Oman Sail will be holding a gala end of year sailing and water sports festival at Shatti Al Qurum beach this weekend as a grand finale to the community beach sailing events and youth programme campaigns supported by Omantel and Oman Shipping throughout 2013.
A record crowd is expected at the Shatti Al Qurm beach near the Waha Centre on Friday 20 and Saturday 21st December when local Omanis and members of the expat community will have the opportunity to discover the thrill of sailing, fun water sports and other leisure activities with family and friends in a carnival atmosphere.
People of all ages will be able to try sailing on boats manned by Oman Sail instructors, marvel at windsurfing shows, enjoy banana boat and other rides, beach games and a dedicated children’s area with a bouncy castle, face painting and lots more.
Issa Al Ismaili, Oman Sail Director of Events said the invitation was open to all families and their friends to join in the festivities which are specially designed to introduce more people to sailing and the benefits of leading a healthy and active lifestyle.
“It will be a celebratory occasion and with the weather cooling down in Muscat we are expecting high attendance. The accent is on sailing and water sports but it will also present a chance for people to enjoy the beautiful scenery and recent landscaping of the area so ideal for walking, exercising and jogging.”
Shatti Al Qurm is also a perfectly placed central venue in Muscat close to shopping centres, popular coffee shops and hotels.
It is the third annual staging of the highly popular beach sailing events in Muscat. It is also the third and final event of the 2013 beach sailing series which reached event greater numbers of people nationwide this year thanks to the support of Omantel and Oman Shipping.
The grass roots initiative has so far introduced 14,000 people to sailing in the past three years. This year alone over 3 700 attended the Sohar event at the Silver Jubilee Park beach in October and a bumper crowd of 5000 enjoyed the first ever beach sailing event in Sur.
“The public enthusiasm for these events has gone way beyond our expectations and we are enormously encouraged to see how they have helped to promote sailing as a way to enjoy active and healthier lifestyles.
“The events have rekindled Oman’s great maritime heritage by showcasing sailing as a fun and accessible sport that local communities can enjoy recreationally. We have seen it encourage strong family and social values as people of all ages share active time together.
“We thank Omantel and Oman Shipping Company for helping us to inspire a new generation of young Omanis to take up sailing as a competitive sport. It has also enabled us to identify many talented youth with potential to join the Oman Sail Youth Programme,” said Al Ismaili.
