Leigh McMillan is hoping he can swap the magic of Muscat for a Singapore sweep when Oman Sail’s The Wave, Muscat returns to action for the second act of the 2013 Extreme Sailing Series next week.

Snatching victory in the dying embers of a long battle against Red Bull in Oman gave the British skipper and his crew the perfect start in the defence of their 2012 title but the priority in Singapore, making its debut as a full scale venue on the Extreme Sailing Series circuit, is to post another win but in less dramatic fashion with less left to do in the final few races.

For the first time since Oman Sail began racing Extreme 40s, the high performance catamaran has two Omani sailors onboard racing alongside seasoned professionals such as Leigh McMillan, Pete Greenhalgh and Ed Smyth. Hashim Al Rashdi, the bowman onboard is no newcomer to the cut and thrust of Extreme 40 racing, but his fellow countryman Musab Al Hadi who has come up through the Oman Sail Performance Programme on Lasers and the F18 catamaran, is enjoying a baptism of fire as trimmer.

Going into the final day of racing in Muscat, the 2012 champions needed 15 points to snatch the win from Roman Hagara’s Red Bull. The team made incremental gains to reduce the gap to two points with the final double-pointer race remaining which paved the way for a thrilling winner takes all climax. As the wind died, it was The Wave, Muscat’s crew who proved the most patient and skilful to cross the line ahead of Red Bull and notch up their first win of the season.

“We did not expect to be able to pull it off so we were surprised and delighted,” said McMillan.

“But we cannot afford to do that again. There are bound to be good days and bad days but we need to make sure we do more in the early races in Singapore so that we do not have to come back from that position. We seem to be good at come backs but we don’t want to make a habit of it.”

Patience could prove to be the biggest factor in Singapore with light airs set to slow boat speed and raise frustration levels. According to McMillan, the Act 2 winner is likely to be the team that copes with these light conditions the best.

“It will be challenging and frustrating,” he said. “There are a lot of local systems and effects so we will be doing our homework because whoever can figure them out the quickest will most likely win. There are no tricks to speeding up in these conditions – it will be a case of doing the basic stuff well like lifting the boards and loosening the rig.”

Red Bull is likely to pose the biggest threat to The Wave, Muscat again in the eight-boat fleet along with the improving Alinghi who came third in Muscat.

But both McMillan and Musab Al Hadi are wary of newcomer Robert Greenhalgh and his crew in invitational entry Team Aberdeen Singapore, sponsored by Aberdeen Asset Management.

“Robert is the brother of Pete who sails with us and they race against each other a lot but Pete has more experience in these boats so we are hoping we can stay ahead,” said Musab.

“The racing will be close and I am really looking forward to it. I shall be trying my hardest and want to make everyone at home in Muscat proud to support us again.”

Racing will take place within the confines of the world famous Marina Bay from 11-14 April. The race village at The Promontory@Marina Bay will be open from 12 April giving spectators and fans free access to the viewing area and the all-day Extreme Sailing Series entertainment.

 

2013 The Wave, Muscat crew

Leigh McMillan (GBR) – skipper
Musab Al Hadi (OMA)
Pete Greenhalgh (GBR)
Hashim Al Rashdi (OMA)
Ed Smyth (NZL)

2013 Extreme Sailing Series calendar

5-8 March: Muscat
11-14 April: Singapore
2-5 May: China
20-23 June: Istanbul
25-28 July: Porto
22-26 August: Cardiff
3-6 October: Nice
13-17 November: Rio

About the sponsor: The Wave, Muscat

The Wave, Muscat is a leading lifestyle development just north of the Sultanate’s capital city.

The development is of the finest contemporary architecture with a subtle infusion of distinct Middle Eastern influence and design themes. The Wave, Muscat incorporates a diverse selection of housing styles, offering homeowners a gorgeous selection of addresses to choose from.

The partnership between Oman Sail and The Wave, Muscat offers a unique opportunity to showcase the international project based in Oman that will appeal to an international sailing demographic, as well as visitors to the Extreme Sailing Series across Europe and Asia. For more information, please go to: http://www.thewavemuscat.com