Averda, TU Delft on top

Dubai - Nine-team 2016 EFG Sailing Arabia starts at the Palm Jumeirah Marina

 Marcel Herrera skippered Team Averda, 2015 runners-up from the UK, and Dutch entry TU Delft Challenge, captained by Wouter Sonnema, won the first and second races in the inport phase of the nine-team 2016 EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour (SATT), at the Palm Jumeirah Marina.
All the teams will race in one-design Farr 30 boats, and the crews represent Oman, Kuwait, Germany, Great Britain, Monaco, the Netherlands and Switzerland in the event scheduled to take place from February 14-29.
In the first of three in port racing rounds over the next two weeks, the fleet for the sixth chapter of the event covering a total of 746 nautical miles, chased early points with Team Bienne Voile skippered by Lorenz Mueller (Switzerland), Martin Felgenhauer's Mangold (Germany) and Team Zain (Kuwait) skippered by Cedric Pouligny starting the regatta in earnest at the Marina. Later in the evening after the third inport leg, the fleet was to sail on its first leg to Abu Dhabi.
"We got together four days ago and being new to each other we had to get into practice rounds as many times as possible before today's opening inport round before sailing fir Abu Dhabi," said Herrera.
His crew is made up of young hands from the UK and Ireland namely Rob Gullan (helm), Rich Mason (mainsheet and tactics), Andrew Baker (upwind trim), Rob Bunce (downwind trim) and James Dodd (bowman). Herrera's roles lie in pit duties apart from being overall in-charge.
"The first inport went so smoothly for us but things change with so many factors coming into play. The second race too went smoothly but we had to negotiate more challenging changes in steering and race tactics," Gullan said.
Champs for the past two chapters EFG Bank Monaco are the pre-event favourites though French skipper Sidney Gavignet and his newly-assembled crew will have to work a lot harder to maintain their record in the championship.
"I think this might be the best EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour yet because the standard is higher and there are some very good teams this year who are bound to give us a run for our money," Gavignet told the media on the launch day for the event on Sunday at the same venue.
Almouj, one of the new Omani teams, skippered by Gilles Favennec, could spring a surprise in the three in port races in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha since they are talented and experienced short course campaigners.
Designed as a modern and elegant representation of maritime themes, the trophy will be awarded annually to the EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour winner and kept safely between events at Oman Sail's headquarters in Muscat.
The nine teams include the all women's crew Oman Airports-Al Thuraya Women's Team (Oman), skippered by Dee Caffari and Renaissance Services, with Oman's most celebrated sailing stars and world-record breakers Fahad Al Hasni and Sami Al Shukaily leading from the front along with the formidable Nasser Al Mashari, who was on the Omani team that recently won the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series in Sydney, Australia.
David Graham, CEO, Oman Sailing, the pioneers in the GCC-based Arabian themed series, said: "The is year the event take a new turn with many more challenges on the teams in terms of weather and racing conditions. One of the major objectives is to let the world know of Oman's rich sailing heritage and also to promote the sultanate as a tourist destination."
Salma Al Hashmi, Marketing and Events director told media: "Oman Sail created this event to give sailing a new home in the Gulf, to show the capability of the region as a world class host, to reconnect local sailors with their maritime history and to provide international sailors with an alternative training destination during the cold European winters."
"With the continued support of our partners, EFG International, who themselves have a strong affinity with sailing, The Tour has grown into a firm favourite of the sailors, many of whom return year after year. From humble beginnings as a training event ahead of more established summer campaigns, EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour has forged a reputation as the pre-eminent racing tour in the region and a fixture in the winter sailing calendar."
From Dubai, the regatta moves on to Abu Dhabi and then to Doha, Khasab, Sohar and finally Muscat. The championship is the Gulf region's only long distance offshore sailing event.
moni@khaleejtimes.com