Great sailing in Legs 3 & 4 – fast ride predicted for Leg 5

Sailing Arabia The Tour (SATT)  • 15 Days  •  8 Marinas  •  7 Legs  •  760 Nautical Miles

Leg 3: Podium again in Third place!

It was a 60-nautical mile sprint from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, and a close battle between us and the Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team for second place.  Although the Messe team managed to overtake us, and finish one minute ahead in second place, they certainly had to work for it! Read More.

Leg 4: Fifth place after gear failure…

The last bit into the finish line we had Huda and Khuloud trimming with Eptisom driving the boat, as we struggled with equipment problems. They were calling for us to hike hard when puffs hit, and they did a great job. My goal has always been to see improvement in every single day of racing and so far that has been achieved. I am really pleased with the progress of the team – all of us- because each of us always has room for improvement. That is the beauty of sailing, we are always learning. Read More.

Yesterday: Incredible short races…

The inport racing were action packed, while tucked in the little harbor by the yacht club in Ras Al Khaimah.

It was fun and we ended up third for the day, mixing it up with EFG Bank and  Delft. The Omani women had a ball, and were abuzz after! Every race they are growing as sailors. They are opening up to us as well, showing more and more personality that is even more fun. At the day’s awards ceremony, when we were called up on the podium, I was shaking hands with the dignitaries, including various sheiks. One of the sheiks pulled his hand back before I could do so. In our culture, it would be a gross insult, but in their culture – I was told – it was a sign of respect to his wife and to me. It is a reminder to not frame experiences simply in our own western frame of mind, but to be open that there are other ways out there. At any rate, I like having the Omani women up on the podium and helping them feel that they are equally deserving of standing up there strong and proud. Read More.

 

Well, here it is the day of the start around the Strait of Hormuz

Leg 5 of SATT includes strict limits about where we can go. We must stay close to shore in order not to wander into Iranian waters; dodging rocks and other military forbidden areas, as well as watching for smugglers and, of course, pirates. We leave RAK at 10 am and our next port is around the top down into Dibba, Oman. It is the second longest leg of the race. We will have Omani Naval Patrol with us along the way.

The forecast is for a fast leg. We will be downwind initially with spinnakers up, getting through the strait at sunset or just past. Doing so in the daylight will be VERY helpful. On the other side, it is forecast to be really windy. Up to 30 knots blast reaching. Wet and woolly. However, there are cliffs and mountainous regions to contend with, so some don’t believe we will get that wind. I am as adventurous as any, but I must admit a blast reach in 30 knots with fire hose effect is not making me super excited – EXCEPT for the effect of an early finish. We have a lot of fishing nets to contend with as we get towards Dibba, and sudden maneuvers in 30 knots are hairy.