Oman Sail squads gain valuable competition experience
Published: 04:07 PM,Jul 13,2022 | EDITED : 08:07 PM,Jul 13,2022
2022 Arkas Optimist World Championship
MUSCAT: Oman Sail’s elite sailing team and young Optimist squads have wrapped up campaigns in Europe, gaining valuable experience of high-level competition in new classes.
The team competing at the Marina MIlitare Nastro Rosa Tour 2022 in Italy had to contend with low wind and technical issues throughout the competition which impacted several stages, finishing tenth in a close-fought lower half of the fleet.
Meanwhile, the team of five Oman Sail Optimist sailors also encountered tough conditions in Bodrum, Türkiye, at the 2022 Arkas Optimist World Championships, finishing in the lower half of a very strong fleet.
The Marina MIlitare Nastro Rosa Tour squad of Akram al Wahaibi, Ibtisam al Salmi, Sultan al Balushi, Ali al Balushi and Abdulmajeed al Hadhrami were on board the Beneteau Figaro 3 class of foil-assisted racing yacht for the very first time while also competing in wing foil and kite regattas simultaneously.
The Tour began in Genoa in Northern Italy and headed south, to Sicily and around the Mediterranean Coastline before heading north to Venice where racing concluded.
Ibtisam al Salmi said, “This has been a tough event but very enjoyable. We have learned a lot as a team and been able to gain experience on another new class. Despite the difficult weather and technical problems, we have enjoyed our time here and gained a great introduction to this type of race. Adding in the Wing Foil and Waszp for the first time made this an interesting tour for the whole team and we look forward to returning next year and continuing our journey.”
The youth sailing team joined 286 sailors representing 62 countries at the B. B. Bodrum Sailing Club for the 2022 Arkas Optimist World Championships. Early races were challenging due shifting winds and the team struggled to recover after a slow start while the leaders also toiled in low wind.
Mohammed Abdullatif finished highest overall, placing 50th in the last race. The rest of Oman Sail’s sailors found themselves in the Emerald Fleet for the final races where Tamim al Balushi finished 38th, Firas Said finished 49th, Abdulrahman al Hadi finished 59th and Hasan al Wahaibi ended the championships in 60th.
Mohsin al Busaidy, Oman Sail’s Head of Youth Sailing Pathway, said, “This was a tough competition for our team against some of the very best Optimist sailors in the world. Together with coach Suhail al Mayahi and team lead Abdulaziz al Shidi, we have worked with the team to prepare for the championships and will continue our work with more competitions on the horizon. This has been a valuable learning experience for us all and will help us to perform at a higher level in the future.”
The team now moves on to Sonderborg, Denmark, for the Optimist European Championships from 30 July-6 August.
The team competing at the Marina MIlitare Nastro Rosa Tour 2022 in Italy had to contend with low wind and technical issues throughout the competition which impacted several stages, finishing tenth in a close-fought lower half of the fleet.
Meanwhile, the team of five Oman Sail Optimist sailors also encountered tough conditions in Bodrum, Türkiye, at the 2022 Arkas Optimist World Championships, finishing in the lower half of a very strong fleet.
The Marina MIlitare Nastro Rosa Tour squad of Akram al Wahaibi, Ibtisam al Salmi, Sultan al Balushi, Ali al Balushi and Abdulmajeed al Hadhrami were on board the Beneteau Figaro 3 class of foil-assisted racing yacht for the very first time while also competing in wing foil and kite regattas simultaneously.
The Tour began in Genoa in Northern Italy and headed south, to Sicily and around the Mediterranean Coastline before heading north to Venice where racing concluded.
Ibtisam al Salmi said, “This has been a tough event but very enjoyable. We have learned a lot as a team and been able to gain experience on another new class. Despite the difficult weather and technical problems, we have enjoyed our time here and gained a great introduction to this type of race. Adding in the Wing Foil and Waszp for the first time made this an interesting tour for the whole team and we look forward to returning next year and continuing our journey.”
The youth sailing team joined 286 sailors representing 62 countries at the B. B. Bodrum Sailing Club for the 2022 Arkas Optimist World Championships. Early races were challenging due shifting winds and the team struggled to recover after a slow start while the leaders also toiled in low wind.
Mohammed Abdullatif finished highest overall, placing 50th in the last race. The rest of Oman Sail’s sailors found themselves in the Emerald Fleet for the final races where Tamim al Balushi finished 38th, Firas Said finished 49th, Abdulrahman al Hadi finished 59th and Hasan al Wahaibi ended the championships in 60th.
Mohsin al Busaidy, Oman Sail’s Head of Youth Sailing Pathway, said, “This was a tough competition for our team against some of the very best Optimist sailors in the world. Together with coach Suhail al Mayahi and team lead Abdulaziz al Shidi, we have worked with the team to prepare for the championships and will continue our work with more competitions on the horizon. This has been a valuable learning experience for us all and will help us to perform at a higher level in the future.”
The team now moves on to Sonderborg, Denmark, for the Optimist European Championships from 30 July-6 August.