A superb performance through the Strait of Hormuz, framed by the majestic cliffs of Musandam, has put AISM, the pro crew from Dubai in an almost unassailable position at the head of the leader board for EFG Bank Sailing Arabia – The Tour.
Skipper Bertrand Pacé just needs to stay out of trouble over the final two legs to take home his second victory in the event, and as the most experienced sailor in the fleet, race pundits are expecting him to sail defensively and cover Cédric Pouligny’s BAE Systems from the start of the next leg down the spectacular coast of Oman to Mussanah.
Yesterday was a relaxing one for competitors in EFG Bank Sailing Arabia – The Tour, taking guests afloat for a non-scoring race on Zighy Bay.
Compared to the metropolises of Bahrain, Doha and Abu Dhabi or Al Hamra Harbour within Ras Al Khaimah, in stark contrast to yesterday’s in port race took place on the remote Zighy Bay, encompassed by the dramatic brown mountains of the Musandam Peninsula.
Held in very light winds, once again it was Bertrand Pacé and his wily team on AISM that claimed honours in the one race held, although due to the light conditions this will not count towards the overall results.
At the heart of Zighy Bay is the Six Senses resort and the prize giving was held at this luxury beach-side enclave in the north of Oman under the patronage of Sayyid Khalifa bin Al-Murdas bin Ahmed Al-Busaidi, the Governor of Musandam.
“We saw a great leg from Ras Al Khaimah, with the boats fighting it out against the incredible fjord landscapes of Musandam, and as we head on to Mussanah, the sailing and the backdrop will continue to take the breath away. Our mission with EFG Bank Sailing Arabia – The Tour is to demonstrate to the people of the region, and further afield, that there is no better, more spectacular place to learn how to sail than in the kind waters of home. Thanks to all the teams, we can also see just how good the conditions are here, whatever level of sailing you’re doing,” Events Director of Oman Sail, Issa Al Ismaili looks forward to the next leg.
Singlehanded round the world sailor Dee Caffari and her all-women’s team on Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat are fortunate to be staying at the Six Senses resort. “Zighy Bay is beautiful, a little oasis of heaven tucked away on the Omani coastline that most people don’t even know exists,” Caffari, said.
“We are very fortunate to have the hospitality of Six Senses Zighy Bay.”
The teams are now contemplating the sixth and penultimate leg of EFG Bank Sailing Arabia – The Tour. This sets sail today at around 09:00 from Zighy Bay heading along the Omani coast for Mussanah. At 135 miles this is the second longest leg of the event, but usually feels like the longest, says Dee Caffari, a veteran of past events. “It is usually quite eventful with quite a mixture of weather.”
En route there is a ‘ship graveyard’ the boats will sail past. In the last race the start was windy but then the wind dropped off to nothing and the boats had to motor for 35 miles. “Fortunately I don’t think we’ll have any of that this time,” advises Caffari of the big conditions.
The leg will hold much significance for Caffari’s crew, four of whom are from Oman. “It is huge for these girls because they train out of Mussanah and some of the girls come from Mussanah. For them this is going home.”
Among Caffari’s crew is 22 year old Ibtisam Al-Salmi who knows Mussanah well having trained there extensively since she joined Oman Sail Women Programme more than one year ago. “EFG Bank Sailing Arabia The Tour is a good chance for me to sail,” says Al-Salmi who operates the ‘pit’ on board Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat, managing the hoisting and dropping of sails during the in-port races. “This is my first event sailing around the GCC countries, so I am very happy to be doing it. Dee is brilliant. It is good for me to learn as much as I can from her and her experience because she’s a really good sailor and that is good for us.”
Like several of the other girls in Caffari’s crew, Al-Salmi is expecting to be heading for France this year where over March until July they will be competing aboard a J/80 yacht, with a program culminating in the J/80 World Championship. Al-Salmi says that she likes inshore and offshore racing equally. “My ambition is to be a good sailor and to know the boat and everything going on it, so that when they put me in each place in the boat I can know what to do.”
With just two legs to go the positions in EFG Bank Sailing Arabia – The Tour are firming up. With AISM on 13.25 and second placed BAE Systems on 19, Bertrand Pace’s team is in a strong position to win for a second time. However the fight for second remains close with Sidney Gavignet’s team on EFG Bank (Monaco) just 1.5 points astern of BAE Systems.
“It is pretty clear that AISM is winning – it will take something very special to catch them – but we don’t have many points separating us from BAE,” advised Gavignet.
But will Gavignet attempt to sail BAE Systems off the race course –aggressive, but common-place tactics in sailboat racing? “I think we’ll try to sail a good leg, but if we can, there’s no doubt…” says Gavignet of this. “But it isn’t a good tactic to start. What do you gain? Even if they miss the start, the leg is 130 miles long…”
Team Renaissance skipper Moshin Al Busaidi is hoping to make up for the last leg from Ras Al Khaimah when at one point his boat was lying second, only for him to finish sixth. “On the last leg we stopped three times. In this one I hope that we can lead into Musannah,” he says. “But it is a very long leg and the wind is not very strong – between 5 and 10 knots – so it will take more time. I hope they finish the leg rather than stopping it in the middle.”
With Oman Sail having a base in Musannah, Al Busaidi is very familiar with these waters but denies there will be any home team advantage. “These are our home waters, but we are up against very experienced sailors and tacticians. I hope to be on the podium on this leg.”
Race Director Gilles Chiorri says that given the wind conditions today look set to be light so they are likely to have three gates along the course giving them the flexibility to shorten the course if required. “The forecast is looking light. We might start and motor for a while until we find the breeze.”
As the boats prepare to head out on Saturday, spectators and teams will all be reveling in the final days of one of the world’s most spectacular sailing competitions. From the bustling ports of Manama and Doha, to the elegance of the Corniche in Abu Dhabi; past the spires of Dubai and the deserts of Ras Al Khaimah; to the cliffs and mountains of Musandam and on down the coast to Mussanah and Muscat, EFG Bank Sailing Arabia- The Tour has led the teams on an unforgettable journey podium, but it’s a win for all of the 63 sailors who are taking part on the final stretch for home.