Oman Air enjoyed another cracking day on the Muscat race course to put them in a strong position going into the final day of the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series Muscat event. And Morgan Larson got to experience his first ever Optimist race against a fleet of keen young Omanis from the Omantel Oman Sail youth squad as a warm up!
Crédit : Lloyd Images
"Forty-five years and today was my first day on an Optimist! It was a fantastic little fleet out there and we were against the top Omani kids, it was pretty obvious who was better… Today I was beaten by a 12-year-old, and many of them! That goes across the board for all the sailors!"
After recovering from a mid fleet performance on the dinghies, Morgan Larson and his new GC32 crew turned on the heat for the third day of Extreme racing and recorded their eighth win in 13 races and added a further podium place to extend their overall lead at the top of the table to 26 points over second placed SAP Extreme Sailing Team with one day of racing remaining.
The first day of the Omani weekend saw crowds pile into the Extreme Sailing Series race village to enjoy the sunshine, on the race course the heat translated to a constantly shifting breeze and racing was eventually shortened when the Al Mouj Stadium course ran out of wind altogether ending the day on four races.
It was tricky for the entire fleet, observed Oman Air’s mainsail trimmer Pete Greenhalgh but the team has gelled so well since it first gathered for training last month in Dubai, that their ‘honeymoon’ could be set to last, whatever is thrown at them.
“There is a bit of a honeymoon period at the moment and we are enjoying that,” said Greenhalgh who has underpinned Oman Sail’s success in high performance catamaran racing since 2010 with four series wins under his belt.
“This team has gelled very well and we are doing certain things well. Our communications pre start are very good so it is easier to execute good starts. Morgan and James Wierzbowski are doing a great job at judging the line.
“There have been some good opportunities presented on the start line and we have been taking them, although some have fallen into our lap!”
Going into the Muscat event, Oman Air was conservative about their chances as some of the other teams were showing great improvements in their handling of the new foiling GC32 and fitness and strength has become such a major part of the racing.
“Some of the teams made a massive leap between the training week in Dubai last month and here,” he explained.
“In Dubai, we were mid fleet all the time. We had plenty to learn but we have been able to step our game up again and things have gone well, although with seven more Acts to go, it is very early days.
“Later on in the year at events where there is a breeze, we are going to have to step things up again because things could get pretty intense on these boats from a physical point of view.
“We are having to place a very big focus on our fitness so we can get the boat round the course in good shape, get the boards up and down and the sails to where they need to be. But these GC32s are great fun – with the foiling, the speed and the increased athleticism – it’s a great package.”
Act 1, Muscat standings after Day 3, 13 races
1st Oman Air (OMA) Morgan Larson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 145 points.
2nd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi De Felice, Renato Conde 119 points.
3rd Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Bleddyn Môn, Leigh McMillan, Ed Powys, Adam Kay, Neil Hunter 116 points.
4th Alinghi (SUI) Ernesto Bertarelli, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 115 points.
5th Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Brad Farrand 110 points.
6th Team Turx (TUR) Edhem Dirvana, Stevie Morrison, Cem Gözen, Alister Richardson, Anıl Berk Baki 99 points.
7th CHINA One (CHN) Taylor Canfield, Chris Steele, Shane Diviney, Hayden Goodrick, Luke Payne 92 points.
8th Sail Portugal (POR) Diogo Cayolla, Bernardo Freitas, Javier de la Plaza, Luís Brito, Winston Macfarlane 83 points.
From Extreme Sailing Series
