Dubai to Muscat Race at Dubai Offshore Sailing Club - Finish
by Louay Habib 21 Nov 2012 06:50 GMT
17-21 November 2012
Omnia's fish supper
The RORC Dubai to Muscat Yacht Race organised by the UAE Sailing & Rowing Federation and hosted by the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club. HH Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Bin Saqr Al Nahyan, Chairman of the UAE Sailing & Rowing Federation was the guest of honour for the start.
After four nights at sea, the smallest yacht in the Rally Class for the 360-mile voyage completed the course on Wednesday 21st November. Sarah Baerschmidt's Beneteau 30, Omnia has a crew of five sailors from USA, Great Britain and South Africa.
"We had a very efficient watch system." explained Sarah, "Two on deck and three below. Every two hours one crewmember would come off watch, which meant we had good continuity and plenty of rest. The weather was quite extra-ordinary; we had periods of flat calm and at times big seas and high winds. Probably the most memorable moment was crossing into Oman near Khasab. It was flat calm and a small Omani fishing boat motored over to us and offered us a magnificent tuna, which he refused to take any money for. It was a good 4 kilos of meat and wrapped in tin foil with a few slices of lemon, it made a fantastic meal on the barbeque."
Next Saturday, Omnia will be competing in the Bank of Beirut Chairman's Cup, racing under IRC Omnia will race back to Khasab and will be vying for a share of the $50,000 cash purse. In the meantime the multinational crew will be enjoying the hospitality of Bandar Al Rowdha Marina in Muscat.
With all of the Rally Class in the RORC Dubai to Muscat Race safely moored in Bandar Al Rowhda Marina, attention now turns to the class racing under IRC. Peter Wykeham-Martin of GWM Racing expects the leading yachts to finish around sunset tonight.
Dubai based communications company, Xtra-Link has equipped the yachts with the latest satellite communications equipment. Including Thuraya XT satellite phones and hi-tech tracking devices. Allowing race fans, all over the world, to watch the race live. www.xtra-track.com/regatta