Oman heroes claim first ever GC32 Championship

Oman Air scored a convincing win at the GC32 Championship, held out of Al Mouj on the outskirts of Muscat. The Omani team led the GC32 Championship from the outset on Tuesday, but it was only the last day that they managed to shake off those chasing them.

Published 07/03/2017

By Jean-Christophe Guillaumin

Issue: 152

Published: mar. / apr. 2017

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The Omani team began the final day of this inaugural GC32 Championship, being run by the GC32 International Class Association in association with OC Sport, with a seven point advantage over second placed SAP Extreme Sailing Team, skippered by Jes Gram-Hansen and Rasmus Køstner. Oman Air banged in a 2-1 in today’s two races before the wind disappeared. Meanwhile Alinghi also managed a 1-2, causing SAP Extreme Sailing Team to be pushed down to third.

Oman Air has one of the most experienced multihull crews, including old hands from the Extreme Sailing Series such as Peter Greenhalgh and Oman’s Nasser Al Mashari. In foiling GC32s, they won the GC32 Racing Tour with Sultanate of Oman in 2015 and finished close second to winner Alinghi on the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series. But the GC32 Championship was their first regatta with reigning Match Racing World Champion, Kiwi Phil Robertson helming.

All the results: www.gc32championship.com