Exciting Leg – Abu Dhabi crew airlifted after running aground!
Dubai-based Team AISM has claimed the second leg of the EFG Bank Sailing Arabia The Tour, following 18 hours of maximum exhilaration for the nine international and regional crews competing between Doha and Abu Dhabi.

At 159 miles, this leg from the Qatari capital, Doha, was the longest of SATT, the region’s only long distance offshore race. It was sailed in 20 knot northerlies, and for the crews competing aboard their one design 30ft yachts, it proved to be drama-laden with their boats pushed to the limit, resulting in numerous broaches in the brisk conditions, and an incident for the Abu Dhabi team who were airlifted after running aground! (read more)

Yet for the leaders that arrived into Abu Dhabi in swift succession just before dawn this morning it was smiles all round.

At the front of the fleet a cut-throat competition was going on between the three world-class heavyweights – the Bertrand Pacé-steered and Dubai-based AISM, SidneyGavignet’s team on EFG Bank (Monaco) and Cédric Pouligny on team BAE Systems. Gavignet’s team lost the lead when their yacht suffered problems with their electronics to be overtaken by Tuesday’s triple in-port race winner, AISM. Into Abu Dhabi Team AISM continued her winning streak, with Team BAE Systems second and EFG Bank (Monaco) dropping to third.

Al Thuraya Bank Muscat Team again claimed a respectable seventh out of the nine crews.
Go girls!

Sailing Arabia The Tour:
February 10-25 – 15 days, 4 countries, 8 ports of call and 760 nautical miles
…and we’re again making history, as SATT’s first and only Women’s Sailing Team!

Photos by Lloyd Images

Hello~
What a difference a year can make. Leaving Bahrain this year, the wind was glass. Last year, it was blowing dogs of chains, and we ended up delaying the start by a day. Not so this year.

Leaving port is always an exercise in complicated logistics with food and water being loaded, bags being packed and brought to where they need to be in order to make the next port, bringing a little bag of gear for the boat (very small duffle or even smaller), and then any last minute jobs related to setting the boat up for the strength of wind that day. This year there are only four coaches and six Omani girls- which means all are required to take on more jobs. Last year with their introduction into the race, the focus was simply training the four girls on sailing. The girls who were in last year’s program have made substantial strides in their progress. I have been impressed with their ongoing education on racing the boat. They are now being required to self manage their time in order to be in their designated locations. They are held accountable for lines that have been led incorrectly in the area where they do their position on the boat, even if it was someone else (always check your areas). They have been tasked with ensuring the food we prepare the night before (the team does food preparation together), makes it to the boat. Sunday morning dawned, and this shift overwhelmed them – they were late to the marina and were in a flap about the new responsibilities. This is part of the learning process, and in our debrief after the leg they seemed to have better understanding.

Following the opening ceremony, everyone headed to their boats and got ready to head out to the start. The start was postponed as the water was glass- no wind. We motored onward towards Qatar, and just before sunset, the race committee – overly optimistic – dropped a starting line. But with boats bobbing around in the sea, the call was to motor on towards the Fairway buoy, around the other side of Qatar to meet at 5:30 am. We motored all night, passing the massive Shell Oil natural gas plant with flames from their stacks lighting up the skyline. At 5:30 am there still was no wind, so the fleet continued to motor towards Doha in the morning. The water was crystal clear, and I saw a number of extremely large sea snakes! A meter long or so, yellow or brown and white spotted… it was jaw dropping. Makes one think twice about raising your hand to clear the keel, if something gets wrapped around it!

Eventually a nice little breeze came up and the race committee dropped a starting line and we raced into Doha. It was a one track race course- with no passing lanes. We took a risk and hugged the ocean side hoping for more breeze, but it was not to be. We ended up having to come down, and lost boats. This hurry up and wait, and motor, and then all of the sudden race was another interesting learning experience for the girls – an exercise in managing food and rest. None of them ate enough or drank enough – an ongoing work in progress. It was good for them to go through it, and see that this happens in sailing, because the wind is commanded by no person. As sailors, we all have to deal with what shows up.

Arrival in Qatar was fun in the daylight. Last year it was night when we came in. Upon arrival, we had to wait for customs to come down and clear us. They came down and checked our passports, and also went through our little gear bags.

After a good night’s sleep we had in-port racing today. It was a beautiful day of 11-14 knots. We had Al Jazeera put a camera on and then do interviews, follow us and then sail with us after racing. Absolutely terrific to have a news source doing a program on the team. They will air the program near the end of the tour, and will be sure to let us know when it is on.

Today’s racing was short course, day racing. Intense and fast. And racing with the caliber of the boats here is a tall order for the girls. They were game, and tried hard, but rounding the corners was a bit ropey. There is a lot of learning that will be such fun for them to achieve!

Off to a briefing for tomorrow’s leg to Abu Dhabi. Should be a fun sleigh ride across.

~Katie

Sailing Arabia The Tour:
February 10-25 – 15 days, 4 countries, 8 ports of call and 760 nautical miles
…and we’re again making history, as SATT’s first and only Women’s Sailing Team!

Photos by Lloyd Images

Sailing Arabia The Tour:
February 10-25 – 15 days, 4 countries, 8 ports of call and 760 nautical miles
…and we’re again making history, as SATT’s first and only Women’s Sailing Team!

Rising Tide Leadership Institute Ambassador, British yachtswoman Dee Caffari, is the returning skipper of Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat, once again sailed exclusively by women. Dee, the only woman to have sailed non-stop around the world singlehanded both eastabout and westabout, is joined by American round the world sailor, RTLI Ambassador Katie Pettibone. The Bank Muscat team includes six up and coming Omani female sailors, four of whom will be on board at any one time – comprising a 50% Omani crew. Because the women are smaller, they will race with eight onboard, while the men’s teams will be sailed by six or seven crew.

The first 100 mile leg of Sailing Arabia The Tour was yesterday, Bahrain to Doha. Over the course of Sunday afternoon and through the night the nine crews, taking part in the region’s only long distance offshore sailing race, were forced to use their engines, and spent most of the early hours of the morning waiting for the wind to materialize by the ‘Fairway’ mark, just off the northeast coast of Qatar. This lack of wind greatly restricted racing efforts. (Quite a contrast to last year’s 2012 SATT, when competitors at the start were buffeted by 30 knot winds.) Finally, at approximately 8:00 AM, the breeze began to fill in, and the Oman Sail Race Committee was able to set a 46 mile course towards Doha, south down Qatar’s east coast.

Dee shared, “It’s painful, but we’ve had a good sail at the end. The race director did well getting a race in. It was sheet glass the whole way and we waited four hours hanging around for daylight to see if we would race in a sea of glass. But eventually the wind came.”

The top three positions, with only a boat length between them, were BAE Systems (Oman), skippered by world-renowned Cedric Pouligny in first, EFG Bank (Monaco) skippered by Sidney Gavignet in second ,and the youthful team, Messe Frankfurt led by Marcel Herrera, came in third. Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat, the women’s team, came in seventh out of nine. Better luck in the next leg, as these women are extremely capable, winning the inshore regatta and placing second in the offshore regatta just a few months ago, November 2012.

Read more about Sailing Arabia The Tour and Follow Dee & Team on the second leg, beginning Wednesday, Qatar to Abu Dhabi.

Last day of prep ~ First leg to Doha in light wind…
It was a long day of heat, briefings and boat to-do lists getting checked off, as we prepared for tomorrow’s start of the first leg to Doha – Sailing Arabia The Tour! The weather looks light. Thank you to PredictWind – a fantastic weather routing program developed by Jon Bilger – for being a supporter of the women’s team over here in the Persian Gulf, and giving us access to this important tool. Weather information about what the wind is going to do, helps us make tough decisions when positioning ourselves against our competitors. Such positioning can allow a boat to sling-shot ahead or fall behind, by not catching the favorable puff/cloud. With our light forecast, it’s looking like mostly a spinnaker run. Depending on how light it is during the night, we may finish at an earlier mark than the finish line in Doha, and motor the rest of the way. This allows us to get to the harbor in time for other official commitments, prepare for the next leg, and race the in-port races.

Sailing in light wind takes patience, feel, tremendous concentration and experience. Although the Omani girls have sailed in a fair amount of light wind, they are still learning the nuances of what that means to do it successfully. Moving like a ghost on the boat so as not to disturb the speed, minor adjustments in the sail trim and where to position their body, is not second nature, so this will be difficult for them. Light air skills are hard to teach because the differences and benefits are so minute it is harder to measure, but pays off slowly but surely. However, the wind will be enough for the sails to fill, and keep us moving on a pleasant trip.

It is the beginning of what will be an incredibly busy two weeks! It will be an interesting journey, as the girls still have a long way to go. It will be a good test, as with 50% of them on the boat, they are going to be sailing the boat. They will have to perform, even if it means doing something for the first time, and under pressure.

Sailing Arabia The Tour: February 10-25 – 15 days, 4 countries, 8 ports of call and 760 nautical miles – and we’re again making history, as SATT’s first and only Women’s Sailing Team! Follow along with us!

~Katie