Leigh McMillan returns to Land Rover BAR

McMillan will take on a joint role, working as design and sailing team liaison for the critical first development phase of the new AC class.

He will also be helming the Land Rover BAR Academy team’s GC32 in the 2018 Extreme Sailing Series alongside the pivotal role of mentoring the Land Rover BAR Academy.

McMillan, a three-time winner of the Extreme Sailing Series, will take the helm for Land Rover BAR Academy, believes this year’s Series will be one of the toughest to date: “The competition is going to be really high this year; I think maybe one of the highest standards we’ve seen on the circuit in a long time; everyone has to be consistent over the season when it’s such a strong fleet.”

A new generation of young sailors has joined the Academy team with Olympic 49er sailor Will Alloway taking on the skipper role in the Extreme Sailing Series alongside Oli Greber, Mark Spearman and Adam Kay filling out the roster for Oman.

The Academy has an open application process with another big intake of triallists for 2018, narrowed down to just 13 ambitious and driven young male and female sailors.

Those that make the final cut will become the 2018 intake. They will support the Extreme Sailing Series team to get experience of the professional circuit, and will have the opportunity to sail with the senior team in the PAC52 events that Land Rover BAR will contest, with Tony Langley’s Gladiator sailing team in 2018.

The Extreme Sailing Series action is scheduled to get underway in Muscat, Oman, from 14-17 March.

This story is from Sail-Web.