Oman's next generation of star sailors will take aim at their first racing medals next week when Oman Sail's ‘Renaissance Services Interschool Regatta’ reaches its climax at the finals in Mussanah next week. Around 100 youngsters, all aged 12 years or under and drawn from Oman Sail's community programmes across the Sultanate, have spent the past week in hot contention on the water in a bid to qualify for the finals on December 9th.

For the first time, a series of heats, all sponsored exclusively by Renaissance Services, were staged at Oman Sail's sailing schools at The Wave, Muscat on November 23rd and Marina Al Rowdha, Mussanah and Sur a week later. The group of youngsters from public and private schools across the country, who had completed a course of sailing lessons to earn their Level 1 certificates, were given a chance to shine and showcase their talents onboard the Optimist boats.

One hundred children took part in the heats, 25 of which were girls, reflecting the surge of interest in sailing among young Omani females. The children raced to represent their schools as well as for personal results, and some of the school teams included members of the Omantel Youth Programme, also sponsored by Oman Shipping Company. The three best performing schools from each heat qualified for the Renaissance Services Interschool Regatta finals and on the big day, will compete in a series against each other to gain an overall individual winner (male and female) and best school team. In all, three cups and 11 medals will be awarded to the winners following an entertaining four-hour competition in Mussanah.

“We aim to introduce the kids to the fun they can have while racing during this regatta. Encouraging team spirit as well as improving sailing skills,” said Rashid Al Kindi, Oman Sail's National Team Manager. “We have deliberately changed the format of the regatta to give the young sailors from our community programmes more opportunities to race, with more days of racing being included in the Renaissance Services Interschool Regatta and a better racing environment where both talent and a will to win are better rewarded. We think this will instil them with stronger competitive instincts which will allow them to achieve more in less time.”

The Interschool Regatta is fast becoming one of the leading youth sports events in Oman, said Stephen Thomas, CEO at Renaissance Services SAOG. “We are proud to be supporting this competition which will see some of Oman’s young talents competing for medals. The heats have seen all the schools improving their performances which is most encouraging, so we are excited at what we might witness in the finals. Good luck to all the competitors.”

The Wave Muscat Sailing School held their heat with 25 students participating, five of whom were girls, from Al Roaye, Najeya, Al Nbog and Sheikh Nasser schools. They had fair winds and some competitive racing in the marina, and they kept clear from the action that was going with the RC44 Oman Cup championship, which was hosted by Oman Sail during the same period. The children therefore got to enjoy sharing a racing area with professional sailors and Olympic Gold medallists, as well as seeing them on the shore before and after racing.

In Sur Sailing School, 20 students, 12 of whom were girls, took their first Interschool challenge for the first time since the opening of the sailing school earlier this year. They were from four schools: Sur Private school, Abdorahmen bin Ouff, Al Bahjah and Lubabah. Freshly new to racing techniques and boat handling, they had a short practice before holding their races which qualified them for the finals. It was a windy day yet they did brilliantly well in getting round the course and enjoying the speed of the boats.

Marina Bandar Al Rowdha Sailing School had 24 students competing, seven of whom were girls, from Hassan bin Thabet, Ibn Nafees, Al Zahraa, ITTI, and Al Sadia schools. The children were excited to get on the water and the first race got underway well. The wind then picked up significantly in the first race and the girl that was doing so well and in second place had an unfortunate capsize just before the finish mark, with the other boats skirting round her.

In Mussanah, the sailing school had a total of 30 students from Assad Bin Zuarah, Khanbash, Abu Abali and Al Khalil bin Ahmed schools. The racing started slightly later than planned due to some cloudy conditions at the start, but it got underway and the children enjoyed the competition. The standard of sailing improved as the races went on and the children got to experience varying conditions.