The Oman Sail Extreme 40 teams, Oman Air and The Wave, Muscat continued their assault on the leaderboard at the Extreme Sailing Series, Singapore today, where a solid performance by Oman Air saw them climb a place to fourth. The event in Singapore is the last of the 2011 Series, which over the last 10 months has spanned 10 continents, and both Omani teams are determined to finish the Series on a high.

Light winds delayed the start of racing by over an hour, but the patience of the 10 boat fleet paid off, and eventually they completed four races in winds that reached just over eight knots. The threat of thunderstorms was ever present, with dark clouds lingering over the race course, causing the wind to constantly shiftaround, making for some challenging sailing.

The team on Oman Air put in a strong performance on the water, never finishing out of the top five and securing a second place in race three as their best result of the day. The team is now in fourth place, three points clear of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA), one of the contenders for the overall Series title, and just six points shy of the Italian team and current Series leaders, Luna Rossa, (ITA).

Nasser Al Mashari, the team’s Bowman, said: “We came into this event with no real expectations having not sailed with our new skipper Chris Draper before. However, now we are getting good results and, seeing our potential as a team, we are definitely aiming for the podium. It would be fantastic to finish the Series with an event win.”

The Wave, Muscat are one of four teams who could claim third position this Series, alongside Emirates Team New Zealand, Red Bull (AUT) and Alinghi (SUI), and the competition is tough. After two days of racing The Wave, Muscat are in seventh place, having secured their best result of the event in the final race of the day, finishing in second place. Khamis Al Anbouri, the team’s Bowman,recognises the challenge ahead of them, but remains optimistic.

“Today was a better day for us and we finished on a high with a second place. We need to start getting more results like that and we were hoping for more races so we could get more points, as our performance was improving with every race. There are three days left of racing, and everyone is full of adrenaline as we getcloser to the end of the series – I think the racing over the next few days will be intense.”

Today was the official media day, where the Skippers were presented to the local Singaporean media. The media were impressed by the depth of talent in the fleet, which ranges from Olympic medalists to America’s Cup sailors, and showed a particular interest in the Oman Sail teams, with a host of interviews taking place.

Oman Sail’s CEO David Graham, who has joined the teams in Singapore, reflected on the media’s interest in the Omani teams.

“There are great relations that tie Oman and Singapore, and the media are always keen to know of activities that serve the interests of both countries. From a sailing point of view, Singapore has a great structure in place for the development of the sport, and the country has done very well to develop some very talented sailors. Within Oman Sail, we looked to the structure of sailing in Singapore to help us learn and develop our project.”

Vincent Wee, a freelance journalist from Hong Kong who attended the press conference, has followed the development of the Oman Sail project closely, since joining the crew on board the Omani Vessel The Jewel of Muscat on its last leg form Malaysia to Singapore. The Jewel of Muscat was given as a gift from His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to Singapore in significance of the close ties and relationships that bond the two countries. Vincent spoke highly of the project and praised the vision of Oman Sail.

"Oman Sail is a really good example of how to build up a sailing program from scratch. There has been a very systematic structure that Oman Sail has put in place to develop sailing across all segments in the society and its remarkable to see all their latest achievements in the Extreme Sailing Series. It is especially exciting to see an emphasis on the recently launched Women’s Sailing Program. I wish Oman Sail all the best in all their initiatives and I wish the Omani teams all the best in Singapore.”

With three days of racing left, the battle at the top of the Series leaderboard between Luna Rossa (ITA) and Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA) for the championship crown is well and truly on. Luna Rossa, with helm Paul Campbell-James (GBR), who in 2010 was Skipper of The Wave, Muscat when they won the Series, have extended their lead over the French to nine points. Red Bull Extreme (AUT) remain in pole position.

Tomorrow is the first of three public days in Singapore with the spectacle of the Extreme 40’s expected to attract big crowds, and racing taking place in the heart of Marina Bay, providing fantastic views for the public.

For live updates from the race course follow Oman Sail on Twitter – www.twitter.com/OmanSail