Sailing Arabia The Tour – Interview with Daniel Souben

by Tanguy Blondel on 3 Feb 2012 Sailing Arabia - The Tour 2012 is an international regatta organised by Oman Sail which is being held from 12 to 27 February. The Courrier Dunkerque team will take off for Arabia and Bahrain on 7 February 2012. On 12 February, they will take the start of the event, a race split into legs, aboard a Farr 30 in the colours of the Urban community of Dunkirk, Veolia Environnement and the Dunes of Flanders.

Interview with Daniel Souben, skipper of Dunkerque Plaisance:

What is the reasoning behind your participation in Sailing Arabia – The Tour?
It’s an event which follows the same format as the Tour de France à la Voile so it will enable us to prepare for the latter. Sailing Arabia – The Tour will improve the scope of our winter preparation in terms of both quality and quantity. Following that, at the end of Sailing Arabia – The Tour, we’re going to deliver the Farr 30 Courrier Dunkerque to the Sultanate of Oman. This will be the last time we sail aboard this boat, which has given us a huge amount of enjoyment, including two Tour de France à la Voile victories, some French Champion titles and a World Champion title.

Could you present this competition to us and discuss its appeal in terms of navigation?
We’re going to discover some new waters with the Persian Gulf, the passage through the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. We’re not going to encounter strong conditions but the sailing will be difficult in the light airs and the medium breeze, along what are often steep-sided desert coastlines. Added to that there will be various obstacles to negotiate like gas terminals, oil tankers and a lot of shipping. As far as the rest of it goes, it’s about the same as it is on the Tour de France, with different legs and close-contact racing.

You’re going to be up against Bertrand Pacé again on the Sailing Arabia - The Tour, so there’s the prospect of an almighty duel, isn’t there?
We’re delighted to be doing battle with Bertrand Pacé’s crew again. We’re out for revenge following his victory in the last Tour de France à la Voile. We’re also very much counting on coming up against them in the next Tour de France à la Voile too, the start of which will be given on 29 June, in the Urban community of Dunkirk. I think that Cédric Pouligny’s crew will be another formidable adversary too.

The Competitors: Around ten crews expected – Definitive list due out over the coming days.
1 - Royal Navy of Oman (Oman) - Skipper: TBC
2 - Renaissance (Oman) – Skipper: Ahmed Al Mamari, 90% Omani crew
3 - Commercial Bank (Qatar) – Skipper: Bertand Pacé
4 - BAE Systems (Oman) – Skipper: Cédric Pouligny, mixed French/Omani TFV crew
5 - Bank Muscat, Al Thuraya (Oman) – Skipper: Dee Caffari, 100% female crew
6 – Bahrain: Confirmed. Crew to be specified
7 - The Wave, Muscat (Oman) – Skipper: Mohsin Busaidi, 100% Omani crew
8 - Zein Telecom (Kuwait) – Skipper: Robin Elsy, crew of English youngsters and members of the British Keelboat Academy
9 - Courrier Dunkerque (France) – Skipper: Daniel Souben, 100% French crew
10 - Dubai: TBC
Team Courrier Dunkerque Sailing Arabia - The Tour website