ExSS / End of an era as McMillan makes history on Sydney Harbour

British multihull racer Leigh McMillan was officially crowned the most successful skipper in the nine-year history of the Extreme Sailing Series™ in Sydney today when he clinched an unprecedented third championship title.

Crédit : lloyd Images

“It is the end of an era,” said Leigh McMillan who will join Sir Ben Ainslie’s squad at Landrover BAR

Oman Sail skipper Leigh McMillan is bracing himself for an emotional farewell when he attempts to seal a record breaking fifth consecutive Extreme Sailing Series win and his third series title in Sydney this weekend. Stevie Morrison skipper of Oman Air is going to be pushing hard for points as he targets a podium result.

Crédit : Lloyd Images

Istanbul - The Wave, Muscat’s total domination of the Extreme Sailing Series

Leading from race one, The Wave, Muscat’s total domination of the Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 7, Istanbul presented by Yandex came to a crescendo today with one of the most impressive results in Series history.

The Extreme Sailing Series heads to Istanbul: who can break McMillan’s streak of back-to-back wins?

With one week to go until the penultimate Act of the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series™, the pressure is on. There are three teams in the hunt for the Series title and with some intense mid-fleet rivalries to resolve, there will be no margin for mistakes and no excuses for poor performance at Act 7, Istanbul presented by Yandex, from the 1 – 4 October.

ExSS / Triumph for SAP Extreme Sailing Team in China

The Land Rover Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 3, Qingdao came to a nail-biting conclusion today, as SAP Extreme Sailing Team took their first ever Act win - and just for good measure, they scooped the Land Rover Above and Beyond Award for their outstanding performance as a team in China.

#ExSS / The Wave, Muscat victorious on home waters, McMillan : "It wasn’t easy"

Pre-event favourites The Wave, Muscat win on home waters for the third consecutive year, narrowly denying the Danish SAP Extreme Sailing Team their first ever Act victory, after a down to the wire final double points race shoot out at the Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 2, Muscat.

Credit : Lloyd Images [More pics, here]

#ExSS / Exceptional opening day for The Wave, Muscat on home waters at Extreme Sailing Serie

The opening day of the Extreme Sailing Series™, Act 2 Muscat, delivered an afternoon of perfect racing conditions, as the eight-strong Extreme 40 fleet flew around the coastal racecourse in Muscat, Oman, relishing the North Easterly breeze that filled in from eight to 16 knots.

Credit : M Lloyd

#ExSS / "We are all thrilled, it’s great " Roman Hagara first in Singapore (Images)

Double Olympic gold medallists Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steinacher and their team on Red Bull Sailing Team have won the opening Act of the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series™, soaking up the pressure of expectation in front of the crowds in Singapore to become kings of Marina Bay after 32 hard fought races. 

Credit : Lloyd Images 

A man on a mission: Leigh McMillan stakes early claim at #ExSS in Singapore

He said he wanted to win and wouldn’t settle for second this time round. And for Leigh McMillan and the team on The Wave, Muscat their campaign to become 2015 Extreme Sailing Series™ champions couldn’t have got off to a better start. 

Credit : Lloyd Images 

#ExSS / In Singapore " Without Alinghi, this may be our big chance " Leigh McMillan (The Wave, Muscat)

Leigh McMillan and his crew on The Wave, Muscat aim to get back on a winning track by kicking off the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series with a first ever win in Singapore while the new crew on Oman Air are raring to go, with realistic expectations from their debut.

Credit : Llyd Images

#ExSS / "We’ve had an amazing season with an amazing team" Morgan Larson and Alinghi win the season and the Act

It is mission accomplished for Ernesto Bertarelli’s Swiss team Alinghi, as Morgan Larson and the team grabbed victory with both hands at Act 8 Sydney, presented by Land Rover, and with it the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series™ title – and Larson’s words say it all: “We’ve had an amazing season with an amazing team. To win the season and the Act on the last day in the conditions we had here in Sydney is a special moment that’s going to take a long time to sink in. The level of confidence that we have on our boat just made me realise I can win anything with these guys. This is the best feeling I’ve had all year and probably in the whole of my sailing career, so I’m going to cherish it.”

Credit : L Images

#ExSS / Leigh McMillan’s team at the top

The fleet might have lost yesterday’s racing because of 45 knot gusts on Sydney Harbour, but today the city delivered in style and the sailors patience was rewarded with some of the best racing of the season so far, at the final Act of the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series™ presented by Land Rover. 

Credit : Lloyd Images

A physically exhausting 10 races were sailed, with all the teams pulling some big punches out of the water that resulted in seven different race winners. Oman’s The Wave, Muscat blasted round the tight course and were slick in executing their manoeuvres – despite a huge nose dive in the first race that almost saw the team lose control – and two race wins and two second places put Leigh McMillan’s team at the top of the rankings at the end of the day.

#ExSS / Australian Olympian Tom Slingsby to skipper Oman Sail’s Oman Air Extreme Sailing team in Sydney

Tom Slingsby, Australian Olympic Laser Gold medalist, and member of Oracle Team USA, has signed up as skipper of Oman Air, one of two Oman Sail Extreme Sailing teams, for the final act of the Extreme Sailing Series in Sydney, Australia (11-14 December).

Credit : G.Grenier

#ExSS / Morgan Larson has one hand on the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series trophy after Alinghi snatch victory in Nice

Morgan Larson and the Swiss team Alinghi snatched victory from the hands of their fellow countrymen Realteam in the final race at the Extreme Sailing Series™ in Nice, to take victory on French waters in front of thousands of spectators – and with that they now have one hand firmly placed on the 2014 Series trophy. 

Credit : Lloyd Images 

#ExSS / Oman Sail crews on The Wave, Muscat and Oman Air relish ‘critical’ point in Extreme Sailing Series ahead of Act 7 in Nice

The 2014 Extreme Sailing Series reaches a ‘critical’ point with Act 7 in Nice later this week but Oman Sail’s crews on The Wave, Muscat and Oman Air are relishing the growing challenge and its intensity.

Credit : M lloyd

#ExSS / Dean Barker breaks Alinghi and The Wave, Muscat’s dominance (Images)

In some of the best conditions the fleet have raced in all year, you couldn’t have scripted a better final to the Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 6 in Istanbul, and the fans on shore and following around the world were rewarded with a nail bitingly close, down to the wire shoot out after 31 races. 

Crédit : Lloyd Images (More pics)

#ExSS / The Wave, Muscat victorious in Cardiff, Leigh McMillan : "We battled all through the day"

The Wave, Muscat victorious in Cardiff after a tense and gripping final day – Oman Air takes more podium finishes and sets sights higher.

Credit : Lloyd Images 

#ExSS / Challenging first day in St Petersburg for Oman Sail teams but promising start for The Wave, Muscat

The Wave, Muscat closed their opening day of Extreme Sailing Series Act 4 in St Petersburg in a promising second place with a show of characteristic consistency in tricky conditions while Oman Air toiled hard to gain a foothold.

Crédit : Mark Lloyd

#EXSS / Victory for @alinghiteam in Singapore, The Wave Muscat second and Realstone third

“We couldn’t have dreamed for a better start,” commented skipper Larson after racing. “It was challenging here and with the level of competition a couple of notches higher this season - I think we just carried on from last year and we’re the only team that hasn’t changed any of our crew. We will try and build on from last year and enjoy this victory!”

Credit : Lloyd Images

#ExSS / Teams are put to the Singapore test on training day

60 of the world’s most prestigious sailors took to Marina Bay today, racing under the blue skies of a sultry Singapore, for one final training session ahead of the 2014 Extreme Sailing Series™ curtain raiser, which kicks-off tomorrow (20 February). With teams both old and new, legends of the sailing world united in the heart of Singapore ahead of four days of intense competition - and the heat on the racecourse instantly ramped up!

Credit: JHowiePhotography.com