Sailing Arabia The Tour

Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 2nd Edition

st Edition Sailing Arabia – The Tour

1

30 January - 13 February 2011

Currently in its 34th edition, the internationally renowned Tour de France à la Voile is one of the world’s most famous offshore sailing events. In early 2011 Oman Sail established a regional alternative, Sailing Arabia – The Tour, the first international sailing regatta that joined together the nations of the Gulf to race competitively around the region.

Teams from Bahrain, Qatar, Ras Al Khaimah and Oman fielded teams, the inclusion of the French crew on Team New Caledonia, who won last year’s Tour de France

02 // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 // 2nd Edition

à la Voile, bolstered the fleet and proved that the region has something great to offer the wider world of international sailing.

2nd Edition // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 //

03

2011 36 outstanding sailors 14 days 4 nations 6 boats 7 marinas visited 1st offshore sailing event in the GCC 1st offshore female sailor from the GCC 760 nautical miles (1408 Km) of sailing

Teams

Boats

Ports

Six teams participated in the first edition of Sailing Arabia – The Tour.

The Bahraini national Layla Mohsin on board Team GAC Pindar was also among the participating teams as the first and only offshore female sailor to take part in the race.

6 boats competed in the first edition, in identical 10-metre Farr 30 boats meaning that skill and teamwork were the most important factors, not boat design and engineering.

Marina Name

Marina Location

Amwaj Marina

Bahrain

Marina at The Pearl-Qatar

Qatar

Abu Dhabi International Marine Sport Club

Abu Dhabi

Team Name

Skipper Name

Skipper Nationality

Royal Yacht Club of Ras Al Khaimah

Ras Al Khaimah

Oman Sail’s Renaissance

Saleh Al Jabri

Omani

Marina at Six Senses Zighy Bay

Oman Oman Oman

Commercialbank Group

Cedric Pouligny

French

Marina at Al Mussanah Sports City

Royal Navy of Oman

Abdul Aziz Al Husaini

Omani

Marina at The Wave, Muscat

Team GAC Pindar

Peter Gronberg

Swedish

Team Ras Al Khaimah

Mark Feilberg

Australian

Team New Caledonia

Bertrand Pace & Vincent Portugal

French

Results At the end of each leg, the top three winners were awarded at a reception that was attended by officials and media representatives.

Final Positions

Team Name

Nation Represented

1st

Team New Caledonia

France

2nd

Oman Sail’s Renaissance

Oman

3rd

Commercialbank Group

Oman

4th

Team Ras Al Khaimah

UAE [Ras Al Khaimah]

5th

Royal Navy of Oman

Oman

6th

Team GAC Pindar

Bahrain

“The route passed great venues with stunning sailing in the middle of the European winter.

I hope to see many more teams participating next year.”

Peter Gronberg, Skipper, Team GAC Pindar - BAHRAIN

04 // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 // 2nd Edition

2nd Edition // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 //

05

2011

Print media overview by region

Oman

EAU

Bahreïn

Qatar

Media Figures The event attracted great interest from regional and local media who welcomed and supported the concept of engaging the GCC countries in a competition around the Gulf. The race was followed around the world, but principally in the GCC, France and the UK.

Number of Publications

6

16

Media Value Summary

TOTAL 39

8

9 Seamaster Sailing $261,116 Number of Articles

Total Value $30, 626 $54,926

GCC TV Media $326,476

15

TOTAL VALUE $1,595,462

35

GCC Print Media 1,007,870

TOTAL 233 151

06 // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 // 2nd Edition

TOTAL $1,007,870

32

$300,294

$622,024

2nd Edition // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 //

07

TV media overview by region

Oman

Channels

Pan Arab

Qatar

Coverage (mins)

6.00

2.30

“What a fantastic initiative by Oman Sail.

The course was great, the competition close and the camaraderie exceptional.

It was definitely one of the best tours I have participated in. I hope to return for the 2012 event and look forward to another fantastic two weeks of close racing on the Gulf.”

Mark Feilberg, Skipper, Team Ras Al Khaimah - UAE

1

2

TOTAL 4

48.00

TOTAL 56.30

1

Programmes

Value

$5,000 $14,000

2 2

16

TOTAL 20

08 // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 // 2nd Edition

$307k

TOTAL $326,000

2nd Edition // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 //

09

2

nd Edition Sailing Arabia – The Tour 12 February - 27 February 2012

Forward by Issa Al Ismaili, Events Director Our main objective is to promote one of the region’s fastest growing sports and reignite the rich maritime heritage of the region, as well as to showcase commercial opportunities in sponsorship engagement.

The 2011 edition of the Tour exceeded all expectations.

The fleet was competitive, the support from our sponsors and the officials in the GCC was invaluable and the route was spectacular.

10 // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 // 2nd Edition

“I can speak for the overwhelming majority of my colleagues, friends and opponents when I say, what a magnificent opportunity to visit 7 new cities, 4 countries and over 1000 nautical miles of varied and ever more beautiful landscape. And most importantly, what freshness to experience, first hand, the world-class organization on the part of Oman Sail, throughout every leg of the journey.”

Vincent Portugal, Team Manager & Skipper, Team New Caledonia - FRANCE

Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2011 was an event for Oman and the GCC to be proud of and we are fully geared for the second edition.

We are hoping that the 2012 event will be the start of a permanent fixture on the international sailing calendar.

2nd Edition // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 //

11

“Sailing Arabia – The Tour is one of the best events that I have competed in. This sailing event brought the GCC countries together through their maritime past. I look forward to next year's event and to sailing with a 100% Omani crew – I urge more local and GCC teams to participate next year.”

2012

Saleh Al Jabri, Skipper, Oman Sail's Renaissance - OMAN

The Teams After the great success of the 2011 event we aim to have 15 teams on the start line for 2012. With an existing fleet of six Farr 30 boats in the region and interests from European teams to join the 2012 edition, we believe we can achieve this target.

The sport of sailing and the related infrastructure is slowly being developed across many of the GCC states. With this in mind, a number of GCC states including the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have shown interest in chartering the existing boats in the region to participate with a team.

We are also working closely with international shipping agencies to provide cost effective solutions for interested teams to ship their boats from Europe to the region in order to take part in this unique event.

The Boats Due to the decision from the organizers of the Tour de France à la Voile to replace the Farr 30 with the M34 for this year's edition and a shortage of Farr 30 fleets in the Gulf, we will introduce entries for M34 as well as Farr 30 design boats in the second edition of Sailing Arabia – The Tour. Seeing these boats in action will offer a good platform for comparison, and should be quite interesting for sailing enthusiasts.

The shift to a two-design fleet for the Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 will also allow teams currently participating in the Tour de France à la Voile a chance to compete in the Gulf during Europe’s winter season.

12 // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 // 2nd Edition

Farr 30

M34

Length: 9.43m Width: 3.07m Height: 14m Weight: 2.05t Draft: 2.1m

Length: 10.34m Width: 2.98m Height: 16.36m Weight: 2.7t Draft: 1.8/2.5m

Design: Bruce Farr Design Crew: 7

Design: Joubert/Nivelt/Mercier Crew: 8

Sail Area Mainsail: 37 sqm Jib: 21 sqm Spinnaker: 89 sqm

Sail Area Mainsail: 42 sqm Jib: 29 sqm Spinnaker: 130 sqm

2nd Edition // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 //

13

2012 The Provisional Course

The Programme Outline

The route will traverse the Arabian Peninsula, starting from Manama, Bahrain and end in Muscat, Oman. The Tour will visit a total of seven marinas linked to some of the Gulf's most outstanding waterfront projects.

A programme outline to be developed and refined, is:

The second edition of Sailing Arabia – The Tour will be organized to allow more time for in-port racing and for event organizers to provide logistical services to teams while onshore. Many stopovers will also have an opportunity for event sponsors and team sponsors to engage and activate.

Days

The following table details the provisional route and distance:

Leg

1

Route

Manama – Doha

Distance KMS

Approx time in HRS at 4 Knots

Approx time in HRS at 5 Knots

Average Hours

241

32

26

29

Feb-12

Race Days

Activity

Location

Thursday

9

N/A

All teams in Bahrain - Registration/ Preparation

Manama, Bahrain

Friday

10

N/A

All teams in Bahrain - Teams Briefing & Dinner

Manama, Bahrain

Saturday

11

N/A

Skippers Briefing, Opening Ceremony & Press Conference

Manama, Bahrain

Sunday

12

1

Start of Race, Leg 1 Bahrain - Doha

Sailing

Monday

13

2

Arrive Doha, Qatar, End of Leg 1

Doha, Qatar

Tuesday

14

N/A

In-Port Racing, Prize Giving & Press Conference

Doha, Qatar

Wednesday

15

3

Start of Race, Leg 2 Doha - Abu Dhabi

Sailing

Thursday

16

4

Race - Sailing

Sailing

17

5

Arrive Abu Dhabi, UAE, End of Leg 2

Abu Dhabi, UAE

2

Doha – Abu Dhabi

296

40

32

36

Friday

3

Abu Dhabi – Ras Al Khaimah

232

31

25

28

Saturday

18

N/A

Rest

Abu Dhabi, UAE

4

Ras Al Khaimah – Musandam

278

37

30

34

Sunday

19

6

Musandam – Mussanah

278

37

30

34

In-Port Racing, Prize Giving & Start Leg 3 Abu Dhabi - Ras Al Khaimah

Sailing

5 6

Mussanah – Muscat

84

12

9

11

Monday

20

7

Arrive Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, End of Leg 3

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

Tuesday

21

N/A

In-Port Racing, Prize Giving & Press Conference

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

Wednesday

22

8

Start of Race, Leg 4 Ras Al Khaimah - Six Senses Zighy Bay

Sailing

Thursday

23

9

Arrive Dibba, Oman, End of Leg 4

Dibba, Oman

Friday

24

N/A

In Port Racing, Prize Giving & Press Conference

Dibba, Oman

Saturday

25

10

Start of Race, Leg 5 Six Senses Zighy Bay - Mussanah, Oman

Sailing

Sunday

26

11

Arrive Mussanah, Oman, End of Leg 5

Mussanah, Oman

Monday

27

12

Start of Race, Leg 6 Mussanah - Muscat & Closing Ceremony

Sailing & Finish in Muscat, Oman

Tuesday

28

N/A

Packing & Departures

Muscat, Oman

Wednesday

29

N/A

Packing & Departures

Muscat, Oman

MANAMA 1

RAS AL KHAIMAH

5

MUSANDAM

4

2

DOHA ABU DHABI

6

MUSSANAH

3 7

14 // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 // 2nd Edition

MUSCAT

2nd Edition // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 //

15

2012 The Women’s Boat A boat with a 100% female crew will be an exciting addition to Sailing Arabia – The Tour. Oman Sail is fully committed to supporting equality and diversity and are excited to contribute to the development of women in the sport of sailing.

“We are aiming to develop sailing as one of the fastest growing sports in the region. It is the strategy of the club to provide our support to make sailing events a success and, considering the tour includes ‘Arabia’, we aim to use this as a tool to show the brotherly relationship between other GCC and Arabian countries.”

Ahmad Thani Al Rumaithi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club

The boat will provide an incredibly powerful communications platform – it would catapult a brand into the headlines for all the right reasons, creating interest from regional and international media alike. A women’s boat will capture the imagination of a wide audience, generating stories from areas such as fashion, lifestyle, health and fitness and family.

16 // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 // 2nd Edition

2nd Edition // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 //

17

2012 Sponsors 2011 saw a number of high profile brands sponsor Sailing Arabia – The Tour to capitalise on the significant media coverage.

Some words from our sponsors

BAE Systems became the official Tour sponsor with Renaissance Services and Commercialbank Group sponsoring teams.

“Team Commercialbank Group’ consists of the Commercialbank of Qatar, National Bank of Oman and the UAE’s United Arab Bank. This regional sailing regatta is a reflection of our regional footprint and the way we diligently pursue our business goals through dedication and teamwork between the three banks in order to meet our collective customers’ cross border needs.

GAC logistics, Art Marine and Europcar became official suppliers of the Tour.

Sailors were treated to a spot of luxury at Six Senses Zighy Bay, who also supported the event.

A number of sponsorship opportunities exist for the 2012 edition.

Title sponsorship of the Tour is available offering naming rights and the highest profile branding opportunities.

Official sponsor and supplier packages are also available, as are individual team sponsorships.

The added benefits of sponsoring a boat in Sailing Arabia – The Tour is that we continue to support the vision of Qatar’s leaders for the nation to be a world-class sporting destination. By increasing the focus of the media attention towards sailing we are contributing to making the sport more accessible to the people of the region.”

Abduljalil Fard, EGM and Chief Strategic Client Officer Commercialbank

Sailing is about partnership, teamwork, and discipline, and so is banking. The bank and the young sailors share an unwavering commitment to excellence, a common pledge for success, and a joint vision and passion to win.

We are pleased and proud to support this inaugural edition of Sailing Arabia – The Tour. We thank Oman Sail for this excellent initiative across the Gulf. This is a great initiative towards reigniting the region’s rich maritime heritage, promoting one of the region’s fastest growing sports, and generating goodwill and a healthy spirit of competition among the GCC youth.”

Paul Trowbridge, CEO of United Arab Bank

“We are very excited to take part as a host in this race, which is not only connecting several countries, but is also a part of this region’s maritime heritage.”

Jaume Marco, General Manager Ronautica Middle East OMC, at The Pearl-Qatar

For more details please contact: Issa Al Ismaili, Oman Sail Events Director Email: Issa@omansail.com Mobile: +968 99849475

“Sponsoring this exciting event demonstrates the Bank’s commitment to the UAE vision of a fit and healthy young country. This important event endorses Gulf cooperation and is in line with our commitment to supporting the community and our proud nation.

“This race means a lot for the past and the present, especially for this Emirate and our strong ties to the sea and our seafaring traditions.

This race has been a great way to demonstrate that here in Al Hamra Marina we have the hotels, the experience and the facilities to host different races for many classes of boats and different types of sailing events.”

Sheikh Mohamed bin Saud Al Qasimi, Crown Prince of Ras Al Khaimah

18 // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 // 2nd Edition

2nd Edition // Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2012 //

19