LEIGH McMillan has created sailing history by becoming the first captain to win back-to-back Extreme Sailing Series titles.

The 33-year-old former Olympian needed to finish the final race in the top two in Florianopolis, Brazil to fend off a sustained challenge from the Swiss boat Alinghi.

He just about achieved it, The Wave Muscat crew finishing behind Alinghi in second.

Speaking after the event, the Southampton-based Isle of Wight sailor was full of respect for his opponents.

“This is exactly how I thought the end result would go,” he said.

“We haven’t been able to shake Alinghi all year, they haven’t really put a foot wrong.

“We knew they were going to do everything possible, the last few days they’ve been hammering us around the racecourse.

“They did an exceptional job in that last race. We were just lucky we got the right corner of the course and the shift was big enough for us to keep in the game.

“It’s a massive relief for what has been a couple of emotional days.”

A hard-fought encounter spread across four days saw a thrilling charge from Alinghi, which started behind The Wave, Muscat going into the decider.

The Swiss boat staged a remarkable comeback to win the race, but ultimately it was not enough to stop McMillan winning the series.

After 190 races spread across three continents, he is the first person to retain his crown in the Extreme Sailing Series.

Naturally, he was delighted.

“It was full on but enjoyable,” he said. “The conditions were very extreme, it was windy but we were just happy we were doing the right thing during racing - we were getting around the course and still pushing hard.

“It was definitely up there with some of the biggest days on the circuit.”

Following his bittersweet ending to the series, Alinghi captain Morgan Larson paid tribute to his rival.

“It felt like from the very start of the season it would come down to that last race and even after the first day of this event Leigh slipped ahead a little bit, and we knew we would have to fight,” said Larson.

“Leigh capitalised on some big wind shifts and he deserved his victory.”