MUSCAT: The Oman Sailing Festival kicks off this week as Oman Sail brings sailing activities to communities along the whole length of the nation’s coastline. Starting in Suhar from October 6-8, visitors will be able to enjoy free ‘try sailing’, windsurfing and kitesurfing sessions under the supervision of professional instructors from Oman Sail.
The next stop will be Musannah from October 12-14 as part of the Arab Sailing Championships taking place at the same time at the Barcelo Musannah Resort with sessions in the RS Venture adaptable dinghy on offer. From there, the festival moves to Sur Al Hadeed in Seeb from October 20-22 .
Duqm hosts the next leg of the Oman Sailing Festival from November 2-5 and Salalah from November 8-12 before the festival heads to Musannah from November 24-26, during the RS Venture Connect World Championships, the first exclusive Para Sailing championship to be staged in Oman, where visitors can experience the RS Venture for themselves.
The festival then moves on to Sur from November 28 to December 3, taking place alongside the Oman Maritime Heritage Festival, where there will also be the latest Ranking Race where sailors will compete for a place in the Oman national sailing squads and representatives from SeaOman will be available to share the variety of charter excursions on offer. The penultimate event will be held at Al Mouj Muscat from December 7-11 while nine teams from across Europe compete for the RC44 Cup at the final event of the season, before concluding in Musandam from December 20-24.
There will also be beach clean-up events to help conserve the local environment and keep the seas clear of litter and a special exhibition of local SMEs in each location.
Musab al Balushi, Oman Sailing Festival Project Manager, said, “Oman is blessed with a wonderful coastline, and as Omanis we have a rich heritage of sailing and maritime activities. Our aim at Oman Sail is to reintroduce the community to sailing, windsurfing and kite surfing while also providing opportunities for people with disabilities to discover a new hobby that could become a lifelong passion.”
“The Oman Sailing Festival is also raising awareness of environmental issues and reminding communities that it is all of our responsibilities to keep our beautiful beaches and oceans clean for the marine life and the future generations to enjoy as we do,” he added.
In Suhar from October 6-8, visitors to the Oman Sailing Festival can try sailing using a versatile Bahia dinghy, ideal for beginners, as well as trying windsurfing and kite surfing. There will also be an SME activation featuring local businesses and craftspeople. The beach clean-up will take place everyday of the event and from 4 pm to 5 pm.
The festival will be supported by Oman Air, National Mineral Water Company (Tanuf), Environment society of Oman (ESO) National University Science and Technology (International Maritime College).
Full Schedule
Venue Dates
Suhar Oct 06–08
Musannah Oct 12–14
Al Mouj Muscat Oct 17
Sur Al Hadeed, Seeb, Muscat Oct 20–22
Duqm Nov 02–05
Salalah Nov 08–12
Mussanah Nov 24–26
Sur Nov 28-Dec 03
Al Mouj Muscat Dec 07–11
Musandam Dec 20–24
