Thanks to Suzanne and Alan for this latest news on Leigh McMillan, Ed
On the opening day of the Extreme Sailing Series Act 5 in Hamburg at the end of July, Island sailor, Leigh McMillan on The Wave, Muscat and the SAP Extreme Sailing Team took the lion’s share of the podiums. However it was Gazprom Team Russia that was the stand out performer, taking three bullets in the final three races.
The Wave, Muscat showed their dominance at the start of the day posting a 2,1,2 scoreline straight out of the blocks, but the fleet were not about to let them run away with the lead and a series of mid-fleet finishes in the second half of the day saw them only just top the overnight leader board on 57 points. Two points adrift on 55, SAP Extreme Sailing Team got to grips with the challenges of this new venue for the Extreme Sailing Series and finished with two wins and two seconds.
Continued success
There was another outstanding performance by Gazprom Team Russia on day two, as they posted four second place results and one race win. Following their impressive opening day, they leapfrogged Extreme 40 heavy weights SAP Extreme Sailing Team and The Wave, Muscat to take the lead on 111 points.
Stormy weather
Day three saw five dramatic races squeezed in between thunderstorms blowing over the River Elbe off the Hafen City waterfront.
Pushing the boats to their limits, the final race of the day showed just how testing the conditions were, as Danish SAP Extreme Sailing Team were caught out by a huge gust midway through a gybe on the final downwind leg, resulting in a dramatic capsize in front of the crowds.
Despite the drama, the Danish team were top of the leaderboard, going into the final day of racing, overhauling overnight leaders Gazprom Team Russia who struggled with boathandling in the stronger breeze. A series of mid-fleet finishes dropped the Russian crew back in the overall standings to third, with The Wave, Muscat in second one point off SAP Extreme Sailing Team.
Outstanding final day in Germany
However, The Wave, Muscat sailed an outstanding final day in Germany.
Three race wins and two podium finishes saw Leigh clinch his third 2015 Act title after four days of racing in the heart of the city of Hamburg and extend his lead at the top of the overall Series leaderboard.
Leigh, as he stepped off the boat after winning the day, said,
“We do enjoy the pressure of a final day. We got out of the blocks well with a win in race one and that set the tone. It was an amazing performance by the team; everyone was so fired up this morning and it really showed on the water.”
“Go out there like a pack of hungry dogs”
However it was not a case of The Wave, Muscat running away with the regatta. Pushing them all the way was Gazprom Team Russia who went into the final day with the hope of a win.
Helm Phil Robertson said “We’re going to go out there like a pack of hungry dogs,” and his team did not disappoint duelling with Danish crew SAP Extreme Sailing Team all the way. It was their best result to date and the young Russian crew picked up the Land Rover ‘Above and Beyond Award’ for their effort.
Results at Act 5, Hamburg
1st The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 200 points.
2nd Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Igor Lisovenko, Phil Robertson, Garth Ellingham, Alexander Bozhko, Aleksey Kulakov 190 points.
3rd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Hervé Cunningham, Mads Emil Stephensen, Nicolai Sehested 183 points.
Act 6 at Saint Petersburg
Moving on a month, Russia delivered a glittering opening to the Extreme Sailing Series Act 6 in Saint Petersburg with Red Bull Sailing Team (Austria) staking an early claim, winning on the day against the golden backdrop of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Back in the driving seat after a break from the helm and his skipper duties due to injury, double Olympic gold medallist Roman Hagara was back on form. The Austrian showed impressive consistency, posting six podium results from the seven races sailed during a competitive day’s sailing, that saw five different race winners emerge.
With unbroken sunshine, ten knots of sea breeze and two knots of tide, the Austrian team mastered the River Neva conditions to finish the day on 58 points, topping the overnight leaderboard and holding a valuable six-point buffer over Leigh and his crew on The Wave, Muscat. (52 points)
Light winds and strong current
Day two and mastering the light winds and strong current was no mean feat, but Leigh McMillan and his team on The Wave, Muscat took it in their stride.
Three race wins saw the Omani crew clock up an impressive 68 points to gain control of the leaderboard.
Leigh’s crew, including British tactician and double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ayton pulled on their wealth of experience as a twice Series winning crew, and played the conditions right.
Ayton reflected,
“It was what I call a puff and patch day today.
“Having to sail really aggressively into the next manoeuvre and being really proactive around the track.”
Taking the lead
The team closed the day on 120 points, taking the overall lead from Austria’s Red Bull Sailing Team on 114.
The Wave, Muscat sailed a text book penultimate day adding an impressive 65 points to their score line over eight races. Helm Leigh held a 20-point buffer at the top of the leaderboard going into the final day of racing on the River Neva.
On the dock, McMillan was quietly pleased with his day,
“We made the best of all the opportunities and were in the right spots at the right time, it just worked today. We’ve got different conditions on the forecast tomorrow so we just have to keep our focus all the way to the end.”
Red Bull lost their wings
After a strong start to the Russian Act, the Red Bull Sailing Team, struggled to find their flow. Three low scoring races in the middle of the day saw the team almost lose their grip on the podium, only just holding on to second place by one point.
Giving the Austrians a run for their money, Lino Sonego Team Italia took back-to-back wins on the tricky tidal course. In the fluctuating six knot breeze, the duo of Enrico Zennaro as skipper and Switzerland’s Arnaud Psarofaghis on helm gained a string of podium results, finishing the day just behind the Red Bull Sailing Team.
The final day
On the final day of racing The Wave, Muscat crew were crowned victors of Act 6 in Saint Petersburg, mastering the complex conditions of the River Neva in front of huge crowds, to win the Act with a race to spare.
Their fourth Act win and third consecutive victory this season sees two-times Series winning skipper Leigh McMillan and his team extend their lead at the top of the 2015 leaderboard, with only two Acts left this year.
Leigh explained,
“Everything seemed to go our way from the moment we arrived and it felt good.
“It doesn’t often happen like that and it has been a long time since everything clicked in the way it has in Russia so yes, I would say this was the best event so far this year for us. If we keep on sailing well and confidently, it would be fantastic to win a third title.”
Result-Act 6, Saint Petersburg
1st The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Ed Smyth, Nasser Al Mashari 234 points.
2nd Lino Sonego Team Italia (ITA) Enrico Zennaro, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bryan Mettraux, Nevio Sabadin, Tom Buggy 216 points.
3rd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans-Peter Steinacher, Shaun Mason, Stewart Dodson, Kate Macgregor 207 points.
Overall Leaderboard:
1st The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 57 points.
2nd Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) 49 points.
3rd SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) 48 points.
4th Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) 38 points.
5th Oman Air (OMA) 35 points.
6th GAC Pindar (GBR) 31 points.
7th Team Turx (TUR) 28 points.
8th Lino Sonego Team Italia (ITA) 27 points.
Extreme 40 fleet to be replaced
After Act 6 there was an announcement from OC Sport:
“Extreme Sailing Series™ owners and organisers OC Sport, who recently announced a switch of racing platform to a foiling yacht, can now confirm that the Series will fast track to the GC32 catamaran to replace the existing Extreme 40 fleet in time for the 2016 season, as part of a long-term strategy and collaborative partnership with The Great Cup BV.”
Leigh McMillan has already had a taste of life on board a GC32 with a round of their championship being held in Cowes on the days prior to this year’s JPMAM Round the Island Race in June.
In fact the GC32s took part in the Round the Island Race and Leigh was the winner of the GC32 class on ‘The Sultanate of Oman.’
Image: © Extreme Sailing
