Larson Accelerates In Cardiff

[Photoboy]

Oman Air dominate in Cardiff with Act 3 masterclass

Extreme Sailing Series™ maestro Morgan Larson will take his Oman Air team into the finale of Act 3, Cardiff in pole position following a masterclass of big breeze sailing.

Larson’s expert crew have impressed throughout the thrilling regatta, rarely finishing off the podium as the seven international crews do battle in typically blustery conditions in the Welsh capital Cardiff. But as racing entered its penultimate day today Oman Air, the current Extreme Sailing Series overall 2016 leaders, changed to a new gear that saw them score four race wins and a second from eight races.


all images © Mark Lloyd/ Lloyd Images







They are now firmly top of the Act 3 leaderboard with a comfortable 17-point buffer over closest challengers SAP Extreme Sailing Team going into tomorrow’s climax. It wasn’t all plain sailing for the Omani-backed team however – trimmer Ed Smyth nearly got washed overboard when their GC32 catamaran was hit by a strong gust.

And just when it looked like they would score their fourth race win of the day, Taylor Canfield’s CHINA One team blasted past and pipped them on the finish line. Larson said his crew – who welcomed Welsh rugby star Alex Cuthbert onboard for a lap of Cardiff Bay prior to racing – will keep pushing for their second Act win of the 2016 season.






“It was a wild day again but our team dug in deep,” Larson said. “I was a bit shaky with my starts early on but their great boat handling and athleticism just pulled us back through. The secret was not getting into any trouble and doing all of the small things right. It was easy to get into trouble – we got really close to hitting the Chinese boat but we just missed them.

“In the last race we had a great run in with CHINA One – they were coming in fast on our heels and I think we had backed off a little conservatively. Their speed was incredible and they pressed us into the finish. Now it’s a case of keeping our foot on the throttle and hopefully the results will take care of themselves.”





Canfield’s rookie team finish the day in fourth place but in an indication of just how close racing is just five points now separate second-placed SAP Extreme Sailing Team and fifth placed Alinghi. The US Virgin Islander said he has his sights firmly set on his first podium finish of the year as the battle reaches its peak.

They will begin the final day of racing just one point adrift of Austrian crew Red Bull Sailing Team and two behind SAP Extreme Sailing Team.

“We had some ups and downs but to finish on a win is great,” Canfield said. “We worked hard all day and overall we’re really happy. The last race was definitely a close finish – Oman Air have been the pace setters in the Series so to take it right at the finish was great. As far as we are concerned the podium has always been in sight.”

Swiss crew Alinghi, winners of Act 2 in Qingdao, had a mixed bag of results including one race win but also a last-place finish. Their challenging day was summed up in the final race when one of their boat’s two rudders fell off halfway round the course, leaving them to limp home just three seconds inside the time limit.

Sail Portugal, under the leadership of former Olympian Diogo Cayolla, showed that despite their current position of sixth in the standings they can still challenge for the lead, with two podium finishes. There was also a welcome return to action for Land Rover BAR Academy after structural damage forced them out of five of yesterday’s six races.

The climax of Act 3 kicks off at 1400 tomorrow. Fans can follow the action live on YouTube and BT Sport Europe from 1530 to 1700 BST.

Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 3, Cardiff standings after Day 3, 22 races
Position / Team / Points

1st Oman Air (OMA) Morgan Larson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 227 points.
2nd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi De Felice, Renato Conde 210 points.
3rd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Brad Farrand 209 points.
4th CHINA One (CHN) Taylor Canfield, Shane Diviney, Hayden Goodrick, Garth Ellingham, Luke Payne 208 points.
5th Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 205 points.
6th Sail Portugal (POR) Diogo Cayolla, Javier de la Plaza, Luís Brito, João Matos Rosa, Sam Bell 176 points.
7th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Paul Campbell-James (‘CJ’), Neil Hunter, Will Alloway, Rob Bunce, Adam Kay 107 points.

[Photoboy]

Oman Air Soars In Act 3




Oman Air were today crowned kings of Act 3 of the Extreme Sailing Series™ following a tense finale that saw them only just manage to hold off a late charge from rivals Red Bull Sailing Team.

Morgan Larson’s men went into the fourth and final day of racing in Cardiff Bay with a commanding 17-point lead following a string of top results executed with trademark consistency throughout the Act. When they finished second in the first four races it looked like they would breeze to glory, but just as it looked like victory was sewn up Red Bull Sailing Team mounted a spirited comeback.

With the bit firmly between their teeth, Roman Hagara’s men turned on the afterburners winning one of the final four races and finishing second in the other three. Clearly rattled, Oman Air recorded their worst result of the regatta in the final race of the day when they finished last in the seven-boat fleet. However they had done just enough earlier on in the day to guarantee victory, sneaking the overall win by just six points after 29 races.

The victory is the second for the Omani-backed team in three Acts, adding to their success in the Series opener on home waters of Muscat. It also sees them extend their overall lead in the Series standings after three events.

“We’re feeling fantastic,” Larson said. “It was a tough end to the day but we did what we needed to do. It’s great to come away with a win. Red Bull Sailing Team did an awesome job with their comeback, hats off to those guys. We’ve got a couple of weeks now to enjoy some time out before we regroup for Hamburg.”

Red Bull Sailing Team skipper Hagara, a veteran of the Extreme Sailing Series, said his crew’s comeback was proof that they can win the outright title. The result also propels them into second on the overall scoreboard, leapfrogging Swiss crew Alinghi who finished fourth in Cardiff.

“We’re delighted – it was another final day that was almost perfect for us,” Hagara said. “Apart from being over the line in one race we did everything really well. This is a message to the other teams that we mean business. We have the crew to win the Series and now we just have to push.”

Denmark’s SAP Extreme Sailing Team scored their first podium finish of the 2016 season, sneaking ahead of Swiss crew Alinghi by winning the final double points-scoring race of the regatta.

“Winning the last double pointer to get our first podium of the season was a really nice way for us to finish here,” said co-skipper Rasmus Køstner. “We slid down the leaderboard early on in the day and had to dig deep to get it back so we’re really happy. It’s a real step forward for us – in the first two regattas we felt we were sailing well but didn’t get the results.

“We always believed we could be one of the best teams on the Extreme Sailing Series but the beginning of the season was harder than we expected. This time everything came together.”

Taylor Canfield’s CHINA One went into the final day in second after an impressive string of results – but their dreams of finishing on the podium were left in tatters when they were disqualified from the sixth race of the day for sailing outside of the permitted racecourse area.

A third place in the final race couldn’t salvage the result for the team, racing in their first ever Extreme Sailing Series, and they had to settle for a disappointing fifth overall. Diogo Cayolla’s Sail Portugal finished in sixth, just ahead of Land Rover BAR Academy led by 21-year-old Brit Neil Hunter.

The regatta was a perfect showcase for the new GC32 catamarans, with consistent breeze and flat waters providing optimum conditions. The cutting edge foiling boats hit speeds of up to 35 knots over the course of the regatta, providing a spectacle for the crowds that lined the shore to watch.

Thousands of people turned out over the four-day event to enjoy the Stadium Racing and soak up the festival atmosphere of the Race Village, with many even braving the rain on the final day. The Extreme Sailing Series will now head to Hamburg, Germany, for Act 4 from 28 – 31 July.

Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 3, Cardiff standings after Day 4, 29 races
Position / Team / Points
1st Oman Air (OMA) Morgan Larson, Pete Greenhalgh, James Wierzbowski, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 300 points.
2nd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Stewart Dodson, Adam Piggott, Brad Farrand 294 points.
3rd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Mads Emil Stephensen, Pierluigi De Felice, Renato Conde 286 points.
4th Alinghi (SUI) Arnaud Psarofaghis, Nicolas Charbonnier, Timothé Lapauw, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 282 points.
5th CHINA One (CHN) Taylor Canfield, Shane Diviney, Hayden Goodrick, Garth Ellingham, Luke Payne 274 points.
6th Sail Portugal (POR) Diogo Cayolla, Javier de la Plaza, Luís Brito, João Matos Rosa, Sam Bell 239 points.
7th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) Paul Campbell-James (‘CJ’), Neil Hunter, Will Alloway, Rob Bunce, Adam Kay 161 points.

Extreme Sailing Series™ 2016 overall standings
Position / Team / Points
1st Oman Air (OMA) 35 points.
2nd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 32 points.
3rd Alinghi (SUI) 30 points.
4th SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 25 points.
5th Land Rover BAR Academy (GBR) 25 points.
6th CHINA One (CHN) 21 points.
7th Sail Portugal (POR) 20 points.
8th Team Turx (TUR) 11 points.

http://www.extremesailingseries.com/...e-sailing-seri

[Runs_with_sissors]

Mo= Da MAN!