WEYMOUTH-BASED Elliot Hanson insisted his team "have got an exciting year to look forward to" as he competed as mainsheet trimmer for the Land Rover BAR Academy in the inaugural GC32 Championship.

He then went on to compete in the first day of the Extreme Sailing Series opener in Muscat, Oman.

Due to the set-up of the Academy team, which is made up of nine triallists, the crew change throughout the event, taking it in turns on board. Hanson shares the role of mainsail trim with Will Alloway.

Hanson competed on the day the fleet of nine GC32s raced in front of Muscat’s Old Town, known as Muttrah. The British-flagged team finished the first Act of the 2017 season in eighth place.

Speaking about the experience, Hanson said: “The first day for myself and Land Rover BAR Academy of Act 1 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Oman was interesting and enjoyable.

"We had some mixed results while we adapted to the open racing and choppier sea states in Muscat’s Old Town, which were less like the Extreme Sailing Series conditions we saw last season.

"We were happy with how we performed and we have got an exciting year to look forward to.

"Throughout the rest of the season, we'll look to improve as a team, meeting the high standards we set as both individuals and a team and looking towards putting on a good show in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup in Bermuda in June.”

Team skipper, Rob Bunce, said: “It was a bit of a whirlwind, I’ve been out in Oman for about three weeks now but I feel really proud of the guys for that second event [the team competed in the GC32 Championship prior to the Extreme Sailing Series] and we're really happy with our result.”