Tuesday 23 / April / 2024
MUSCAT: Welcoming the high-speed racing catamarans for the seventh year running makes the Welsh capital the longest-standing host of the Extreme Sailing Series – only equalled by Oman Air’s home base of Muscat.
At the same time an Oman Sail team has won the event on every occasion since 2012, the only exception being last year’s third place in untypical conditions on Cardiff Bay.
It’s a largely winning streak the Oman Air crew of skipper Phil Robertson, Pete Greenhalgh, Nasser Al Mashari, Stewart Dodson and James Wierzbowski will look to extend when four days of racing starts on Friday, August 24.
“It’s definitely been a good venue for us over the years and we will be looking to go to this event and win it,” said Greenhalgh.
“We are looking to get back to winning ways in Cardiff and we would love to come away with a top result – it is a tight race course and I think that plays to our strengths and we know we have been strong there in the past.”
The Oman Air team are in third place in the 2018 Extreme Sailing Series overall on 41 points, with Swiss leaders Alinghi top with 45 and the Danish-flagged SAP Extreme Sailing Team second on 44 points.
With four Acts in Oman, Italy, Spain and Portugal completed, Cardiff effectively marks the start of the second half of the Extreme season with San Diego and the double-points finale in Mexico to come.
With work to do to start closing the gap on the leaders, the Oman Air crew are looking forward to the challenge.
“Whatever sailing conditions we get we will deal with and we will do the best job that we can,” said bowman Al Mashari, who has experienced success on Cardiff Bay at several of the previous regattas.
“Last year we saw something completely different compared to earlier occasions, but no matter how windy it is we get flat water – so if we get some wind, there will definitely be some great top speeds.”
Racing starts in Cardiff on Friday and concludes on Monday, August 27 with up to 30 races likely over the four days.
