Face to face: Morgan Larson, skipper/helm, Team Oman Air
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Morgan Larson, skipper/helm (USA) returns to Oman Sail’s Extreme Sailing Series campaign in 2016, four years after leading Oman Air to second place in 2012.
A formidable – but famously cool – competitor, Larson has competed in two America’s Cup competitions and is a past Extreme Sailing Series winner, as skipper with Alinghi in 2014. He also has 10 World and 20 National Championships to his name. Team Oman Air is racing eight acts on the Extreme Sailing Series that takes them to Oman, China, UK Germany, Russia, Turkey, Portugal and Australia. TDUK met up with Larson in the UK after the team was crowned champions in Cardiff, Wales, after winning Act 3.
As skipper of Oman Air race team how do you inspire the guys to excel and do their best?
It doesn’t take much to inspire the Oman Air crew – they are all very driven. I come with a professional attitude and work hard in my role and that filters through the whole boat. But this group from top to bottom is super strong and super dedicated.
What factors have contributed to your success during 2016 Extreme Sailing Series?
We had a little more experience in the boats coming into it than a lot of teams but it was mainly about the people. Nasser Al Mashari, one of our Omani sailors, brings so much to the Oman Air team. Wealth of experience, hard work, dedication and a competitive spirit. This is my second season with the Oman Sail squad – I did a season on the Oman Air Extreme40 four years ago so I knew the personalities pretty well and we competed against each other when I was at Alinghi. This team has experience and talent.
How do you stay on top of your game throughout such a long series? What is the secret to your consistent performance on Oman Air?
It comes from experience. We’ve been through these long seasons and know how to stay competitive and keep our fitness in top shape. When to relax and when not to worry about the little things. That is pretty important. But hard work and preparation from the shore crew is crucial too; they keep the boat going and not breaking down which helps us achieve these top results.
What does it mean to you to skipper a successful race team in Oman Air and also represent the airline and support the Oman Sail initiative?
It is an honour to represent a strong organisation and I see Oman Air as a world leader in air travel. The airline offers a high quality service and combines modern vision with timeless tradition, connecting and promoting Oman to the world. The relationship with Oman Sail has many parallels. The national initiative strives for high-quality performance; it is out on the international stage raising awareness of, and promoting, Oman to the world through the sport of sailing. It has a strong vision and is using the power of sport to contribute to the development of the Omani people. The goal is to create a generation of sailors, to rekindle Oman’s maritime heritage and to raise the country’s regional and international profile as a high-end tourist and foreign investment destination through competitive sailing at home and abroad. I am convinced we will see a lot more Omani sailors in top level sailing in the future, including on team Oman Air. So long as they are building a sport and getting people involved, it is going to be good for the country.
How much does Nasser’s role play in inspiring the youth of Oman?
It’s really important. They could not have picked a better person in that he is solid, has great morals, is competitive and a family guy and wants to see the environment taken care of. His example out here on the international stage representing Oman Air, Oman Sail and his country attracts young Omani girls and boys, men and women back home to head to one of the Oman Sail sailing schools and have a go – he is a great source of inspiration.
What are the positive repercussions of Oman Air’s race team and other Oman Sail successes on Omani people and Oman’s heritage?
There is a huge amount of heritage that has been lost over time so it is really nice to see the Omanis are going back after it and reigniting their rich maritime history – they have a beautiful country on the ocean and Oman Sail is building sailing schools on every coast and a maritime industry that supports tourism and the hosting of major global sailing events such as the Extreme Sailing Series and the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. This in turn creates jobs for the Omani people, raises awareness of the country and drives inbound tourism. For young Omani sailors to see their heroes going out and being successful around the world on the international sailing circuit inspires a whole new generation and we are already seeing the results – all those guys aged 8-12 sailing Optimists in Oman and representing their country abroad – we are only going to see more great sailors coming out of Oman and higher numbers of tourists visiting their stunning country.
How does the initiative of Oman Sail position Oman from a global perspective?
It is putting Oman on the map in sport. Sailing is getting more recognition worldwide. And the Oman Sail campaigns are winning all over the globe – Musandam-Oman Sail has just won line honours at the Round Ireland Race and set a new record and we on Oman Air are leading the Extreme Sailing Series and just won Act 3 in Cardiff – it’s quite impressive and when people see all that happening they will be inspired to watch and learn more about our organisation and the country, which will be great for raising awareness of Oman as a beautiful place to travel to – flying with Oman Air of course!
NEED TO KNOW…
What is Oman Sail?
Oman Sail is a pioneering national initiative established in 2008 that is using the sport of sailing in a novel and ambitious way to rekindle the Sultanate of Oman’s maritime heritage, to foster Oman’s socio-economic development and to promote the country as a high-end tourist destination. The scale, vision and early successes of this unique programme, which aims to instill confidence and teach valuable transferable life skills to a generation of young Omanis is without precedent.
What is the Extreme Sailing Series?
The Extreme Sailing Series started in 2007 and has led the way in world sailing to become one of the most respected and innovative sporting circuits. Teams from Oman Sail have won the ESS championship five times and Oman Air will be defending the title in 2016 on the new GC32.
Links and hashtags
#teamomanair
#comeflywithus
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