(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) A clash of fixtures in the international sailing calendar has forced Oman Sail to rope in Australian Olympic champion Nathan Outteridge to replace Leigh McMillan as skipper of Sultanate of Oman for the final leg of the 2015 Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour Championship that will be held in Marseille France starting on September 30.
The fifth and final GC32 event of 2015 - Marseille One Design - will run simultaneously with the Extreme Sailing Series (ESS) Act Seven in Istanbul Turkey. It has left Oman Sail with no choice but to get a replacement for McMillan who had earlier skippered both the teams - Sultanate of Oman in GC32 and The Wave Muscat (TWM) in the ESS.
Sultanate of Oman is on top of the overall leaderboard of the GC32 series after four legs holding a slender three-point lead over Swiss rival Alinghi.
The Oman Sail team goes into the final leg with its confidence high following the victory in the fourth leg in Rome Italy last month under skipper McMillan.
Talented multihull skipper McMillan will lead TWM in the penultimate Act of the ESS in Istanbul from October 1-4 and hope to extend its lead the top. TWM currently leads the ESS leaderboard with 57 points while Red Bull Sailing Team is second with 49 points.
The 29 year old six-time world champion Outteridge will hope to seal the inaugural edition of the championship at the Marseille One Design that will be held at one of France's top sailing venues on the Rade Sud between the city's famous Prado beach and the off-lying Frioul Islands.
Outteridge who will have Iain Percy Iain Jensen Kalle Torlen and Luke Parkinson alongside to support his first GC32 experience is looking forward to the event. 'I've watched the videos of the racing and it looks fast and furious. It's going to be fun stepping in for Leigh and his team in Marseille.'
McMillan is confident that Outteridge's vast experience in foiling will stand the team in good stead. 'They have a few days' training and I'm sure they will get to grips with it quickly and post a good result for Oman Sail' said McMillan. 'There is a lot of quality and experience in foiling on that team so I think they will do a great job.
'They will really enjoy the boat and the opportunity to get a lot of racing because the conditions in Marseille can be superb. They will be able to get to grips with the starts.'
McMillan added 'We hope that they have a great event and we do likewise in Istanbul so that Oman Sail ends up at the top of both the leaderboards. It should be a good weekend for Oman.'
McMillan will have TWM regulars Pete Greenhalgh Sarah Ayton Ed Smyth and Nasser al Mashari with him in Istanbul.
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