Thanks to Suzanne and Alan for this latest update on Isle of Wight sailor, Leigh McMillan. Ed
August Bank Holiday Weekend 2014 in Cardiff and the Extreme 40 Sailing Series was in town. On Friday the nine races came in thick and fast, each lasting less than ten minutes.
With a new combination on JP Morgan BAR of Paul Campbell-James and Ben Ainslie the boat was unstoppable, timing the starts perfectly as the fastest boat off the startline and leaving the rest of the fleet in their wake.
Ainslie’s first competition since the Olympics
Ben Ainslie, who had not competed in the UK since winning gold at London 2012, elaborated:
“It was a very physical day for our guys and we have been working very hard on the fitness and it is beginning to pay off. We love racing in front of the home fans, we don’t often get the opportunity in the UK to race at home, and this is a great venue, so it is very special. It is a tricky course. You really need to get a good start with the shifty conditions.”
This hard work paid off and by the end of the day JP Morgan BAR was in the lead, however by the ninth and final race of the day, the breeze was up and Race Management made the decision to remove guest sailors.
These nine races saw six different race winners, two of which went to SAP Extreme Sailing Team having perhaps their best day of the year so far and showing the return to form expected from the Danish, to finish the day in second place, eight points behind the Brits.
The Danish team were one point ahead of current Series leaders Alinghi, in third place, who uncharacteristically had three race finishes at the bottom half of the pack, and Leigh McMillian on The Wave, Muscat was a further two points back.
Knock-out round on Saturday
Saturday saw ten races sailed, plus a knock out round at Act 5 of the Extreme Sailing Series presented by Land Rover. With an average of ten knots of breeze and gusts up to 18 knots across the course, the fleet flew around the tight track travelling at up to 24 knots.
With races lasting just six minutes, manoeuvres had to be executed quickly and with precision. As the breeze built throughout the day, Leigh McMillan and the team on The Wave, Muscat looked relaxed and in control, slowly chipping away at the leaderboard throughout the day, with two race wins enough to upgrade their overnight position from fourth to second.
Leigh said,
“I like pacing myself and it takes time to get everything clicking. For us it’s about getting details right. It’s largely down to the starts still but towards the end of the day we were getting it right. We are on the up and hopefully that gave other people something to worry about.”
It was a mixed day for both JP Morgan BAR and SAP Extreme Sailing team, neither could quite follow up on their good first day and the Brits ended up in third place and the Danish in fourth.
Light breezes for Sunday’s racing
If Saturday was about power then Sunday was about tactics and finesse, with light breezes across Cardiff Bay.
Just five point scoring races were added to the tally leaving the Act very open for the races on Bank Holiday Monday. One team with huge pressure on their shoulders was The Wave, Muscat, who needed an Act win to keep in touch with the top of the overall Series leaderboard.
Skipper Leigh McMillan rose to the challenge, adding 33 points to their score to overhaul Alinghi, and lead the pack for the first time, heading into Monday’s racing. McMillan was well aware of what was at stake.
On Sunday he said,
“It’s very important for us to win tomorrow. We’ve been on the back foot with Alinghi this season so far and it will be good to get one back on them, that’s for sure. We’re solid as a team, everyone’s working really hard together so we are looking forward to closing this one out.”
The leaderboard
After Sunday’s racing the leaderboard looked like this:
- The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler, Nasser Al Mashari 172 points.
- Alinghi (SUI) Morgan Larson, Anna Tunnicliffe, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 165 points.
- JP Morgan BAR (GBR) Ben Ainslie, Nick Hutton, Paul Campbell-James, Bleddyn Mon, Matt Cornwell 158 points.
Last day of Act 5
Cardiff Bay saved the best for the last day of Act 5 for the 11-boat Extreme 40 fleet, with Alinghi, The Wave, Muscat and JP Morgan BAR battling it out until the bitter end for the top positions.
In one of the closest and most exciting three-horse fights seen in the Series, the three leaders battled on. In the end The Wave, Muscat took advantage of the tussle to sail away with the win at Act 5 importantly homing in on Alinghi on the overall 2014 Series leaderboard.
After racing a relieved Leigh commented,
“We’re on track this season, there’s nothing more we can do that’s for sure. The competition is very tight and Alinghi have been really slick this year and have brought in some unbelievable performances. To get one over on them here kind of brings it back down by a point and if we are going to keep pushing them hard, and they do the same to us it’s going to go down to the crunch.”
Meanwhile Ben Ainslie and Morgan Larson had a straight shoot out for second, but the British skipper couldn’t break the domination of Switzerland’s Alinghi, with Larson snatching it from the grasps of J.P. Morgan BAR.
Result after Act 5:
- The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 210 points
- Alinghi (SUI) 205 points
- JP Morgan BAR (GBR) 203 points
The overall leaderboard positions for the series are:
- Alinghi (SUI) 47 points
- The Wave, Muscat (OMA) 45 points
- Realteam by Realstone (SUI) 34 points
- Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 33 points
- JP Morgan BAR (GBR) 25 points
Act 6 will be raced in Istanbul from 11th-14th September.
Image: © Extreme Series
