Muscat: Strong winds on Day 5 of Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2021 handed the advantage to Team France as the debuting crew extended their lead over the fleet to four points. Averaging 15-20 knots all day, Team France won all three races while the trailing fleet toiled in the conditions. Team DB Schenker remain in second place overall, Team Oman Sail third, Team Oman Investment Authority finished the Sur leg in fourth, Team Barceló Mussanah Resort fifth and Team Nastro Rosa of Italy in sixth.
Away from Team France’s dominance, the remaining podium positions during the day were shared throughout the fleet. Oman Sail finished second in the coastal raid with Oman Investment Authority third.
Team Oman Investment Authority finished second in both in-port races but were later disqualified from the first race due to a collision. Team DB Schenker finished third in the first in-port race and Nastro Rosa equalled their best result of The Tour so far when they finished third in the second race.
Antoine Rucard, skipper of Team France, said, “Today the races were amazing. We began the day with the coastal race, just outside of the harbour. We turned by the traditional fishing boat, and the wind was very strong. We won the race after a good fight with the Oman Sail team. There were two stadium races with even stronger winds but we won them both. The competition is great; all of the Omani teams are really good. It is great to be fighting for the lead with them and pushing us every step of the way.”
Musab Al Hadi, skipper of Team Oman Sail, said, “Today it was a very long day, a big day for every team. We had a different kind of breeze later than earlier. The coastal race was long but close between the teams. We finished second which made the team happy. Then after that we had an in-port race but suffered a collision on the start line so we were sinking, but we were strong and kept focused to finish the race. It was very dramatic but that is the sport, you have to accept it and move onto the next race. We lodged a protest against the team that damaged our boat and were given a redress to finish the day second overall.”
Sulieman Al Manji, a local boat builder from Sur, said, “We are pleased to be onsite during Sailing Arabia – The Tour and ready to fix the boats. The maintenance team do everything necessary to prepare the boats, repair damage from the races and make sure the teams can continue. Just like today. This is a great place to sail, the teams are very strong and we are very happy to be a part of the crew for Sailing Arabia – The Tour.”
Racing now shifts north to Marina Bandar Al Rowdha on Wednesday 1 December and Thursday 2 December for the second half of The Tour where there will be another coastal raid and two in-port races. Team France will be looking to solidify their position at the top while the rest of the fleet need to gain ground on the leaders before the final leg in Muscat from 3-5 December 2021.
The event is supported by national carrier Oman Air, OQ and the Barceló Mussanah Resort as official partners, and Be’ah as environmental supporter. The National Mineral Water Company Salsabeel Water provided all essential water supplies for the event while the Royal Navy of Oman provided medical support throughout.
Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2021 is run in full adherence to the government of Oman’s latest COVID-19 safety protocols. For more information about the event, the schedule, and safety guidelines, visit the official website https://sailingarabiathetour.com/.
