(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) After a one-year absence from the Extreme Sailing Series (ESS), the Oman Air team is set to return to the circuit for the 2014 edition.
The announcement that Oman Sail will be fielding Oman Air alongside defending champion The Wave, Muscat at this year's edition was made by the ESS organiser, OC Sport, last week at the tournament's unveiling ceremony in London.
The Wave, Muscat will look for a hat-trick of titles when the new season begins with the first of eight Acts in Singapore from February 20-23.
Confirming Oman Air's entry in the 2014 ESS, Issa al Ismaili, Oman Sail's director of events, said, ''We are happy to see Oman Air return to the ESS after a gap of one year. It is great to have two Oman Sail teams in the prestigious event, where historically, Oman Sail teams have performed well.''
The annual competition will celebrate its eighth year on the international sailing calendar, spanning eight venues in three continents, lasting 11 months.
A total of nine world-class teams, representing seven nations, will compete to win the coveted ESS trophy.
Leigh McMillan has been retained as skipper of The Wave, Muscat while another Briton, Rob Greenhalgh, will be at the helm of Oman Air.
British Olympian McMillan told the ESS website, ''I love this race. It's intense, it's always changing. I am thrilled to be back in 2014. The treble would be something I would be very proud to achieve.
''We are expecting 2014 to be quite a different challenge. The fleet is going to be bigger and more competitive. It's an exciting prospect, it will raise the tempo. In 2014, there is no better place to be than in the Extreme 40s.''
Oman Air skipper Greenhalgh had won the inaugural Series in 2007.
He is one of the most experienced Extreme 40 sailors in the fleet, and has also participated in three Volvo Ocean Races, seven Atlantic crossings, won three world championships titles and a host of European crowns.
Teams and skippers: Alinghi (Switzerland) - Ernesto Bertarelli; GAC Pindar (Australia) - Seve Jarvin; Groupama Team France (France) - Franck Cammas; J P Morgan BAR (Great Britain) - Ben Ainslie; Oman Air (Oman) - Rob Greenhalgh; Realteam (Switzerland) - Jerome Clerc; Red Bull Sailing Team (Austria) - Roman Hagara; SAP Extreme Sailing Team (Denmark) - Jes Gram-Hansen/Rasmus Kostner; The Wave, Muscat (Oman) - Leigh McMillan
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