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.

The Omani women sailors have come a LONG way… and want to keep sailing ☺

With only two legs left, talk and thoughts have turned towards the end and what happens next. Of course we want a good result but for the goal of the team and what it was meant to achieve, Al Thurya has been a success. The Omani women who have raced with us on this race have been exemplary and hard-working. They have shown that Arabic women can do this just as well as their male counterparts. The offshore coach asked the women what they wanted to do and they told him they wanted to continue to do MORE.

Moving on is a BIG step – training and sailing with men…

He wanted to know if they would want to train with the men’s team because currently there are not enough women to continue on with just a women’s boat- because we professionals will all go back to our corners of the world and our lives despite them wanting us to stay and continue on this journey with them. It is heartening to see how they have the respect and camaraderie with the Omani male sailors – they have trained in the gym together and now raced on the same sea in harsh conditions. There is a real mutual respect that comes with sharing these experiences. The girls seemed really open to that concept.

However, when the coach (who is British I might add) started to inquire about sailing offshore with men, there was some balking. One of the sailors expressed concerns about pushing too hard and trying to change culture too fast. Heck, even westerners wonder about mixed teams offshore because although it seems simple to athletes, the idea of living in close proximity with the other sex makes some wonder. If you have ever bashed around in big waves and pulled sails down in forty knots with walls of seawater trying to wash you down the boat, you would realize that there is nothing to worry about because  it’s like climbing Everest, but for some they see it like a Mediterranean cruise where it is all fun and potential trouble. [Read more…]

Fight to the finish – it’s anyone’s game

The race from to Abu Dhabi was long, most of it upwind. The good news was our speed was generally good, until we took on massive amounts of weed in the night. Lost some places there, but after a back down, it was time to start chipping away and hunt our competitors. Our work paid off.  After we rounded some islands and the morning light came through, we started identifying our near competitors, and we were in touch with the leaders. Going into the finish the wind got light and flukey, and it was a battle between us, Commercial Bank (helmed by the renowned French sailor Bertrand pace), and Team Renaissance. It was a close finish!

Members of Team Renaissance and Bank Muscat

Task #1: Sail repair/replacement

In Abu Dhabi we had a day off to do laundry, personal time, etc… Dee and I went down to the boat to check on a few jobs. My mission was to either find a sail loft (to repair a fractional spinnaker we had blown up during the previous night’s fight to the finish) or to find a spare. Allegedly there were neither here, so I was very concerned! But I finally found  ONE spare spinnaker for the fleet, which we now have. Sadly, it is a runner fractional, which means the shape is not as good as other teams. Alas, at least we have one. [Read more…]

Tight in-port racing

After a huge welcome barbeque last night, today was tight in-port racing. It was held just outside the yacht club in a very narrow patch of water, with the committee boat moored about 150 feet from rocks where we started!  The race was two laps of up/downs and with docks on one side of the course, sand spits/shore on the other side, and a top mark all of 50 feet from the shore.  The action was fast and furious!

We ended up third overall, which was terrific, but (more importantly) with no damage!  Such tight action can result in boats colliding, and today was no exception. Luckily, we were able to avoid that calamity and are ready to go for tomorrow.

Potential danger in the Strait of Hormuz

It is the leg that takes us from RAK up through the rest of the Persian Gulf and the coast of the UAE, around the top through the Strait of Hormuz (between Iran and Oman) and down the other side into Dibba, Oman into the Gulf of Oman.

According to World Atlas, the Strait of Hormuz,” The narrow Strait of Hormuz is considered one of the most, if not the most strategic strait of water on the planet. Through its waters, in giant ocean-going tankers, passes much of the oil from Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “

One only has to read CNN in the last year to know that there has been a great deal of action going on in the Strait, with Iran rattling its saber threatening to close the strait, while western forces (very much including the U.S.A. with our air-craft carrier) are here to make sure that doesn’t happen.  I know our guys are in the area, and  it sure makes me feel better. (Continue reading at CNN: Meet the U.S. ‘Top Guns’ with eyes on Iran here…)

Racing within the safety zone

Oman has relations with Iran and has been in contact with them regarding this race. Provided our yachts do not cross into Iranian waters, we should all be fine and should have no safety concerns.  The fleet is required to stay within 10 nautical miles of the coast, which should ensure that we do not instigate an international incident. [Read more…]

Adventure: Mount Everest

During the in-port race, we were joined by Suzanne Al Houby, the first Arab woman to climb Mount Everest. The event was covered by The National:

via Arab mountaineer inspires Omani all-female crew to scale high point – The National.

When I asked Suzanne how her climbing adventure began, she said she came to a point in her life when she wondered if this was it?  She was married and had children but wanted to do something more. Suzanne went on her first climb in all the wrong gear.  She said  it was miserable, but she loved it.  And so her story began… 

Adventure: Sailing Arabia 2012

Later in the day I was talking with Raiya about her thoughts regarding her experience with Sailing Arabia 2012, and Raiya told me she loves it and wants to do more… Raiya shared that a journalist had asked her what was the point of it all was?  What would she do if she got engaged/married/had children? And,  why she wasn’t home taking care of her skin??? Raiya told me that she set the male journalist straight by telling him that many who loved her would support what she wanted to do in sailing  and that she could do both —  have a family/ life/career like the other professional sailers on board Al Thuraya.  Raiya said she also told the journalist she didn’t want to be at home worrying about her skin when she could be out sailing on the ocean!

I loved it, and I told her the best thing you can do for your skin is be happy!

Adventure: Teaching

A woman at the yacht club told us a story I would like to share with you. The woman is a teacher, and when she told her pupils here in  RAK about an all women’s team racing in the Sail Arabia Tour, the students didn’t believe her. They said, “Well, it is full of westerners.” The women told them, “No.  The boat has Omani women onboard.” The students still didn’t believe her. So, she had her class research our team on the internet. When the students found out their teacher was telling the truth, they were awestruck and so excited to learn that it was true. Omani women were doing it. and doing it well! They are now following our team and the race, and they are big fans!

Adventure: Volvo Ocean Race

My good friend and teammate from the Volvo Ocean Race 2002-2003, Emma Westmacott, has swapped in for Hannah Morris and will be sailing with us for the rest of the tour. Emma is a great addition to the team and brings incredible experience with her.

via Worth the effort for tired crews as Sailing Arabia reaches the capital – The National

The 296-kilometre leg, from Doha to Abu Dhabi, was the longest of the Tour, and unlike the downhill run from Manama to Doha in Leg 1, the fleet sailed in light to moderate headwinds and was obliged to navigate past oil rigs, no-sail zones and heavy shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Jean-Michel, the race director.

Raya Al Habsi, one of the four Omani women competing with Al Thuraya Bank Muscat, who finished fourth, said the leg was “tough” and described her all female crew as “pretty tired.”  Continue reading...

Hello from Doha!

Leg 1- a question of sail choice  

Well – it was a nice day of sailing from Bahrain to Qatar in the end. The day started quite early with an estimated 7:30 am start off the dock. The wind was forecast to be 25 knots from northwest and then drop throughout the day and go right. It did abate – but it didn’t go right as we thought. I am going to try my friend Jon Bilger’s site, PredictWind, tonight for tomorrow’s leg to Abu Dhabi.

The race started with a short upwind,then to a tight reach (where one had to decide between a fractional spinnaker and staying with a jib), then bearing away to a spinnaker to head across qatar and down the side to Doha. Unfortunately it turns out the fleet has been given different shaped fractional spinnakers- there are two types: a reaching flat one and a fatter, bigger one for downwind. We were given the latter which means it was not the good sail for that leg and explained why some got a jump out. There is no changing them (had I known I might have been able to ‘borrow’ one from one of the myriad good Farr 30 teams in U.S.). But you sail with whatcha got so it will be what it will be.

Ouch! First race lesson learned  

The Omani girls were naturally excited and nervous. Apparently so much so that Intesar did not bring her waterproof team issued jacket. That is akin to going hunting without bullets; running without shoes, or hockey without helmet and pads…I gave her a load of sh@$#t and then gave her mine to wear, put a jacket she borrowed off one of the non-sailors to try to protect too much water going down my neck. I thought my shoulders were going to bust that little purple jacket wide open- like the hulk. So if you see pictures of me wearing a purple jacket at the start- that is why! Some thought to let her learn her lesson and get wet, but the fact is if she’d got wet that early, she would become chilled and not very functional and then we would have a person down to manage instead of a crew member. I knew I was tough enough to handle being wet and I had a spare thermal top to change into if needed. Needless to say, I think the lesson was learned.

The Finish

We finished around ten at night, but the fleet had to wait for everyone to make the long motor in with escort vessels. The skyline was amazing- reminded me like Vegas! It took about an hour to get docked, then clear customs. Afterward the teams took buses Andre descended upon the hotel. Needless to say bed wasn’t achieved until after 1:30 am… Phew.

We finished fifth- middle of fleet within striking distance of 2-4 boats. Maybe one or two missed opportunities for a pass but otherwise we were all bunched pretty close. We were encouraged by our speed but it definitely highlighted areas to work on- one being communication. This is always ripe for improvement in any organization, but with a team of five nationalities it definitely is a top priority…

Day 2- racing in the harbor

Today was boat work and a short, for-fun race in the harbor. We treat these as opportunities to bring the reserves on and continue their training. It all is pretty loose so low stress. We took media onboard, furthering the global outreach of the story of the Omani women. Down at the harbor we saw men and women alike in full Arabic dress – covered and head dresses to boot, taking pictures of us and marveling at the women’s team. The message continues to be a fantastic one.

Good news is that the temperature had taken a noticeable turn for the warmer. We have entered med-Iike temperatures! Beautiful.

Tomorrow – the LONGEST leg- 296km dodging oil platforms!

Tomorrow takes us to Abu Dhabi- the longest leg I believe. There will be many oil platforms and various other obstructions to watch out for  as well as scoring gates where we could be finished if the wind dies. Interestingly I was told tonight that the organizers have set it up where they could stop a leg anytime, have all the boats then continue to motor on, then do a restart at any point if the wind picks up! I don’t know how that will work but it will be intriguing to see how that plays out.

Tomorrow off the dock at 9:30 am. Wish us luck!

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