It was the first major project completed under the three-year contract awarded to GAC Pindar at the end of the 2011 season by global sports marketing company OC Thirdpole, to provide a total logistics support package for the award-winning sailing series.
The GAC Pindar team swung into action with the delivery of 17 containers containing the yachts and other equipment from Singapore to Mussanah, Oman, in December 2011 and January 2012, followed by the arrival of the crews, for the boat refits. GAC Pindar was charged with shipping numerous airfreight consignments for the teams, with the assistance of GAC Oman ' one of the country's leading shipping and forwarding agents ' for clearances and other work. Once cleared, the containers were delivered to The Wave in Muscat in a single day under supervision of Olly Smith, GAC Pindar's Technical Manager.
GAC Pindar also successfully handled last minute air shipments, including essential TV equipment for live broadcasts, in good time for the event.
For the first time in the six-year history of the Extreme Sailing Series, GAC's pricing package ensured that the event was completed within budget and with guaranteed fixed prices for all the competing teams.
GAC Pindar is now preparing all the vessels and associated equipment for re-export to Qingdao, China, for the second act of the series on 17-20 April.
Operations Manager Beth King says: "The first leg of the Extreme Sailing Series went very smoothly and we're now looking forward to the next event. Our excellent work with GAC Oman for the Muscat event again illustrated the strength of the partnerships we can offer by working with GAC's global network of offices and capitalizing on their local knowledge, experience and logistics capabilities.'
Charlie Carter, Executive Chairman of Extreme Sailing Series organisers, OC Thirdpole, adds: 'GAC Pindar met the rigorous demands of the Extreme Sailing Series logistics. They delivered everything on time and offered excellent customer service on the ground with their agent. GAC Pindar is also working closely with us in planning our logistics schedule and requirements for the rest of the 2012 Series, adding tremendous value to our relationship.'
As official logistics provider for the series, GAC Pindar is responsible for every aspect of logistics provision, including transportation of all of the Extreme 40 boats that participate in the global series between the multiple locations on the event calendar. GAC Pindar is also responsible for transporting the supporting infrastructure, including onshore facilities such as the Extreme Race Village, media centre, race support centre and VIP area.
The Extreme Sailing Series brings together world-class sailors who compete on identical high-speed 40ft catamarans, close to the shore. The GAC Pindar racing team gave a solid performance in Muscat, coming 5th overall.
