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THE Bahrain national sailing team will be embarking on its first 1,408km off-shore yacht race to Oman and competing against the region’s top sailors, writes Mai Al Khatib.
Organised by Oman Sail, the second edition of Sailing Arabia- The Tour (SATT) will feature nine teams casting off from Amwaj Marina on February 12 and visiting seven marinas on the way including Doha, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaima, Musandam and Mussanah, before finishing in Muscat 15 days later.
Over the five legs, the sailors will not only have to race off-shore overnight in Farr30 class boats but also take part in short, fast races in stop-over venues close to shore for the public to watch.
Bahrain’s team will feature 12 members including Shaikh Mohammed bin Daij Al Khalifa, a board member of the Bahrain Maritime Sports Association, who has also raced for Bahrain in the past, although he will only be participating in selected legs due to work-related issues.
He said: “I’d like to thank Oman Sail for organising the tour and bringing the neighbouring regions and their rich maritime heritage together through the revival of the modern sport of sailing.
“We would have loved to participate in SATT 2011 but it was short notice for us so we settled for watching it from the shore.
“This time around we are pleased to have an all-Bahraini-crewed team representing the kingdom, especially as it is the first time we have participated in an offshore race. However, we are all using the same boat so we have an equal opportunity.”
Veteran sailor and national team coach Qassim Abdul Razzaq will lead the squad. He has more than 30 years experience and is no stranger to competition having taken part in his first race in 1984.
He said being a part of SATT is a dream come true, adding: “To be honest our aim is to arrive safely to Oman and we will see how it goes leg by leg. Most of the sailors know the basics and are really good but we will only see where we stand once we reach our first destination in Qatar.
“Although we have never sailed in an off-shore competition, we are confident. What you need are good navigation skills and we are good at that.”
The Farr30 class boat will arrive on February 6 which will give the national team a chance to prepare although some members of the team are committed to compete in other races being held around the same time as the SATT event.
Mr Qassim added: “Some of our sailors will be participating in Sail the Gulf 2012 in The Qatar International Regatta from February 11 to 15 and the others will be competing in the 15th Asian Sailing Championship in Langkawi, Malaysia, from February 16 to 25.
“So the sailors going to Malaysia will start-off the race and when we reach Qatar the other sailors there will take over. The other skippers that will be sailing with me throughout are Ibrahim Abdulla and Sameer Showaiter.”
The rest of the squad is made up of Abdulaziz Al Mahmeed, Ayman Almoyad, Ahmed Alnaar, Mahmood Galib, Mohamed Ghalib, Abdulla Janahi, Mohamed Gharib and Muhanna Al Dosari.
Team Bahrain will go head-to-head with four teams from Oman, one of which boasts an all-female crew, as well as the Commercial Bank Group of Qatar, Team Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Team Ras Al Khaimah of UAE and the French team Courrier Dunkerque.
Visit www.sailingarabiathetour.com to follow Team Bahrain’s progress during SATT.
