar co-skippered by Chris Draper and Seve Jarvin just missed out on the podium despite consistently putting the pressure on the top teams finishing the Act on 232 points in fourth followed by Gazprom team Russia skippered by Igor Lisovenko.
Physically tough, the conditions took their toll on the boats as well as the crews over the four days. Oman Air finished the regatta in sixth after winning the final double points race of the Act with a convincing lead but were unable to recover from missing four races after their winch pulled clean off the deck in yesterday's racing. Lino Sonego Team Italia and Team Turx powered by Kaya Ropes also suffered problems on deck and despite both posting podium positions over the weekend, neither couldn't find the consistency to compete with the more experienced crews.
At the halfway mark of the Series just three points separate the top three boats, with The Wave, Muscat now leading the charge one point ahead of second place SAP Extreme Sailing Team with Red Bull Sailing Team in third. Next stop is a brand new venue on the global tour, as the fleet head to Hamburg, Germany for Act 5 presented by Land Rover and launch into the second half of the season, 23-26 July.
What they said:
Rasmus Køstner, SAP Extreme Sailing Team – "We knew from the beginning that The Wave, Muscat would try and make things difficult for us but that is how it is. During the first part of the last race I think we did quite well to stay away from them and sail our own race but in the end we got too close to The Wave, where they could then made things a bit more interesting! We kept fighting and managed to overtake them but didn't close the gap to Red Bull Sailing Team. It was great racing and hats off to Red Bull Sailing Team for a fantastic performance, they definitely deserve to be on the podium."
Stevie Morrison, Oman Air – "The Series is a good challenge. It's really different with a lot of new skills you need to learn and a completely different mentality. It's very crash and burn, literally some of the times, and that's what makes it fun. I think it's great racing here in front of the crowds and on such a short course. But you have to be very punchy and any little mistakes can prove quite costly."
Chris Draper, GAC Pindar – "Red Bull Sailing Team sailed an awesome day. They had a great second half of the regatta whereas we kind of went in the opposite direction. We tried to attack the day too hard yesterday and made some silly mistakes, which went down to lack of preparation and experience in the Series. I'm really pleased with how we've done this weekend and I've really enjoyed sailing with Seve and the boys. Sofuku has done a great job so we've ticked all the boxes we've hoped to tick."
Mitch Booth, Team Turx powered by Kaya Ropes – "It was a hard day for us and we struggled from the first race in the tough conditions, but the crew were fighting really hard and by the middle of the day we had a little bit of drama. We broke our gooseneck (the swivel connection by which the boom attaches to the mast) and we had to miss a race, but the team performed pretty well under pressure with everything that was thrown at them – changing crew, broken boat. We fought hard and the last two races went OK for us."
Leigh McMillan, The Wave, Muscat – "It has been a relentless four days of racing. The wind has been really gusty so it has been pretty nerve-wracking at times with plenty of adrenaline pumping through the team. Cardiff is renowned for these conditions and it really keeps you on your toes the whole time, but it is an enjoyable challenge"
Act 4 Overall Results: (32 races)
1st The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 268 points
2nd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Hans Peter Steinacher, Jason Waterhouse, Jeremy Bachelin, Shaun Mason, Stewart Dodson 250 points
3rd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Thierry Douillard, Mads Emil Stephensen, Brad Farrand 245 points
4th GAC Pindar (GBR) Chris Draper, Seve Jarvin, Tyson Lamond, James Wierzbowski, Kazuhiko Sofuku 232 points
5th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Igor Lisovenko, Phil Robertson, Garth Ellingham, Alexander Bozhko, Aleksey Kulakov 213 points
6th Oman Air (OMA) Stevie Morrison, Nic Asher, Ted Hackney, Ed Powys, Ali Al Balashi 193 points
7th Team Turx powered by Kaya Ropes (TUR) Mitch Booth, Can Bayulken, Selim Kakýþ, Diogo Cayolla, Pedro Andrade 173 points
8th Lino Sonego Team Italia (ITA) Lorenzo Bressani, Enrico Zennaro, Andrea Tesei, Tom Buggy, Stefano Ciampalini 144 points
Overall Series Standings: (after Act 4)
1st The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 37 points
2nd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 36 points
3rd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 34 points
4th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) 24 points
5th Oman Air (OMA) 23 points
6th GAC Pindar (AUS) 21 points
7th Team Turx (TUR) 19 points
8th Lino Songeo Team Italia (ITA) 14 points
www.extremesailingseries.com
Update from Oman Sail
After another day of adrenaline-fueled Extreme 40 racing in winds that topped well over 25kts in the gusts, defending champion Leigh McMillan and his team on The Wave, Muscat put in another solid performance to claim overall victory in Cardiff for the third consecutive year. The result also lifts them to the top of the leaderboard in the Extreme Sailing Series – just one point ahead of SAP Extreme Sailing Team. McMillan's team that includes Nasser Al Mashari, Pete Greenhalgh, Double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ayton, and Ed Smyth sailed consistently well throughout the day to record five straight podium positions. Meanwhile team mates on Oman Air concluded the day with some equally impressive results including a second and a spectacular last race win to put them in sixth place overall.
With a lead of 15pts over SAP Extreme Sailing Team going into today's final seven races, McMillan and his all-star crew were under a lot of pressure to keep their rivals at bay.
In the opening race they finished second to Red Bull Sailing, and one place ahead of closest rivals SAP. From there on they managed to strengthen their lead in nearly every race and finished the day with an 18pt clear lead over Red Bull Sailing Team who snatched second place overall in the final race.
As he stepped ashore this afternoon, a delighted McMillan commented: "We came out today and everything clicked into place. We had a good game plan and we are absolutely thrilled to win in Cardiff for the third year running.
"We had a slightly more relaxed approach going into the event, a more free-style attitude towards the starts and just letting everything happen as it should. I think this makes it less stressful on the boat and everyone performs well to that."
Chatting about the venue, McMillan added: "It has been a relentless four days of racing. The wind has been really gusty so it has been pretty nerve-wracking at times with plenty of adrenaline pumping through the team. Cardiff is renowned for these conditions and it really keeps you on your toes the whole time, but it is an enjoyable challenge as a result.
Looking ahead, McMillan concluded: "SAP have been very consistent and very hard to beat so from here on we need to keep our focus on them and make sure no one else makes a big jump on us overall."
Nasser Al Mashari who is in charge of the front end of the boat said he feels proud to have won Act 4 for Oman and The Wave, Muscat. "Fantastic to have won here in Cardiff for the third time. We had good team work and we are now looking forward to the next one, where we hope to repeat our performance."
Stevie Morrison and his team on Oman Air also wowed the crowds in Cardiff with some equally impressive results. Although they were unable to achieve a podium position overall, their final race win in the demanding, high pressure, double points race was exceptional and undoubtedly the highpoint of their event. The team, which includes Nic Asher, Ted Hackney, Ed Powys, and Ali Al Balushi achieved 10 podium positions over the weekend, including three wins.
Commenting on the highlights of racing in Cardiff Bay, Morrison said: "They say you are only as good as your last race, and that counted double, so we are doubly good. Winning the last race certainly leaves a good taste in the mouth."
Oman Air's positive outlook after an exceptionally taxing weekend on Cardiff Bay means they are well prepared for the next event in Hamburg at the end of July. "Generally, I think we are starting to sail the boat better and we feel a lot more comfortable in it, and of course we are enjoying it. When we have good starts we are able to pull away and get good results, so starting is something we are working on. Today we were also beginning to overtake some boats, which is encouraging too.
"We are looking forward to the next event in Hamburg because no one has been there before, so everyone will be fresh to the event so there could be a good chance for us."
Update from GAC Pindar
The compact course in Cardiff combined with ideal sailing conditions suited co-skipper Chris Draper and his team who won three races across the week.
After four days of the Cardiff Act, GAC Pindar finished the regatta in fourth place with 232 points, notching up their best total score of the series this year. In doing so, the crew won the Land Rover Above and Beyond award, for their outstanding performances this week.
Co-skipper Draper comments: "We didn't make the podium which is a shame, but we've made a great deal of progress in a very short space of time. Considering that was our first regatta together I think we performed very well. It's been a pleasure to sail with such a talented crew this week in front of huge crowds on the Cardiff Bay".
GAC Pindar Team Principal Andrew Pindar comments: "It's been a real thrill to watch our crew battling it out at the front of the fleet this week and we've got plenty to build on ahead of the next regatta in Hamburg (23-26 July). We'll regroup and look to come back even stronger next month."