Musandam-Oman Sail after Round Britain and Ireland Race course record
by Oman Sail on 13 Aug 2014
The Seven Star Round Britain and Ireland 2014, race start. Cowes. Isle of Wight. The Oman Sail MOD70 trimaran in action, skippered by Sidney Gavignet (FRA) Lloyd Images
Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race 2014 - The crew on the Musandam-Oman Sail trimaran are pulling out all the stops in their bid to set a new Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland course record but with 500 agonising miles still to go, their fate remains in the hands of the weather gods.
Since the start of the race on Monday, the breeze has been kind to them, propelling them around the 1800 nms course at an average speed of 25 knots which if they continue at the same pace, will see them smash the existing course record by more than three hours.
But co-skippers Sidney Gavignet and Damian Foxall were sounding cautious in their communications from the boat this morning as they flew down the west coast of Ireland at around 30 knots.
'We have a small inkling of an idea that it might be possible in a dream world to beat Banque Populaire 5 which is a trimaran twice our size,' said Foxall from Ireland.
'We are a few hours behind our ideal routing but we are still there and pushing hard. Unfortunately, we think it will slow down in the western approaches to the English Channel but we will have to see how the final day goes.
'People think we have a chance of breaking Banque Populaire’s course record – we will see. If all goes well and we don’t break anything onboard, we will certainly have a very good chance of breaking Groupama’s race record.'
The solo course record of 4 days, 15 hours, 9 minutes and 27 seconds was set by Gavignet in 2010, when he sailed the 105 foot trimaran Oman Air Majan single-handed. That record looks set to be annihilated.
The course record of 3 days, 3 hours, 49 minutes and 14 seconds was set by Loick Peyron on Banque Populaire 5 in 2011 and this morning, Musandam-Oman Sail were predicted to set a new time of 3 days 0 hours, 18 minutes and 9 seconds.
'We are blessed by the conditions, but I don’t think it will be enough to beat the blue giant Banque Populaire 5. You wouldn't know it on board though - we are still trying!' Gavignet added.
Already, it has been an incredible adventure for the six strong crew, half of whom are Omanis from the unique Oman Sail programme which uses the power of sport to promote the Sultanate of Oman, to contribute to its economy and to drive the personal development of its people.
At times, their boat has been racing in almost 40 knots of wind which has been a real adrenaline rush for all the crew but things have now eased and are set to ease further.
'Sailing in 30 knots of breeze feels slow now. It’s amazing what you get used to!' commented Gavignet.
'Our boys are still keen and strong - the fire hose spray makes it hard to look forward, but that doesn't stop them.
'Each time the helm calls for something, they are out of the caddy in seconds and ready to do whatever is needed.
'The level of rest is pretty good even if everyone was on deck to go around the Shetlands. We did lots of manoeuvres. We are pushing hard on deck then getting something to eat and quickly into our bunks. We are doing four on and two off with an hour’s standby - not doing a lot of sail changes but when we do, we get everyone on deck.
'Musandam-Oman Sail is a fantastic tool to 'educate' new offshore sailors: power, speed, apparent wind, all you need to train a big boat offshore sailor,' Gavignet said.
After sailing the boat so skilfully around the course, Musandam-Oman Sail is now being heralded by some of the world’s greatest sailors, including current course record holder Loick Peyron: 'Records are there to be broken and it would be an honour to be bettered by such a great team.' commented Peyron, by telephone to race organisers Royal Ocean Racing Club today.
Crew for the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race
• Sidney Gavignet (FRA) – skipper
• Damian Foxall (IRL)
• Jan Dekker (RSA)
• Sami Al Shukaili (OMA)
• Yassir Al Rahbi (OMA)
• Fahad Al Hasni (OMA)