4th leg start… and re-start…
What a whirlwind… The fourth leg had a rather inauspicious beginning as we were shut out at the start and had to tack, bear away, gibe and start after behind most of the fleet. With a dying breeze, everyone drifted around until a few zephyrs re-emerged and got us going enough to all pile up after the first windward mark. Then, finally, the wind started to fill. We went right and shortly were one of the top four boats heading up the coast of the UAE. Max wind forecast for the leg was 14 knots. Instead we were smashed up the coast in 25 knots on the nose, tacking up and into the Strait of Hormuz. The GOOD news about that is that it kept us on the beach, in lifts along the shore and well inside the 10 nautical mile limit set by the race committee. The BAD news was that there were BIG waves and it turned into a very cold and wet leg. We moved up to second in the big breeze!
From 2nd in big breeze to dodging cliffs in no wind…
After the rounding top gate the course allowed us to go inside some islands on the northeastern part of the Oman. This kept us inside and well away from any potential trouble with Iranians or pirates. We rounded the top mark in the middle of the night – complete inky blackness. One of the waypoints we had to cross was a 400 meter hole between two jagged cliffs. At that exact point, the wind completely shut off giving us a period of ‘high anxiety’ as the current washed us towards the wave shattering rocks. Fortunately, we finally made it out of that vortice. Having lost two boats in that black hole we put a spinnaker up and headed down towards Dibba. When the sun rose, the fleet was flip flopped with some new teams ahead of us in the mix, like Team Bahrain, and a top team like BAE behind. Clearly others had struggled that night as well. We ended the leg in 6th – Very frustrating after our earlier big-breeze success.
5-Star accommodations (almost) make up for a disappointing finish…
Upon our arrival, we found ourselves staying at the Six Senses at Zighy Bay Resort. They are very supportive of the women’s team and Dee had a previous good relationship with the resort. (Yay for Dee!!!!) The resort has been in a word- AMAZING. Extraordinarily gracious & helpful staff and outstanding accommodations outstanding- including our own infinity pool were only eclipsed by the FOOD!. I’m eating like every meal is my last one for the month (and the pants are definitely tighter!). This simple, restful elegant ambiance is washing away the wear and tear of the last leg. The only problem of course will be prying us out of here tomorrow!
Undersecretary at the Ministry of Tourism gives prizes on the beach…
The resort hosted the prize giving on the beach (see pictures) and the owner of the resort and the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism were there on hand to support the event. The Undersecretary was particularly interested in meeting the women’s team and we were able to take a picture with her. A wonderful honor.
