Giant swell and light winds challenge Weta sailors at Muscat Regatta

by Brett Hall on 22 Jan 2014
Muscat, in the Sultanate of Oman, is making big strides to bring it and the region onto the world sailing stage.

Brett Hall reports on the recent 2014 Muscat Regatta in which several Wetas competed. Close to 1000 of the 16ft Weta trimarans have been sold internationally, with a fleet now established in Oman. He writes:

We had four of the five Muscat Wetas on the water at the 2014 Muscat Regatta.

All the Wetas sailed double handed both days. The sea state was huge, with a large rolling swell on first day, with the occasional 6-8ft'er to contend with.

The pictures don't do it justice as they only picked the shots when boats are visible on the crests and others were taken from the vantage of a flybridge 12ft above the mean sea level.

At sea level we regularly saw the Lasers disappear up to the first baton. 6 score keepers and helpers on committee boats were sea sick with a couple needing evacuation to land.

We learned how big waves mess up a start line when you only have six knots of wind speed and those giant swells can shift you sideways 2 metres per gulp on the beat through the start line.

The second day was a bit easier with a light chop and up to 12 knots. Good time had by all, great close racing and fun times on the Click here for more photos and more info on the regatta

For more on the Weta click here