(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Team Oman Air closed the gap on Extreme Sailing Series front-runner, Alinghi, on the second day of Act Six racing in San Diego, US, on Friday.
Having seen some strong results on the opening day of the Act on Thursday, Oman Air was ready for take off on day two.
Phil Robertson and his crew stalked the first-place Swiss boat around the course, pushing hard to take a bite out of Alinghi's lead.
Following six podiums out of seven races – including a hat-trick of pole position finishes – the Omani crew clawed back all-important points, finishing the day just five points behind the Swiss side.
'We sailed so much better today than yesterday,' said Oman Air skipper, Robertson.
'We strung some firsts together and took down Alinghi. It's tight at the top and you can't give these guys an inch, so we're going to stay focussed tomorrow and keep fighting hard.'
Usually the kings of consistency with a clean sheet of first place finishes, the crew onboard the Swiss boat appeared to drop the ball in today's races, falling off the podium in two of the day's seven races and failing to top it in all but one.
Last year's San Diego Act and overall series winner, SAP Extreme Sailing Team, was also kept at bay by the Omani crew.
With tricky breeze plaguing the course, the Danes were unable to find their groove for much of the afternoon.
Thankfully their mojo reappeared and they finished first in the day's final three races.
San Diego standings: [After day two]: 1 Alinghi (140 points), 2 Oman Air (135), 3 SAP Extreme Sailing Team (132), 4 Red Bull Sailing Team (118), 5 INEOS Rebels UK (113), 6 Element Spark Compass (96), 7 Team México (85).
MENAFN2110201801410000ID1097597352
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.