EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2015

EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2015 - Start

by Oman Sail 15 Feb 2015 17:48 GMT 15-28 February 2015

EFG Sailing Arabia – the Tour 2015 Q&A with the skippers © EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour

The 2015 edition of EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour kicked off today in Oman with an in port race at The Wave, Muscat that saw a record 11-strong fleet of international, elite regional and young sailing talent, battle for dominance, giving spectators ashore a great show before rolling straight into leg 1 of this epic six-leg, 760 nautical mile race, which runs from 15-28 February.

With 11 teams representing seven nations, this year's Tour is the strongest and largest field ever; it also promises to be the most competitive. The sailors from 21 nations include Sidney Gavignet (FRA) defending his title as skipper of the EFG Bank team, Nick Moloney (AUS) leading GAC Powered by Dongfeng, Lorenz Müller at the head of Bienne Voile from Switzerland and Marcel Herrera (GER) on board Team Averda.

"Through EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour we are writing a new chapter in the region's history and making sailing a sport for all," said David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail, the event organiser. "The mix of teams in this year's competition shows the wide reach of sailing, the passion for the sport around the world, and the potential for sailing to capture the imagination of people across the region."

The next two weeks will see the 11 multinational teams race from Muscat to Sohar in Oman, then around the Musandam Peninsula to the UAE and Qatar before finishing in Bahrain. The race will feature in port races at the Four Seasons Marina in Doha and Dubai Offshore Sailing Club.

EFG Sailing Arabia – the Tour 2015 course - photo © EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour

Among the favourites this year are reigning champions, EFG Bank (Monaco) skippered by Sidney Gavignet, an accomplished and well-respected French offshore sailor. In 2015, Gavignet is taking a different approach to the race and is joined by world-class sailors Damian Foxall (IRL) and Alex Pella (ESP). "Last year our team comprised specialists in the Tour de France à la Voile and the Farr 30 class. This year we've gone for a more offshore orientated team, with a mix of experience and nationalities. Our plan is to sail fast and well and see if we can be as good as last year. The key to winning is not necessarily winning every race but to have consistently good results at the top of the fleet."

Others expected to challenge for the top spot are the GAC boat powered by the Dongfeng race team from China, skippered by Nick Moloney, the Dutch TU Delft team skippered by Wouter Sonnema, and Team Averda skippered by Marcel Herrera.

Herrera and his British crew, who sailed so impressively last year and finished second overall after a long tussle with EFG Bank (Monaco), are braced for another tough battle this time. "It is always good to aim for the top of the fleet but the standard of competition makes it even more of a challenge this year."

Moloney, who won the Jules Verne Trophy, sailing non-stop around the world in 2002 and competed in the Vendee Globe in 2005, is making his debut at the event sailing with a team of mainly Chinese sailors sourced from the Dongfeng Race Team, who also compete in the Volvo Ocean Race.

While there are plenty of international teams taking part in the Tour, the 2015 edition of EFG SATT also has a strong local contingent including Fahad Al Hasni, who is a regular on the Oman Sail MOD70, and his team on board Renaissance Services, Ahmed Al Maamari with an all-Omani boat from the Royal Navy of Oman (OMIFCO), a student team from the International Maritime College Oman (IMCO) with four Omanis on board, and an all-female team of Al Thuraya, skippered by British Olympian Mary Elizabeth Rook.

The impressive standard of racing in today's opening in port race, which was won by Gavignet and his highly-tuned EFG Bank (Monaco) team, bodes well for what lies ahead over the next two weeks.

The start of Leg 1 from Oman this afternoon was intense despite light wind. After a clear start EFG Bank (Monaco) soon established control of the fleet on the short windward leg and rounded the mark in front. Three boat lengths behind was the Swiss team on Bienne Voile skippered by Lorenz Müller. Müller's crew also sailed well in the opening in port race and took second place – they are definitely a team to watch over the next few days and weeks.

The 105nm leg to Sohar might appear straightforward, but the wind is expected to further decrease overnight, which will test tactics and good navigation skills to the limit.

Looking ahead, the 172nm Leg 2 is the longest of the event and takes the fleet around the Musandam Peninsula to Ras Al Khaimah. Two shorter legs follow, the first to Dubai, where the first of two inshore race days will be staged, then to Abu Dhabi. Leg 5 will give the teams their biggest challenge yet as they navigate upwind through the oil fields towards Doha ahead of the final sprint to the finish in Bahrain.

Gilles Chiorri, EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour Race Director, believes that the reversed course this year will ensure the racing remains exciting to the finish. "Because the course requires teams to sail more upwind than they did in the previous edition, the fleet will spread out which will make it much more tactical and interesting right up until the final sprint to the finish," he said.

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