Intro:

The Wave Muscat retained the Extreme Sailing Series title by the narrowest of margins in the final act of the season.

The Omani team edged Swiss outfit Alinghi in Florianopolis, Brazil.

Script:

The Wave, Muscat became the first team in the seven-year history of the Extreme Sailing Series to win back-to-back world tour titles, by claiming second place in the final round of the season in the waters off Florianopolis in Brazil.

The action could hardly have been more keenly - and closely - fought after the leaders going into the final act were put under enormous pressure from Swiss outfit Alinghi, sporting several America's Cup winners.

The Wave, Muscat held a narrow advantage over the rest of the fleet going into the concluding 'double points' race, but Morgan Larson and the Alinghi crew put in one last mighty effort and claimed maximum points ahead of ChinaSpirit and GAC Pindar, enough to snatch first place in the event standings, but tantalisingly short of taking the Series title, after Leigh McMillan brought The Wave, Muscat through the finish line in fifth.

"Yeah, I'm pretty chuffed with that. Extremely happy, relieved, needless to say. It was such a fight out there and we had to be absolutely squeaky clean out there today, in order to be able to pull it off and everyone just did a great job on the boat. We were under a lot of pressure at times, Alinghi made it very difficult. They were gunning for un whenever they had the chance, whenever they were in front of us, they were trying to sail us to the back of the fleet and it was just, yeah, a full-on day. We are delighted to have won the series."

Alinghi finished on 219 points to The Wave, Muscat's 215 in Florianopolis and the pair ended the season on 74 points apiece in the overall standings, but McMillan and his crew were triumphant in the end, winning the world series title.