The racing was action-packed in the final day of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series in Singapore today, right up until the final double-points race which, ultimately, decided the podium places. Both Oman Sail’s The Wave, Muscat and Oman Air were strong contenders for the podium, but there was only to be one Omani flag flying on the podium in Singapore, with The Wave, Muscat claiming second place in the final event of the Series.


It was the Italian team of Luna Rossa who started the day at the top of the leaderboard, and they proved untouchable, winning not only the event in Singapore, but also The Extreme Sailing Series 2011. The real battle on the water however, was for the second and third positions, between The Wave, Muscat, Oman Air, Red Bull (AUT), Emirates Team New Zealand and Alinghi (SUI) who were all in with a shot at the podium in Singapore.

In true Extreme Sailing Series style, it came down to the final all-important double points race before the podium positions were decided. After two races, Oman Air were up to second, with their teammates The Wave, Muscat just one point adrift. It would have been the perfect finish to the event for Oman Sail, but the other teams were not going to make it easy for them. Unfortunately Oman Air suffered a number of penalties on the start line, which ultimately cost them, and the team had to settle for sixth place in Singapore. For Nasser Al Mashari, Oman Air's Bowman this is his first year as a full time crew member. He said:

“We were in the top three as we came into the final day of racing, unfortunately we missed our chance on the last day but as I said before, the goal was to have an Omani flag in the podium and I'm very happy to see our teammates in The Wave, Muscat up there. They gave a great performance and snatched the second place in Singapore. They deserved it."

With two races to go, everyone’s attention was on The Wave, Muscat and double Olympic gold medalist Roman Hagara’s team on Red Bull (AUT), who were tied on points in second place. The Wave, Muscat finished second in the penultimate race of the day – Red Bull third – and so went into the final double points race with a one point lead. The drama was far from over though – the teams match raced each round the course, neck and neck the whole way, but the light winds left them both trailing at the back end of the fleet and they finished the race outside of the allocated time, resulting in a disqualification from the race zero points scored by both.

Despite not finishing the final double points race, The Wave, Muscat’s two race wins earlier in the day was enough to ensure they were still in the mix, and the team finished tied on points with Emirates Team New Zealand in second place. The final standings came down to the number of first places the teams had secured over the course of the regatta, which fell in favour of The Wave, Muscat, with seven race wins, versus Emirates Team New Zealand’s three.

Khamis Al Anbouri, who also celebrated his birthday in Singapore on the final day of racing, was thrilled with the teams performance and to finish second in Singapore.

“We made a huge come back after going into today sixth and it wasn't easy. The competition was very tough and points couldn't be closer. I am very pleased to win the second place and although the last race maybe cost us a podium place in the Series leaderboard I'm happy with our performance.”

He continued: “We may have not won the event but I did win a lot of experience. I have been competing with these great sailors for two years now and I feel more competent in my skills. International but sailing is not an easy sport – I am ambitious and will continue to work to improve my skills.”

In the overall 2011 Series standings, The Wave, Muscat were one of four teams who could claim the third place, so the pressure was really on. They had to finish three places ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand in Singapore to claim the position but their second place in Singapore wasn’t quote enough, and Emirates Team New Zealand finish the Series third overall. The Wave, Muscat finish the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series in fourth.

Going into the final event, the battle for the top two positions was between Luna Rossa (ITA) and Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA), and despite finishing in seventh place in Singapore, Groupe Edmond de Rothschild’s solid performance throughout the year secured them the second place in the Series leaderboard.

It was a spectacular finale to the nine-event circuit that began in February at The Wave, Muscat, before traveling to Qingdao, (China), Istanbul, (Turkey), Boston, (USA), Cowes (UK), Trapani (Italy), Nice, (Spain) Almeria (Spain), and finally Singapore. The Wave, Muscat claimed their first podium position of the Series in the third event, Boston, USA, and continued their dominate form over the next two events, claiming victory in Cowes, UK and again in Trapani, Italy. The event in Singapore is their fourth podium position this Series.

In their debut year, the team on Oman Air, claimed two podium places this year, finishing third in both Trapani and Almeria. As Chris Draper, Oman Air’s Skipper and helm of Oman Sails 2009 Series winning team, Masirah, explained, the level of competition in the fleet is tougher then it has ever been.

“When we won the Series with Oman Sail in 2009, I would say there were five teams that were competitive and had a shot of winning. This year there are at least eight – there is a real depth of talent in this fleet which is obvious from how close the points are. It has been great to sail with Oman Sail again and to jump back on the Extreme 40 – I wish Oman Sail all the best next year.”

The Extreme Sailing Series has attracted some of the best teams and sailors in the world this year. The 40 sailors competing here share seven Olympic medals, have competed in 21 Olympic games and 36 America’s Cups, with 62 World and 87 European championships between them, as well as holding five world records.

On Tuesday 13th December, the Extreme Sailing Series organisers, OC Third Pole will announce the venues for next year, with some new venues expected alongside some which are already established, the teams are already beginning to get their teams ready for 2012.


Extreme Sailing Series Singapore Results after Day 5, 35 Races

1) LunaRossa (ITA) (260)

2) The Wave, Muscat (OMA) (215)

3) Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) (215)

4) Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT) (214)

5) Alinghi (SUI) (206.5)

6) Oman Air (OMA) (205)

7) Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA) (179)

8) Team GAC Pindar (GBR) (167)

9) TeamExtreme (EUR) (156)

10) Team Tilt (SUI) (150)

 

2011 Extreme Sailing Series Overall Results

1) LunaRossa (ITA) (80)

2) Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA) (73)

3) Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) (69)

4) The Wave, Muscat (OMA) (67)

5) Alinghi (SUI) (66)

6) Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT) (61)

7) Oman Air (OMA) (53)

8) Artemis Racing (SWE) 48

9) Team GAC Pindar (GBR) (33)

10) TeamExtreme (EUR) (21)

11) Niceforyou (ITA) (18)