SOUTHBOURNE'S Richard Mason helped SAP Extreme Sailing Team claim a third win of the season to go top of the Extreme Sailing Series leaderboard.

The 29-year-old bowman and his colleagues pipped Swiss outfit Alinghi to glory in the final throes of battle in Cardiff, with Oman Air third.

And Mason revealed his relief and delight at taking victory in Wales following unexpectedly calm conditions.

He said: “The racing in Cardiff has been really cool.

“It’s a really difficult venue and normally quite windy, so we set ourselves up for a windy week but it turned out a lot lighter.

"Classically, we’re not so good in the light stuff so we’re really happy to have won here.”

Mason and co were neck and neck with Alinghi heading into the final double points race but when their opponents made a disastrous start, victory was all but assured.

The Dorset ace added: “We’ve managed to put a boat between us and Oman Air, our close competition for the title.

"It’s nice to go into the final two acts in the lead. Hopefully, we can keep it up.”

The series now heads to the United States, with San Diego hosting the action this week. The final round is set to take place in Los Cabos, Mexico from November 30-December 3.