“It has been a massive effort by everyone,” said Oman Air’s veteran mainsail trimmer Pete Greenhalgh. “We were leading the event at the half-way point but then had a couple of disappointing races. Once we were back out on the water the plan was to get into a strong place and get the best out of everyone and we did exactly that.”
The impressive overall performance was sealed with a second-place finish in the double-points scoring final race, which saw Oman Air go clear of Red Bull Sailing Team and leapfrog ahead of rivals SAP Extreme Sailing Team, the 2017 Extreme Sailing Season champions.
The Barcelona Act was won by the consistent Swiss team Alinghi, a result that takes them to the top of the 2018 Extreme Sailing Series season leaderboard after three events. They have 33 points, as do second place SAP, with Oman Air poised right behind in third place with 32 points.
“We really pulled together as a team in Barcelona and were able to earn a good result,” said Oman Air’s bowman Al Mashari.
“We are now very close to the leading boats in the season overall, so our focus is on getting ready for the next event in a few weeks and getting another good result to help us climb further up the leaderboard.”
The Extreme Sailing Series season continues at pace with the next high-intensity regatta in Cascais, Portugal, in early July, and then in Cardiff, UK, in August. The season concludes in San Diego, California and Los Cabos, Mexico, in October and November.
Source Link: www.omanobserver.om