2012 Muscat Regatta at Marina Bandar Al-Rowdha - Day 1
by Louay Habib 22 Nov 2012 17:12 GMT
22-28 November 2011
A record entry of competitors on the first day of The Muscat Regatta was blessed with sparkling sunshine and plenty of wind, which provided fantastic sailing condition for six classes of dinghies, multihulls and keelboats, racing just outside Bandar Al Rowdha Marina. A steady12 knots of breeze built during the afternoon to give some adrenalin packed action before fading away during the last hour of racing to give a tricky and shifty end to the day.
In the Laser Class, Mohammed Al Wahaibi from Al Bustan, near Muscat had an excellent first day. Mohamed is only 18 but has already experienced top-level international competition. Earlier this year, Mohammed was part of the first ever sailing team to represent the Sultanate of Oman at the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championships in Ireland.
"I love sailing but I know I really need to work hard if I am going to succeed, I realize the importance of keeping fit and getting out training on the water as much as possible. My dream for next year is to represent Oman at the Laser World Championship, which will take place in Muscat next year."
In the Farr 30 Class, Round the World sailor, Dee Caffari skipper of the all girls team, Al Thuraya, had a fantastic day on the water, scoring two wins and a second in today's three races. Dee Caffari explains just how far the girls team has come in a very short period of time.
"This will be the first Arabic women's team in offshore sailing, if it was just teaching the team how to sail that would be relatively easy but making them into a winning team is much harder. Yes there are cultural differences but Omanis have a heritage in sailing and we are using that to our advantage. However, the team has to understand that they are training to become athletes; nutrition, physical preparation, even clothing for life offshore is all new to them.
To do so well today was just wicked! The girls have fantastic enthusiasm and today we managed to channel it. We have five Omani girls on board and just three Europeans. Some of the Omani crew have been sailing for less than a year and none of them have been in a Farr 30 more than a few months. To go out today and win over three hectic windward leewards was just amazing, I am really proud of them. The Muscat Regatta is so important to them, as they are experiencing a real racing environment, there isn't that much racing out there so this regatta is vital for their development and preparation for sail Arabia the Tour next February."
Full results from the first day of The Muscat Regatta can be found on line at www.muscatregatta.com