Described by the skippers as the most tactically challenging leg of the tour to date, the third leg of Sailing Arabia – the Tour could have gone to any one of the first three teams home with less than ten minutes separating first to third, after a challenging 232-kilometre race.
The race started in fast 20-knot downwind conditions and it was again tour leader Daniel Souben and his professional French crew sailing Courrier Dunkerque that rounded the start mark ahead of the Qatari Team Commercalbank and one of four Omani entries, Team BAE Systems.
Team Commercalbank and Team BAE Systems were able to eat into Courrier Dunkerque’s lead and sailed clear for the initial stages of the 30-mile run to the first gate. However Courrier Dunkerque were not going to go easy on them, and fought back hard, ultimately beating the Qatari team to first place by just 2min 29sec, while Team BAE Systems held onto to third and finished a further 7min 7sec behind second-placed Team Commercialbank.
Daniel Souben , the French skipper on Courrier Dunkerque said he had to work incredibly hard to hold off the challenge from the other teams, and praised the crew onboard Team Commercialbank for their determination in difficult sailing conditions.
“Bertand Pacé (skipper of Team Commercialbank )never gives up. This we know and you have to sail very, very, well to beat him. We achieved this tonight but we can’t afford to take anything for granted. He will come back at us again and we must be cautious.”
For Oman’s Team Renaissance luck was not with them when their keel got hooked in fishing nets and lost them the hard-fought third position they were seeking.
“For us the third leg was a very important one to maintain our position and fight for the podium,” said skipper Ahmed Al Mamari; “however luck was not on our side this time. Just as both us and Al Thuraya BankMuscat were head to head fighting for the third place throughout the race, our boat Keil got stuck with fishing nets and that took a good valuable 15 minutes of our time to free our boat from those nets.
“With such races all you need is seconds to lose your place but despite that, we still managed to secure the fifth position and the star of the day was Fahad Al Hsani who did a great job, diving his head into the waters in no time,” he said.
“Our team may not have many experienced sailors, but it surely has some really determined sailors and being so close to professionals like Dee Caffari and Bertand Pace, this has reflected our team's capabilities. We still have a good chance at the final podium and we will keep fighting to be there," he said.
The battle for fourth and fifth was intense with just a 14-minute finishing deficit between the all-women’s team on Al Thuraya BankMuscat crew and the all-Omani crewed Team Renaissance.
Denied the podium finish they so deserve, Al Thuraya BankMuscat’s skipper Dee Caffari was again full of praise for her Omani crew and their growing confidence in the class and commitment to the race.
“Tactically, this was without question the most difficult leg of the tour with ever-changing conditions, a strong current and an incredible amount of shipping. It was like a motorway out there. But through all that the girls hung in and come Wednesday we’ll go out again and try to go one better.”
The award for most improved performance definitely goes to Team Ras Al Khaimah who for the first time managed to sail out of the last position and with young Emirati student, Marjed Sultan, now on board, they arrived in their home port of Ras Al Khaimah in sixth position.
The team finished just ahead of Team Bahrain, and according to skipper Qassim Abdel Razaq, the leg was a tricky one.
“We started the race with heavy wind conditions and as we approached Ras Al Khaimah the wind dropped dramatically. Despite being in the fifth position half way through, as the winds dropped and shifted direction, it was all about a game of tactics and those with the right experience in the fleet showed what they are capable of,” he said.
Team Muscat 2012 and Team Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, made up the later end of the fleet claiming positions eight and nine respectively.
While thanking his Saudi countrymen for their ongoing support, sailor Ishaq Mohammed Al Helal, asked for their ongoing prayers to bring the Saudi team back in the rankings, after finishing last this morning on the third leg of the race.
“We started the leg with a good position, but soon after that we suffered damage in the Jaib, that broke from the heavy windy conditions,” he said. “But the boys on board have some really great experience and they solved the situation immediately. This whole experience has been so beneficial and we have gained so much from it. I thank everyone who has supported and organised this Tour.”
The prize giving for the leg will be held tomorrow, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Saud Al Qasimi, before the teams embark on the next leg on February 22, which will see them visit the first Omani port in Manama.
Placings
Team Courrier Dunkirque 04,20,34
Team Commercialbank 04,23,09
Team BAE Systems 04,30,16
Team Al Thuraya BankMuscat 04,51.47
Team Renaissance 05,05,20
Team Ras Al Khaimah 05,19,34
Team Bahrain 05,21,12
Team Muscat 2012 05,21,58
Team Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 05,28,14
Credit : Hamed Al Qasmi
The race started in fast 20-knot downwind conditions and it was again tour leader Daniel Souben and his professional French crew sailing Courrier Dunkerque that rounded the start mark ahead of the Qatari Team Commercalbank and one of four Omani entries, Team BAE Systems.
Team Commercalbank and Team BAE Systems were able to eat into Courrier Dunkerque’s lead and sailed clear for the initial stages of the 30-mile run to the first gate. However Courrier Dunkerque were not going to go easy on them, and fought back hard, ultimately beating the Qatari team to first place by just 2min 29sec, while Team BAE Systems held onto to third and finished a further 7min 7sec behind second-placed Team Commercialbank.
Daniel Souben , the French skipper on Courrier Dunkerque said he had to work incredibly hard to hold off the challenge from the other teams, and praised the crew onboard Team Commercialbank for their determination in difficult sailing conditions.
“Bertand Pacé (skipper of Team Commercialbank )never gives up. This we know and you have to sail very, very, well to beat him. We achieved this tonight but we can’t afford to take anything for granted. He will come back at us again and we must be cautious.”
For Oman’s Team Renaissance luck was not with them when their keel got hooked in fishing nets and lost them the hard-fought third position they were seeking.
“For us the third leg was a very important one to maintain our position and fight for the podium,” said skipper Ahmed Al Mamari; “however luck was not on our side this time. Just as both us and Al Thuraya BankMuscat were head to head fighting for the third place throughout the race, our boat Keil got stuck with fishing nets and that took a good valuable 15 minutes of our time to free our boat from those nets.
“With such races all you need is seconds to lose your place but despite that, we still managed to secure the fifth position and the star of the day was Fahad Al Hsani who did a great job, diving his head into the waters in no time,” he said.
“Our team may not have many experienced sailors, but it surely has some really determined sailors and being so close to professionals like Dee Caffari and Bertand Pace, this has reflected our team's capabilities. We still have a good chance at the final podium and we will keep fighting to be there," he said.
The battle for fourth and fifth was intense with just a 14-minute finishing deficit between the all-women’s team on Al Thuraya BankMuscat crew and the all-Omani crewed Team Renaissance.
Denied the podium finish they so deserve, Al Thuraya BankMuscat’s skipper Dee Caffari was again full of praise for her Omani crew and their growing confidence in the class and commitment to the race.
“Tactically, this was without question the most difficult leg of the tour with ever-changing conditions, a strong current and an incredible amount of shipping. It was like a motorway out there. But through all that the girls hung in and come Wednesday we’ll go out again and try to go one better.”
The award for most improved performance definitely goes to Team Ras Al Khaimah who for the first time managed to sail out of the last position and with young Emirati student, Marjed Sultan, now on board, they arrived in their home port of Ras Al Khaimah in sixth position.
The team finished just ahead of Team Bahrain, and according to skipper Qassim Abdel Razaq, the leg was a tricky one.
“We started the race with heavy wind conditions and as we approached Ras Al Khaimah the wind dropped dramatically. Despite being in the fifth position half way through, as the winds dropped and shifted direction, it was all about a game of tactics and those with the right experience in the fleet showed what they are capable of,” he said.
Team Muscat 2012 and Team Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, made up the later end of the fleet claiming positions eight and nine respectively.
While thanking his Saudi countrymen for their ongoing support, sailor Ishaq Mohammed Al Helal, asked for their ongoing prayers to bring the Saudi team back in the rankings, after finishing last this morning on the third leg of the race.
“We started the leg with a good position, but soon after that we suffered damage in the Jaib, that broke from the heavy windy conditions,” he said. “But the boys on board have some really great experience and they solved the situation immediately. This whole experience has been so beneficial and we have gained so much from it. I thank everyone who has supported and organised this Tour.”
The prize giving for the leg will be held tomorrow, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Saud Al Qasimi, before the teams embark on the next leg on February 22, which will see them visit the first Omani port in Manama.
Placings
Team Courrier Dunkirque 04,20,34
Team Commercialbank 04,23,09
Team BAE Systems 04,30,16
Team Al Thuraya BankMuscat 04,51.47
Team Renaissance 05,05,20
Team Ras Al Khaimah 05,19,34
Team Bahrain 05,21,12
Team Muscat 2012 05,21,58
Team Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 05,28,14
