Extreme 40 sailors downsize to Optimists in Muscat
by Oman Sail 14 Mar 2015 18:58 GMT
14 March 2015
Optimist racing with Extreme 40 sailors in Muscat © Mark Lloyd /
www.lloydimages.com
Extreme Sailing Series, Act 2, Muscat
Leigh McMillan's crew on The Wave, Muscat enjoyed a stunning day on the water, dominating the racing with seven podium places in eight races, including three emphatic wins despite a tricky breeze that became increasingly patchy as the day went on.
Confidence was also high on Oman Air even though they dropped a place in the rankings, due to a couple of overenthusiastic starts. With just 16 points separating the top four boats and one more day's racing remaining, there was everything to play for said skipper Stevie Morrison.
Downsizing
Earlier in the day, both McMillan and Morrison were involved in a different type of racing when Oman Sail staged a special event to pit the talents of eight Extreme 40 skippers against those of a group of young Omani sailors, all members of the Omani national youth squad, in a fleet of Optimists, the dinghy that has launched dozens of professional sailing careers.
The racing was followed by a 'Chat with Champions' featuring Nasser Al Mashari, Ali Al Balushi, Sarah Ayton and Stevie Morrison and a presentation of caps to eight Youth Sailors, in recognition of their achievements in 2014-15.