EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour 2014 Leg 2
by Stuart Alexander 13 Feb 2014 13:50 GMT
9-24 February 2014
It was a long 24 hours and even then the offshore leg from Qatar to Abu Dhabi in the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour was not over. It should be resolved on Saturday by a jury headed by Marina Psichogiou from her base in Oman. There was a protest flag flying in the marina at the Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club (ADSYC).
First across the line at the end of a testing 159 miles was the student team from Delft, just ahead of the series leader and favourite, Sidney Gavignet, sailing for EFG Bank under the flag of Monaco/Europe. Gavignet is, of course, the lead skipper for Oman Sail, under whose initiative the tour is being staged for the fourth time. He is also a gritty competitor.
He had come back from having to back down his Mumm 30 soon after the mid-morning start to clear weed around the keel. Ahead of him first was what had seemed his main rival; the Plymouth University-backed Messe Frankfurt team had taken a slender lead.
But they were overtaken by the Dutchmen as Gavignet gave chase. This was, he said, a leg decided by boatspeed as well as seaweed – he also picked up a plastic bag near the finish – but the Plymouth skipper, 21-year old Marcel Herrera thought other factors were at play. "A lot of things were out of our control," he said, specifying a big shift in wind direction which caught him and his navigator, Coriolan Rousselle, apparently unawares "We didn't know what was going on with the weather," he said rather curiously.
Both Gavignet and the Dutch seemed quicker to work it out but Gavignet was grinding his much younger rivals down and, when he figured that the Dutch team had fouled him in a port and starboard incident, he pounced. "Are you going to lodge," he was asked? Minutes later he was in the ADSYC offices filling out the protest form and Race Director Gilles Chiorri was on the phone to Oman.
The Dutch were crestfallen, their celebration put on hold, and Herrera saw a glimpse of moving up to second if the protest prevailed and the Dutch were disqualified.
Update: The jury upheld Gavignet's complaint and disqualified the Dutch. That made Gavignet the winner and pushed Herrera up to second and the women's team up to third.
A team local team from Abu Dhabi will join the inshore racing on Saturday. Race director Gilles Chiorri is hoping to stage three races close to the shore, though he might have to cut to two in predicted light winds.
Not caring about either, but knowing that she could in turn claim another third place, was Kate Pettibone, American skipper of the all-woman crew which is half young Omani women who have come through the Sail Oman academy programme.
Her head had been deep in the bilges, cleaning up quite a lot of unwanted water – the Mumm 30 can be quite wet at times – but relishing the excitement of some hang-on-to-your-breeches – and recovering from the occasional broach – downhill reaching. Added her navigator, Liz Baylis: "It was quite wild, wet and woolly at times."
For the two official Omani men's teams the results again looked miserable, especially for the Royal Navy of Oman, once again carrying the lanterne rouge of the backmarker.
Friday, as is Middle East custom, is a day for prayers and rest. Hostilities resume with a second programme of inshore races on Saturday and Sunday the fleet sets sail for Dubai.
159 miles of challenging racing on Leg 2 of EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014 (from Oman Sail)
Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft, with Kay Heemskerk at the helm, crossed the finish line of Leg 2 of the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014 in an exciting finish into Abu Dhabi, beating Frenchman Sidney Gavignet and team on EFG Bank (Monaco) across the line by just two minutes.
However, there is currently a protest pending between EFG Bank (Monaco) and Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft, the result of which could have an effect on the overall result of this race. The hearing will be on Friday 14 February.
Today's impressive speed by Team Delft Challenge – TU Delf is a reflection of just how much training this team of university students put in after their fourth place last year. They took the lead early on in the race from Doha to Abu Dhabi and maintained pace throughout the 159-mile leg. They played a game of cat and mouse with EFG Bank (Monaco) all the way down the long run but managed to nose ahead and crossed the finish line just two minutes ahead to secure line honours.
A tired but delighted Heemskerk commenting on the race, said: "It was tough but enjoyable. The key was staying focused on speed and the crew did a fantastic job. We swapped the lead throughout and both passed the last mark into Abu Dhabi at the same time. That's how tight it was."
The closeness of the racing is an indication of how even-matched the fleet of Farr 30s are with the difference between winning and losing depending completely on the skill of the crew.
The course at 159 nautical miles from Doha to Abu Dhabi, is the longest leg of the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014, and it is also the most challenging particularly with the oil fields scattered along route. Huge flames from the rigs produced a natural light for the crews last night, and an interesting sight for those who'd not experienced it before.
Sidney Gavignet who crossed the line 0837 this morning, didn't have a particularly straightforward race. He and his team on EFG Bank (Monaco), took control of the first beat and led at the mark just off Doha but encountered problems with weed.
Gavignet commenting on the race, said: "This leg was very much about boat speed and avoiding seaweed. We had one at the beginning, which delayed us a bit. Then we overtook Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft five miles from the finish and we stalled again which didn't help with our speed coming up to the finish line."
Third across the line into Abu Dhabi this morning at 08.43.20 was Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team, just six minutes behind Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft.
Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team, who won both inport races in Doha on Tuesday, didn't have it all their own way during Leg 2. They had a reasonable start and were in contention, but couldn't quite match the speed of the leading two boats that managed to pull away from the pack.
Marcel Herrera commenting as he stepped ashore, said: "It was a good fun leg and we were happy with our result. It was close and, in the great scheme of things, a few minutes behind EFG Bank (Monaco) after 159 miles is not bad going. To be honest it was really hard to overtake on that leg, so once the leaders got ahead, it was a case of keeping the focus on speed."
This event, which runs from February 9-24, is now in its fourth year and offers 15 days of intense sailing with a mix of inport and offshore races to test the skills of not only the region's best sailing talent, but also a selection of elite world class sailors.
The second inport race of the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014, is taking place on Saturday at Water Bridge, the area of water, which connect Abu Dhabi Cornish – in front of Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht Club – with the sea. This stretch of water is an ideal location not only for the competing teams but also for spectators who are expected to turn out in force to watch the action on Saturday. Up to three races are scheduled with the first start at 1100.
For more information on the race please visit www.sailingarabiathetour.com