Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: When Morgan Larson and his team crossed the finish line in Race 18, a further race was scheduled offering an opportunity to add points and finish above Alinghi in Extreme Sailing Series Act 2 but the thick fog grew increasingly unsafe for the crews and Race Director Phil Lawrence was forced to abandon the competition.
A second place, coming in just six points behind the winners Alinghi, added 11 points to Oman Air’s haul for the series which means a two-point advantage over the Swiss team when the fleet returns to action in Cardiff in June for Act 3.
According to Larson, there was more than fog and a shifty breeze to contend with on the final day with a jib breaking on Oman Air which slowed them right down.
“We tore a jib in the third and final race and we were in a nice spot but it got stuck in the spreader and we were in irons for a period which put us on the back foot.
“But the guys on this team come back fighting and this is what they did so we were looking forward to the last race because we knew we had a shot at winning overall.”
It was a fantastic event in challenging conditions against top opposition, added Larson who was previously skipper of Alinghi before switching to Oman Air for the 2016 season.
“Hats off to Alinghi. They are a great team and any chance you get to beat a team like that you go for it but they were superior all week and we will have to find a way of closing the gap, but that gap is not so big.
“There were a couple of things that happened today that haven’t in the past -- so we have to take some notes and come back stronger.”
A total of six races were completed on the final day in winds that ranged between 5 and 10 knots. Oman Air took victory in the first race of the day and in the last but Alinghi posted three wins to snatch the China title.
The contest has set up the rest of the series nicely with the long running rivalry between Oman Air and Alinghi set to continue, said Omani bowman Nasser Al Mashari.
“We remain confident for the future because we are a strong team. We need to figure out a few little things but we think it will be a great season of racing.
“We did pretty well so we are happy with second place. There are still six more events and we are looking forward to that especially the next one in Cardiff. To have won would have been great but the fleet is very strong and Alinghi are hard to beat so we are very happy with our performance.”
The Extreme Sailing Series now moves to Cardiff where Act 3 starts on June 23 and continues through to June 26.
