Muscat: French team Beijaflore were today crowned the new champions of EFG Sailing Arabia — The Tour ending a four-year winning streak for rivals EFG Bank Monaco as the regatta came to a climax in Muscat, Oman. Valentin Bellet’s polished outfit took the spoils in the Gulf classic, revamped for 2018 to feature a fleet of super-fast Diam 24 trimarans doing battle in five long ‘coastal raids’ and five short, intense stadium race series at venues all over Oman. The new format demanded strength, skill and tenacity from the eight international crews competing for the coveted top spot while also showcasing Oman’s natural beauty.
Over the course of the 14 day-campaign Beijaflore were models of consistency, dominating three coastal raids plus the Salalah stadium racing. They won a quarter of the 19 individual stadium races held and finished in a podium position in all but seven races — an impressive scorecard as the team now turns its attention to the Tour Voile, the highlight of the Diam 24 season. Thierry Douillard’s EFG Bank Monaco, winners of every EFG Sailing Arabia — The Tour since 2013, took the runners-up spot with five individual race wins and two coastal raid victories.
Third place went to Averda, led by British two-time Olympian Stevie Morrison. “The whole Beijaflore team is really happy to win EFG Sailing Arabia — The Tour,” said Beijaflore skipper Bellet, 26, from La Rochelle. “We came here wanting to win and we pulled it off. On paper we have a good advantage but the reality is that on the water it was very close between all the teams. “We have a very good team, we were well prepared, we fought for every place in every race. This is ultimately what made the difference.
“This event has been fantastic training for the Tour Voile — in France now it is very cold and we can’t sail very often but here it’s possible to race every day against some of the top teams and discover this beautiful country. It’s the perfect preparation for us.” Buoyed by a third-place finish in the 2017 Tour Voile, Beijaflore set an early benchmark with victories in both the coastal raid and stadium racing in Salalah, adding to it with coastal raid wins in Duqm and Ras Al Hadd. EFG Bank Monaco, meanwhile, started on the back foot with sixth in the Salalah stadium racing series.
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