Archives for February 2012

Al Thuraya Bank Muscat in leg 3

Al Thuraya Bank Muscat from Oman Sail

Al Thuraya Bank Muscat from Oman Sail

Women choosing to live BIG!

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.

arab-mountaineer-inspires

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… 

Suzanne Al Houby and Katie Pettibone

Suzanne Al Houby and Katie Pettibone

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.

Women’s team finishes 4th in leg 2 of Sailing Arabia 2012

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...

worth-the-effort-for-tired-crews

Leg 1 & amp; Harbor Race — Tomorrow… 296 km Dodging Oil Platforms!

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!

Sent from my iPhone

Twit Pic of Al Thuraya Bank Muscat!

Catching Althuraya @BankMuscat_oman in Qatar’s water #sailingarabia twitter.com/OmanSail/statu…

— Oman Sail (@OmanSail) February 13, 2012