After a long journey and having encountered many set backs and light winds, 12 boats across all categories made it to Muscat between Thursday and Friday and were celebrated today at a prize-giving ceremony at the Marina Bandar Al Rhowdha, in Oman. The winner of Class 1 was Yo! skippered by Mr. Toby O’Connell.
In its 14th year, the race keeps on growing in popularity with a record number of 27 participants and with 12 boats that managed the whole 360 nautical miles to Muscat. Other categories saw Duboats Lacel, Al Bashiq, an Omani boat, Skyrose and Susan Margaret for the Rally Class triumphant.
“For us they are all winners!” Comments David May, commodore of DOSC who saluted the winners and spared a thought for those who were forced to retire. “The weather conditions were extremely hard for sailing and many boats saw their efforts vanish against the strong currents, but we celebrate them all today for helping us making this race bigger and more successful than ever.”
Sponsored for the first year by i-mate, the race enjoyed more publicity and it is now competing on a world stage with other longstanding Sailing events. “It was great to be involved in this fantastic event that sees the UAE and Oman come together seamlessly to organise what has become one of the most important events in the local sporting calendar,” said Robin Bowler, i-mate™’s Global Marketing Director. “We want to congratulate all participants for their hard work and resilience.”
The race started on Monday 23rd October in Dubai with very light winds. Once they reached the Straits of Hormuz, the boats encountered very strong opposing currents that pushed them back and compelled 8 of them to abandon the race.
Jehad Abdullah Al Sheikh, Director of Sport Activities at the Ministry of Sport Affairs, Sultanate of Oman said: “We are happy to welcome all the participants here in Muscat. This year, more then ever the race was followed by many enthusiasts both in Oman and the UAE and allowed sailing to become front page news.”
All the winners:
Category Boat Skipper
Class 1 Yo! Toby O’Connell
Class 2 Duboats Lancel Christophe Vanek
Class 3 Al Bashiq Salem Al Jabri (Royal Navy Oman)
Class M Skyrose Matthew Grimley
Rally Class Suzanne Margaret Susan Warburton
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