An amazing sight greeted Omani sailor Raiya Al Habsi and the crew on Oman’s flagship MOD70 Oman Air-Musandam in the Solent yesterday morning (Sunday 11 Aug ) when the Royal Yacht Squadron canon was fired to mark the start of the biggest ever Rolex Fastnet Race.
Oman's sailing star Raya Al Habsi became the first Omani woman to take part in the Rolex Fastnet Race when she made her historic debut as part of the elite team on board the national flagship Oman Air-Musandam during the Artemis Challenge in Cowes week.
Excitement is mounting in Oman with today (Friday 9 August) marking the start of the 100 day countdown to the 2013 Laser World Championships which comes to the Sultanate for the first time in November this year.
Oman’s top five youngest sailors jet off to South Africa tomorrow (Thursday) for the International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) African Championships excited at the chance to measure their progress since attending the previous event a year ago.
2013 has been an exceptional year so far for Oman Sail with an impressive list of achievements to help accelerate the initiative’s three key objectives: to use the power of sport to contribute to the development of the Omani people; grow the marine leisure tourist industry and brand the Sultanate internationally as a high end tourism and inward investment destination.
At the Tour de France a la Voile prize giving in Marseille on Sunday, Oman Sail, the organisers of EFG Bank Sailing Arabia – The Tour, presented the winner of the Tour de France a la Voile, Groupama, with an entry to the next edition of Arabia’s no.1 offshore yachting event in February 2014.
Oman Sail has launched a Ramadan Month of Learning focussing on better performance, results and professionalism in the workplace for 73 of its Omani employees as part of the company’s staff career development programme.
The mixed professional and Omani trainee crew onboard the Team Oman Sail M34 raced valiantly against some of the world’s greatest offshore champions in the shape of Groupama, Courrier Dunkerque, Bretagne Credit Mutuel Elite and Sodebo to finish fifth overall in what has been an incredibly tough 36th edition of the Tour de France a la Voile!
Oman Sail, the national initiative that uses the power of sport to contribute to the development of the Omani people, has announced a partnership with Technogym, the wellness company, as the official provider of gym equipment at two of its sailing schools.
Leigh McMillan’s knack of staying calm under intense pressure proved key for The Wave, Muscat in being crowned champions of the Extreme Sailing Series Act 5 in Porto for the second consecutive year and returning to the top of the overall leaderboard.
The Wave, Muscat held their position in tricky conditions on the penultimate day of racing in the Extreme Sailing Series in Porto today and go into the final day of racing tomorrow with a 10 point overall lead.
Extreme Sailing Series defending champions The Wave, Muscat have been fending off a title challenge from Alinghi all season but the two boats raced cheek by jowl in Porto today with the Oman Sail boat retaining control at the top of the leaderboard.
The Wave, Muscat returned to winning ways in Porto today with four clean strikes to get their defence of the Extreme Sailing Series Porto crown off to a promising start despite technical issues that threatened to cloud their success.
After a 1,000km road trip from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, the Tour de France a la Voile resumed on Saturday and the mixed trainee Omani and professional European crew onboard the Team Oman Sail M34 came out fighting to score two second places in Roses, Spain, behind fleet leader Groupama, swiftly followed by a first place in the second race of the day on Monday in Gruissan - the team's second in port victory of the Tour!
Oman Sail’s Extreme 40 crew on The Wave, Muscat kick off their campaign in Porto knowing they have to regain their ‘sharpness’ for a successful defence of their Portuguese crown and the Extreme Sailing Series championship title.
Oman’s only sailor and two accompanying coaches participating in the 2013 ISAF Youth World Sailing Championships in Cyprus returned to the Sultanate on Saturday having enjoyed one of the best ever learning experiences at the highest level of competition.
As the Tour de France a la Voile fleet transfers overland from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean the mixed Omani trainee and professional crew onboard Team Oman Sail snatches a rare break from the intense offshore marathon before racing resumes in Roses, Spain, on the 20 July.
The response to the Oman Sail Summer Sailing Camps was so great this year that attendance targets were exceeded at all three sailing schools and at least 60 talented new sailors identified as having the potential to join the Oman Sail Youth Programme supported by Omantel and Oman Shipping Company.
The importance of good on board communication proved key to the performance of Oman Sail’s latest F18 pairing Musab Al Hadi (helm) and Hashim Al Rashdi (crew) at the 2013 Formula 18 World Championships in Italy this week.
Every second and every inch counts! This was the main lesson learned by Oman Sail’s spirited all-women crew on Al Thuraya Bank Muscat Team who made great strides in honing their racing skills at the J80 World Championships in Marseilles, France this week.