(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Oman Air kept itself in race for a top-three finish after a decent display on the third and penultimate day of the Act Seven of the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series in San Diego, US, on Saturday.
SAP Extreme Sailing Team dominated and unseated Alinghi from the top spot on another crowd-pleasing day.
With seven races in big breeze and SAP Extreme Sailing Team comfortably leading, the real battle in the final race was between Oman Air and Red Bull Sailing Team for third, with the two separated by only three points. A fifth for Oman Air and a sixth for Red Bull Sailing Team handed the last spot on the podium to Phil Robertson and the Oman squad – who hit the top speed of the Act so far with 29.25 knots, an insight provided by SAP Sailing Analytics.
With two second-place spots in the day, Robertson's crew of Pete Greenhalgh, Nasser al Mashari, Ed Smyth and James Wierzbowski, retained their third spot going into the final day.
With only one more day to go in San Diego, thoughts are turning to the eighth and final Act in Mexico next month.
Oman Air bowman Mashari said, 'On the last day, we have to make sure we stay on the podium and then go forward to Los Cabos in Mexico in touch with the leader with every chance of taking the title.
'As we have found more than once in San Diego, what seems like a big lead on the water can disappear very quickly. There is a lot more racing to be done and we remain confident.'
The Danish-flagged syndicate, SAP, delivered a masterclass, taking home four wins and two seconds. For Swiss team Alinghi, it was a mixed bag as it posted one win and two more podiums.
Land Rover BAR Academy - helmed by Sir Ben Ainslie - finished in fifth, followed by NZ Extreme Sailing Team in sixth.
Act Seven standings [after day three]: 1 SAP Extreme Sailing Team (204 points), 2 Alinghi (190), 3 Oman Air (173), 4 Red Bull Sailing Team (169), 5 Land Rover BAR Academy (158), 6 NZ Extreme Sailing Team (148), 7 Team Extreme San Diego (145), 8 Lupe Tortilla Demetrio (108).
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