A successful summer in Europe, where thousands of miles have been clocked up to further Oman’s sporting and tourism development plans, is set to culminate in a thrilling head-to-head contest between Sidney Gavignet’s crew of Omani professionals on Musandam-Oman Sail and rival MOD70 Phaedo, in the 608-mile Mediterranean classic.
But before the start from Valletta in Malta on October 17, Gavignet has a few more miles to cover as Musandam-Oman Sail flies the flag for the Sultanate at a host of high profile sailing events, starting with the final Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour event of 2015 in Marseilles, France, this week.
Oman’s super-fast GC32 Sultanate of Oman, helmed by Nathan Outteridge who is standing in for Leigh McMillan and his crew who are racing the Extreme Sailing Series in Istanbul, Turkey, is racing for the season title after taking the foiling circuit by storm and Musandam-Oman Sail, playing host to a group of VIP guests, is on hand to support them.
Next stop Trieste in Italy where 2,000 boats, 25,000 sailors and 250,000 spectators will gather for the annual Barcolana Regatta, said to be the largest sailing event in the world and Oman Sail will be in the thick of it proudly bearing Omani colours.
The stopover will introduce the popular Oman Tourism Pavilion to Italian crowds, showcasing the best of Oman’s culture and scenery with stunning visual images and henna artists on hand to demonstrate their traditional designs.
Visitors to the Pavilion will also get the chance to hear about Oman Sail and meet some of the Omani sailors being trained to compete in world-class events.
Laser sailor Hussain Al Jabri and Mohammed Al Balushi, a sailing instructor, only recently joined Gavignet’s crew as part of Oman Sail’s continuing plan to nurture offshore sailing talent and despite some challenging conditions at sea, they emerged from their first ocean voyage with flying colours.
“We started with a trip from Lorient to Montpellier but we have now done 2,000 miles with Hussain and Mohammed, who are totally new to the boat,” said skipper Gavignet.
“They had a tough time because we had to cross the Bay of Biscay and the wind was around 100km an hour so it was a very good non-racing experience and they learned a lot. Our regular guys Fahad al Hasni and Yasser Al Rahbi were also with us and able to take more responsibility so it was valuable.”
For the Rolex Middle Sea Race, which will mark Oman Sail’s debut in this event, Gavignet has selected four Omani professionals to help him try to win line honours. Two of them, Fahad Al Hasni and Sami Al Shukaili are already familiar with the MOD70 after being part of the Oman Sail crew that smashed the Round Britain and Ireland record last year and the Round Ireland earlier this year.
But Ali Al Balushi and Nasser Al Mashari are new to the boat though their backgrounds in the Extreme 40 class, representing The Wave, Muscat and Oman Air in the Extreme Sailing Series, will stand them in good stead for their offshore multihull adventure.
“We have to take our revenge on Phaedo after they beat us in the Rolex Fastnet Race - we'll be looking to correct this result!” said Gavignet who will also have MOD70 regular Damian Foxall from Ireland on board.
“Our aim otherwise is to use our Oman Sail flagship Musandam-Oman Sail to promote Oman and give everyone involved, both crew and guests some fantastic memories.”
GC32 racing started in Marseille on Wednesday and concludes on Saturday. Extreme Sailing in Istanbul starts today and concludes on Sunday.
Image : Sander van der Borch
From Oman Sail
