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THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF OMAN SAIL
Mohsin + Mohammed battle hurricane force winds onboard Majan
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03. NATIONAL TEAM After several months of training, the Oman National Team is showing strong results.
04. EXTREME 40’S 24 world-class sailors came together one last time for the final leg of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series Asia, hosted in Oman.
08. EXTREME BEACH EVENT Muscat's first ever Extreme Beach Event offered something for all.
10. EXTREME COLOURING Over 2,000 school children entered the Extreme Colouring Competition.
12. TRY SAILING 225 children went sailing and judging by the laughter, all of them enjoyed their day on the water.
14. INDIAN OCEAN - 5 CAPES RACE Mohsin and Mohammed battle hurricane force winds onboard Majan in the Five Capes Indian Ocean race.
20. NEW RECRUITS The twelve new Oman Sail recruits have now been streamed according to their skills.
22. CLIPPER - ROUND THE WORLD Leg 5 is the longest leg of the Clipper Race 09-10 and takes teams across the Pacific Ocean.
24. JEWEL OF MUSCAT The journey so far…
28. LOOKING AHEAD
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Welcome I have not yet completed a full year in Oman and I am still finding that every month brings a new experience. If you are reading this from distant shores and have not had the opportunity to visit Oman I strongly urge you to do so. What an incredible country, especially during the winter months when the weather is perfection. My family and I have been making the most of our weekends and we have camped in the desert and on remote beaches, walked in the mountains and snorkeled and sailed in the Oman Sea. We can hardly believe the things we have encountered - camels, sea turtles, hundreds of dolphins, sharks (little friendly ones), stingrays, kingfishers, pelicans, cuttlefish, a multitude of beautifully colourful tropical fish and, most importantly, the courtesy, warmth and charm of the Omani people everywhere we go. However the wonders of my weekend activity pales in comparison to the achievements of Oman Sail in the first quarter of 2010. Here are just some of our highlights: • Mohammed al Alawi and Akram al Wahaibi won a bronze medal in the ‘Sail for Gulf’ regatta in Qatar sailing Hobie 16s. They raced against the stiffest of competition - many of whom will be competing in the Asian Beach Games in Oman later this year.
• The Extreme Sailing Series Asia finale was hosted in Oman for the first time and The Wave, Muscat proved itself to be an awesome venue and the Omani public got to witness the most exciting racing of the Series. The wind blew and the sun shone and the silverware remained on home shores - well done Nasser and Khamis. • Mohsin and Mohammed sailed the Southern Ocean in Oman’s 105ft trimaran, Majan. If you haven’t seen the footage of them sailing in 130 kph winds or Mohammed being taught to surf the big waves of the Southern Ocean you are missing out - join our facebook fanpage and see for yourself. • The Jewel of Muscat received an amazing welcome in Cochin, India. Well done to Saleh and his crew! Saleh told me the team really gelled and they had an incredible first leg. The boat proved to be very well built (congratulations Tom & team) and it reached a respectable 6 knots in 27 knots of breeze!
regatta which was a very memorable day; Omani youth who were all new to sailing, battled it out on the race track just outside the marina wall. It was a fantastic sight and highly competitive afternoon – we will tell you all about that in the next edition.
• Our new recruits have now been streamed into their varying disciplines, and by all accounts they are going to give some of the more experienced sailors a run for their money. And if all that wasn’t enough, as this goes to print we held our inaugural Sailing Schools
David Graham Chief Executive Officer
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Neil Coxon, Director of Training
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This is a massive step forward for the national team as many of the sailors they raced against will be competing in the Asian Beach Games in December.
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National Team After several months of training, the Oman National Team is showing strong results in regional competitions. During the recent 'Sail for Gulf' regatta, Omani sailors Mohammed Al Alawi and Akram Al Wahaibi took the bronze medal in the Hobie 16 class against a eet of 186 sailors from 28 nations. This is a massive step forward for the national team as many of the sailors they raced against will be competing in the Muscat Asian Beach Games in December. Both Mohammed and Akram will be
honoured later in the year by the Ministry of Sports in light of their achievement. In March, Nick Thompson, the world's number two Laser sailor visited the Oman Sailing School. His professional coaching was immeasurably valuable to the Omani Laser sailors vying for places on the Asian Beach Games team. In the lead up to the Asian Beach Games the Oman National Team will focus their training in regattas as far apart as Germany and China. WWW.OMANSAIL.COM 03
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1st - 5th Feb
2010
Nasser Al Mashari, Bowman, Masirah
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The pressure was intense. When Red Bull capsized in front of me I knew it was make or break for us.
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Extreme 40s in Muscat After racing hard in Hong Kong and Singapore, 24 world-class sailors came together one last time for the final leg of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series Asia, hosted in Oman. Healthy competition, near perfect sailing conditions and over 10,000 spectators gathered at The Wave, Muscat to support both Nasser Al Mashari (Masirah) and Khamis Al Anbouri (The Wave, Muscat) in the race for victory. Six Extreme 40 catamarans battled hard over 5 days of intense sailing.
Masirah's win in Muscat led them to become the overall series champions. The Wave, Muscat finished right behind them to take second. The final leg was a huge success and as the Asian tour comes to an end, the next begins. The Extreme Sailing Series Europe starts in earnest in May 2010 with the first event in Sète, France. Keep up to date with Nasser and Khamis on the Extreme Sailing Series Europe tour on Facebook.
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1st - 5th Feb
2010
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1st - 5th Feb
2010
Extreme Beach Event Muscat's first ever Extreme Beach Event offered something for all. From woodball to colouring competitions, face painting to extreme boat racing, it all took place in front of royalty, government statesmen and crowds of spectators. Over 60 five-a-side beach football teams, 10 beach volleyball teams and the Red Bull Street Style Competition gathered at Al Hail public beach next to The Wave, Muscat. Live coverage from HiFm and HalaFM added to the electric festival atmosphere.
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Extreme colouring Adding a splash of colour to the event, over 2,000 school children entered the Extreme Colouring Competition. Here is a small pick of our favourites.
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1. Rem Abdulla Ali Al Yahiay, Al Bustan School 2. Nawal Al Amri, 11, Al Bustan School 3. Malak Marhoon Al-Nabi, 12, Al Bustan School 4. Layan Said Al Nabhani, 7, Al Safwa School 5. Muara Al Wahaibi, 10, Al Bustan School 6. Samar Samir Al Busaidi, 15, Al Zahra School 7. Fadhila Hamid Al Dhamri, 11, Al Bustan School 8. Marwan Al Qassimi, 10, Al Bustan School
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1st - 5th Feb
2010
Try sailing While the excited crowd watched the Extreme 40s, the next generation was right behind them learning how to sail. The Try Sailing programme gave young children the opportunity to sail in the sheltered lagoon of The Wave, Muscat under the watchful eye of Oman Sail's instructors and support boats. Over two days, 225 children went sailing and judging by the laughter, all of them enjoyed their day on the water. As well as this event, an additional 90 Omani children came sailing in the southern town of Sur during the Oman LNG Festival. Nine Omani instructors traveled down with boats and set up on the beach to encourage participation - again, a huge success and one which will be repeated in the near future.
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In addition to the regular five schools who come to the Oman Sailing School on a weekly basis, the Sultan's Armed Forces have also tried sailing, as have some private companies such as Omran for corporate development days. We welcome everyone; to find out how you can get involved please contact Safiyasafiya@omansail.com
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Indian Ocean Five Capes Race On February 6th, Mohammed Al Ghailani, Mohsin Al Busaidi and the crew of Majan left the stunning backdrop of Oman behind them and set o on an epic voyage to pass the Five Capes of the Indian Ocean and experience some of the toughest conditions any sailor can face.
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Muscat
Cape Ras Al Hadd
Cape Comorin
Cape Piai
Cape Leeuwin Cape Agulhas
To enter our 5 Capes competitions and keep up with how we’re getting on during the Indian Ocean 5 Capes Race join us on Facebook www.facebook.com
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During such extreme conditions as the crew onboard Majan faced, they will have been so focused on self-preservation, the significance of their voyage will have been lost on them.The hurricane force winds they experienced in the Southern Indian Ocean has created a bond that will last for the rest of their lives. Crew Log: March 20th We sailed into the weather front, aiming for the eye of the depression in order to hitch a ride on the back of the storm. We had anticipated high winds and big waves but didn't bank on the storm force winds battering us for over eight hours.
After the worst had passed, Skipper Paul Standbridge said to Mohsin, “You can trust someone to give you back that tool you lent them, or not to divulge a secret, but to trust that person with your safety, your life, now that is true trust. I was happy to be sailing with you out of our comfort zone. I trusted you to watch my back and give us the support we needed for the task.” Mohsin beamed with pride as the gravity of what Paul, such an experienced and respected skipper, had said.
Cyclone Gelane image: NASA MODIS Rapid Response Team
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Mohammed Al Ghailani
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I’m filled with anticipation when I think of this journey into the depths of the Southern Ocean, but I am totally committed to it and will not give in to my fear.
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Mohsin + Mohammed battle hurricane force winds onboard Majan 18 MAKING WAVES - 1ST QUARTER NEWSLETTER
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I have experienced winds of 51 knots (95kph) but sailing in winds of over 70 knots (130kph) was an incredible experience! That is faster than the speed limit on any road in Oman! Mohsin Al Busaidi
Visit www.majan-a100.com for the latest news, competitions and images from the crew of Majan while they battle the seas in the Indian Ocean 5 Capes race. WWW.OMANSAIL.COM 19
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New recruits:
Building a team
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The twelve new Oman Sail recruits started their training at the beginning of January and have now been streamed according to their skills. Four new recruits will be trained as Oman Sailing School instructors. Three were chosen to sail alongside Extreme 40 Asian Series champion, Nasser Al Mashari, in the Tour de France Ă la Voile in July. One recruit has been chosen to train with Nasser and Khamis in the Extreme 40s and four will join the Laser team.
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Tour de France Ă la Voile:
Laser Team
Instructors
1. Abdullah Musallam Al Farsi 2. Yassir Salim Al Rahbi 3. Ali Hashim Al Balushi
1. 2. 3. 4.
1. 2. 3. 4.
Extreme 40
Ahmed Mohammed Al Mashari Ahmed Salim Al Wahaibi Suhail Al Mayahi Abdulaziz Humaid Al Mashari
Khalfan Humaid Al Athobi Ra'ad Khamis Al Hadi Hassen Khalifa Al Rahbi Adil Salim Al Wahaibi
1. Fahad Said Al Hasani
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kms and counting The Clipper Race is one of the world's toughest races and gives amateur crew members the chance to sail around the world. On identical yachts with qualified skippers to lead each team, two Omani sailors, Ahmed Al Maamari on the yacht Uniquely Singapore and Abdullah Al Busaidi on the yacht Qingdao, are developing their skills and becoming qualified ocean racing yachtsmen. They started in Hull, England, on the 13th September and expect to finish in the same port on the 17th July, by which time they will have sailed 40,000 miles across some of the world's most treacherous stretches of water.
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Leg 5 is the longest leg of the Clipper Race 09 -10 and takes teams across the Pacific Ocean, the biggest expanse of water on the planet. On the 2nd March, Abdullah and Ahmed left the Chinese city of Qingdao bound for San Francisco. The first few days were spent in idyllic conditions as the fleet of ten identical yachts sailed across the Yellow Sea towards the foot of Japan. Once they were out of the shadow of the island country, they found themselves at the mercy of the Pacific Ocean whilst heading towards the International Date Line.
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“It became impossible to stand up or sit down and even making a cup of sweet tea became incredibly challenging. When we were knocked over, everything that wasn't strapped down went flying. I hit my head quite badly but my training kicked in and it was great to be part of a team who embraced the conditions and made the best of it - our final result of third proves that.”
“The winds became so strong that at one point all the yachts were racing under 'bare poles', that is with no sails up, and still having trouble controlling them. During the storm I am sure my heart stopped more than once but it was an incredible learning experience and I now know that I can push myself harder and harder.” Abdullah Al Busaidi
Ahmed Al Maamari
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The Jewel of Muscat:
The journey so far…
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After a spectacular send o from Port Sultan Qaboos the Jewel of Muscat made stately progress on her journey across the Indian Ocean. Once the all important trade winds built momentum the Jewel of Muscat found herself moving at higher than anticipated speeds directly towards her ďŹ rst stopover port - Cochin, India.
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The Jewel of Muscat:
Coast in to Cochin On reaching the Indian coastline the crew of the Jewel of Muscat were welcomed by Indian navy boats and once in Cochin were welcomed as heroes. After the festivities the team took a scheduled three-week stop to replace the natural anti-foul on the hull and to undertake minor repairs to the masts before stocking up for her onward journey.
On the 9th April she set sail for her next port of call in Galle, Sri Lanka where she will have a short stopover. She will wait for the trade winds to shift in the direction of the Malacca Straits and the ďŹ nal destination of Singapore.
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Looking ahead to the next quarter Oman Sailing School
Majan
Clipper Race
On the 27th March, the first Sailing Schools regatta saw twenty students competing in front of hundreds of their class mates… A full report will be published in the next issue.
She will continue to establish times and routes for the Indian Ocean Five Capes Race and is expected to arrive home in Muscat in May. Her remaining route sees her stopping in Australia and Singapore and ticking off the final three capes of Leeuwin, Piai and Comorin.
Ahmed and Abdullah will be looking forward to putting the cold weather behind them as they sail down to the Caribbean and a summer crossing of the Atlantic. One of the most exciting stopovers will be in Cork, Ireland which will be hosting the welcome home celebration.
The Community Sailing Club is now open every thursday morning for students who have learnt to sail with us and wish to continue their development.
National Sailing Team The Laser and Hobie 16 teams will continue in their goal of medalling at the Asian Beach Games by taking part in regattas locally, regionally and internationally as well as training daily in their home waters off Muscat.
Jewel of Muscat A newly anti-fouled bottom and some crew changes will see the Jewel of Muscat in top shape as she leaves Cochin for a short hop and stopover in Galle, Sri Lanka before continuing her journey to Singapore via Georgetown and Malacca in Malaysia.
Follow us on facebook for the latest news, competitions and images from the crew of Majan while they battle the seas in the Indian Ocean 5 Capes race. www.facebook.com
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