Today the Pearl Qatar, Qatar Sailing and Rowing Federation and Oman Sail revealed details of the second edition of Sailing Arabia- The Tour – the only yacht race around the GCC – introducing the Qatar entry sponsored by Commercialbank Group.
At a press conference at The Pearl –Qatar details of Team Commercialbank were officially announced, along with the man charged with leading the team, Frenchman Bertrand Pace.
No stranger to offshore sailing, Pace won consecutive victories in Le Tour de France à la Voile, the event on which SATT is based, in 2010 and 2011. He is currently Sports Director for Aleph – a French sailing team competing in the America’s Cup World Series.
Pace led a French team to victory in the 2011 edition of SATT and in 2012 he returns to lead the team hailing from Qatar.
Now in its second year, the race is organized by Oman Sail in collaboration with a number of Federations and authorities from the Gulf region, with the concept of bringing Gulf States together in a race around the Arabian Peninsula.
Khalifa Mohammed Al Suwaidi, President of Qatar Sailing and Rowing Federation commented: “We thank Oman Sail for organizing the second edition of Sailing Arabia The Tour, a concept that revives the rich maritime heritage associated with the region in the modern side of sailing. Hosting the in port races in Doha on 14th Feb 2012 comes in celebration with Qatar’s National Sports Day and this will provide a great opportunity for the crowd to support their team and enjoy the race from a close distance.”
He Added: “We are delighted to have a Qatari team competing in the Tour and see Doha host the event for the second time. We thank HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Olympic Committee in his support of sailing and water sports in Qatar.”
The marine tourism industry and the sport of sailing are growing rapidly in the GCC, according to Oman Sail’s Events Director, Issa Ismaili, explaining why SATT has proved to be so popular and what it means to the region.
“SATT provides a winter alternative to the European offshore event and the timing is perfect as a prelude to the European sailing season. Each leg will present different challenges to the sailors and many of the international sailors will be using SATT as a training ground.”
“This is just the second edition of SATT and the event is already talked about by the international sailing community.
The event has grown since its first year and in 2013 we aim to attract even more teams, both from the international sailing fraternity and from the region. The additional teams from the region are essential to the continued success of the event. SATT is a prefect platform for us to promote sailing – one of the fastest growing sports in the region.”
Abdulhameed Al Yousef, Community Relations Manager at The Pearl-Qatar said: “We always support activities related to sports – in line with the vision of His Highness The Emir – and we are honoured and excited to welcome SATT to The Pearl-Qatar for the second year in a row.”
“The Pearl-Qatar is not only a stopover for super yachts, but also acts as a popular destination for water-sports enthusiasts, and we are very pleased to be hosting The Pearl- Qatar Cup during the in-port races in Doha. We wish the teams all the best and we look forward to hosting a great event” Jaume Marco, General Manager Ronautica ME added.
The team members announced to date include Bertrand Pace, skipper and his crew of Vincent Portgual, Gildas Morvan, Julien Falxa, Cedric Chateu and Clement Salzes.
Named after its sponsor, Qatar’s team Commercialbank Group will go head to head with four teams from Oman, as well as teams from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Ras al Khaimah representing United Arab Emirates and an entry from Pace’s home country – France.
The race has attracted a host of international talent, proving that the region has something great to offer the wider world of international sailing.
The race brings the GCC countries together through their maritime history, with the sport of sailing and the related infrastructure being increasingly developed across the states. It showcases a number of state-of-the-art marinas across the region and their unique ability in hosting world class sailing events.
SATT will start from Amwaj Marina in Bahrain on the 12 February, and will traverse the peninsula visiting seven marinas on the way – Doha, Abu Dhabi, Ras al Khaimah, Musandam and Mussanah, before finishing in Oman 15 days later. By the time the teams reach the final port, they will have sailed an incredible 1,408 kilometers.
Over the five legs, the sailors will not only have to race offshore overnight, but they will also have short, fast races in stopover venues close to shore for the public to watch and where some lucky locals will take part.
For the first time there will also be a unique all women’s team taking part, Al ThurayaBankMuscat, led by British round the world sailor, Dee Caffari. The team, which includes four Omani women, will compete as part of Oman Sail’s women’s programme, which was launched in October 2011.
The women have been under-going a rigorous selection and training programme, which has not only qualified them as professional dinghy instructors, but has seen the women become Oman’s first professional female sailors.
To follow Team CommercialBank Group’s progress during SATT please visit the official event website www.sailingarabiathetour.com
