Oman Air produced a blistering performance in St Petersburg today and jumped to the top of the Extreme Sailing Series Act 5 leaderboard with two days still remaining.
Starting day two in third place, three points behind leaders SAP Extreme Sailing, Morgan Larson’s team looked to be at the top of their game from the outset, coming out of the blocks with two consecutive podium spots before registering an outright win, their second of the Act.
They closed the day with another maximum pointer to rise two places up the table and consolidate their position as leaders with Alinghi trailing by five points overnight, following a terrific contest between the two teams.
The River Neva course once again presented plenty of challenges with a strong tide and a shifty breeze up to around 14 knots but Oman Air found solutions to both, thanks in part to a detailed debrief they had before they went racing.
“It was possibly the most detailed debrief we have ever had because we needed to address a few weak areas,” said tactician/trimmer Pete Greenhalgh, racing alongside teammates Ed Smyth, James Wierzbowski and Nasser Al Mashari.
“Some of our boat handling was off on Thursday which was down to communication and people getting out of position on the boat. Things like that… If we managed to do half the things we discussed in the debrief, it was always going to be a big improvement so we felt polished in a few areas today which was nice. It made all the difference.”
In all Oman Air have been on the podium nine times so far in 14 races in Russia, maintaining the remarkable 72% top 3 finish rate they have set from the first race of the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series in Muscat back in March. The three wins this week also maintains their 36%-win rate which is higher than any other team.
The Oman Air shore crew have some work to do this evening on the rudder which has some minor cosmetic requirements, but as Omani bowman Al Mashari says, this is all part of the rhythm of racing.
“The shore team are very used to keeping the boat in peak condition and getting us race ready for the next day. They do an incredible job and are a big part of our success on board Oman Air.
“We are looking forward to tomorrow and will be concentrating on polishing our starts as well as our comms and boat-handling!”
Racing continues Saturday through to Sunday September 4. Fans online can watch Act 5 racing live on the official website and YouTube channel from 15:30 – 17:00 GMT+3 on 3 and 4 September. For more information, visit www.extremesailingseries.com
