Home team Oman Air prepare for Muscat Extreme Sailing Series opener

Muscat - Larson takes over from Leigh McMillan who in his tenure as skipper of Oman Sail's The Wave, Muscat became the most successful Extreme sailor in history and he is confident that Pete Greenhalgh, Ed Smyth and Nasser Al Mashari, all stalwarts of McMillan's crew with a winning habit, will meet the challenges of a brand new contest.

 A fresh and exciting era for Oman Sail dawns this week when new skipper Morgan Larson takes the helm of their new foiling GC32 Oman Air in a bid to become the first winners of the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series in front of a passionate home crowd in Muscat.
But before racing gets underway at the spectacular Al Mouj Golf Course on Thursday, the fleet of GC32s will race a series of open water races off the coast of Muscat Old Town before setting off on a coastal race back to Al Mouj - another new feature of racing this year - as a prelude to the hard and fast four-day event, which Larson believes will provide a 'tell-tale' sign of what lies ahead for 2016.
"Performances here in Muscat will provide a clue for the season," said Larson, who skippered Oman Air in 2012 when they finished in second place. "There are a lot of teams that will learn as they go along and get better through the year but whatever results come down in this first event will be a good telltale for the series."
Larson takes over from Leigh McMillan who in his tenure as skipper of Oman Sail's The Wave, Muscat became the most successful Extreme sailor in history and he is confident that Pete Greenhalgh, Ed Smyth and Nasser Al Mashari, all stalwarts of McMillan's crew with a winning habit, will meet the challenges of a brand new contest.
"This event is the first event of the season and racing in front of a home crowd is an added pressure but I think it will mean we'll perform better."
James Wierzbowski, a 24-year-old Australian, is the new member of the Oman Sail crew and Larson says he is pleased with the way the team is shaping up.
"This is a new team and it is important for us to sail well and learn lessons that we can build on for the future. It has been a challenge getting to grips with the new boats and we have a lot to learn but the guys have gelled well so far and we are looking forward to it." Omani bowman Nasser Al Mashari always gets a special buzz from racing in front of friends and family in Muscat and 2016, with the new team, new boat and new race format, is no exception.
The action starts on Wednesday with coastal racing in front of Muscat's Old Town before the teams fight it out on the Al Mouj Golf Course Stadium track the following day.