EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour 2014 Leg 6

by Stuart Alexander 23 Feb 2014 08:22 GMT 9-24 February 2014

Leg 6 of EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour © Lloyd Images

Some quick thinking delivered a first coastal leg win for the Plymouth University–backed crew of Messe Frankfurt in the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour.

The course was supposed to take the six matched Mumm 30 yachts from Dibba to Mussanah, but there were fears, which proved well-founded, that the breeze would die completely in the night.

So, race director Gilles Chiorri decided to start with a 30-mile leg south, set a finish line there, and then ask the crews to motor – it took them about 14 hours – to the original finish. In compensation he proposed to set a new 20-mile course for the Sunday and split the points equally between the two halves.

Herrera's crew was second on the opening section, just 23 seconds behind the overall leader, Sidney Gavignet in EFG Bank. But they noticed that Gavignet had not crossed the finish line exactly according to Chiorri's instructions and they noticed that none of the others had, too.

Accordingly, Herrera informed the jury which considers these matters and asked it to make a judgment. That judgment was to disqualify all the other five boats. Which gave Herrera his win but Gavignet should have no problem on Monday's final leg to Muscat but it did slightly affect the battle for third overall.

That will still be fought out between Team Delft from The Netherlands and the all-woman team from Oman, skippered by the Californian Kate Pettibone. Instead of being a quarter of a point ahead they will be a quarter of a point behind. First of those two to Muscat takes the remaining place on the podium.

EFG Bank (Monaco) wins race 13a of Leg 6 from Dibba to Musannah (from Sue Pelling, Oman Sail)

Due to forecast light winds the race committee splits the 139-nautical mile Leg 6 (race 13) in two – race 13a and 13b

After another win today in the first part of Leg 6 (race 13a) from Dibba to Musannah, Oman, Sidney Gavignet and his team on EFG Bank (Monaco) have strengthened their overall lead in EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014.

Due to light winds forecast overnight, the race committee decided to split the 139-nautical mile Leg 6 (race 13) in two – race 13a and 13b – with each race using the 0.5 Factor scoring system. This meant the total scores for both races was equal to Factor 1 – the usual scoring for the Tour's offshore legs.

With just one coastal race (13b), and Leg 6 to complete, EFG Bank (Monaco) are seven points clear ahead of Marcel Herrera and Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team, which is currently lying in second.

The first part of Leg 6 from Dibba was over a 30 nautical mile course, and after a short half a mile beat, the fleet endured a close reach to the next waypoint, through the busy shipping channel.

From there on the fleet enjoyed tight racing in a 7kt east-north-easterly breeze. So close was the racing in the Farr 30s, that at the finish there were just 49 second separating the top three boats – EFG Bank (Monaco) in first, Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team second, and Katie Pettibone and her all girl crew on Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat third.

As he stepped ashore this morning, Mohmmed Al Mujaini, pitman on the winning boat EFG Bank (Monaco) said he was delighted to have finally arrived home in Oman: "It was a difficult race, not just because of the lack of wind, but also because of the huge amounts of cargo ships on our route which we had to weave our way through. It was difficult to stay ahead of Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team, but we did, just, and we are pleased to have finally arrived in Oman. I am extra excited because my house is just three minutes from the marina, so I am looking forward to taking my friends there to relax."

Marcel Herrera skipper of Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team said it was a difficult leg and frustrating at times particularly at the finish. "We tried everything we could to pass EFG Bank (Monaco), but once again they had that tiny bit of a lead just at the right moment and crossed the line just ahead of us, this time by just 23 seconds.

"I think the highlight had to be weaving our way through the anchored ships scattered along a big section of the coast. Here we had to choose to go above or below on a really tight reach, so that was quite exciting."

Khalood Al Uraimi in charge of mast on Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat, said: "It is so great to have done so well on this leg of the course in particular, because Oman is my home. It is really, really special to have sailed such a long distance and arrive here. I feel very proud.

Having arrived at Musannah Marina at 0830 this morning after a long journey by motor overnight, teams are now enjoying a few hours of rest and relaxation before they head out on the water again for the second part of Leg 6 – race 13b – a 20 nautical mile coastal race.

Tomorrow (February 24) is the start of Leg 7, the final sprint to Muscat. At 41 nautical miles, this is the shortest leg of the Tour. Depending on the wind conditions, the fleet should arrive at The Wave, Muscat by 1500, in time for the final prizegiving.

This event, which started on February 9 and finishes in Muscat tomorrow (February 24), is now in its fourth year. It 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 760-nautical mile course spans over four countries from Bahrain to Muscat, Oman, with eight of the region's premier marinas playing host as stopover venues during the seven legs of the course.

Results after Race 13a: