Please select your home edition
Edition
Vaikobi Custom Teamwear

EFG Sailing Arabia The Tour 2014 – Competitive Leg 4

by Oman Sail on 18 Feb 2014
Leg four from Dubai - RAK. EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014 Lloyd Images
EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014 overall series leader, Sidney Gavignet and team on EFG Bank (Monaco), won Leg four, from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah yesterday, despite being one of two teams over the line at the start.

However, it didn’t take too long for the seasoned professional team to re-compose itself and begin its assault on the leading position in this, the region’s the only long distance offshore sailing endurance race, which spans 760-nautical miles between Bahrain and Muscat.

Speaking after the leg from Dubai to RAK, Issa Al Ismaili, Director of Events for Oman Sail said: 'Leg four of EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour proved to be as competitive as ever with teams challenging each other for a podium finish.

This was a great pre cursor to an inport sailing where close teams are eager to put points between them in the standings. Every sailor has continued to grow over the course of the race and we’ve seen that as the finishes have been closer and closer,' Al Ismaili continued.


The team managed to wriggle its way through into the lead in the shifty conditions, leaving Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team skippered by Marcel Herrera, and initial race leader, Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft, skippered by Kay Heemskerk, in second and third places respectively.

Gavignet EFG Bank (Monaco) commented: 'We were over the line at the start, and the Navy over too, right next to us, to leeward. It was quite detrimental to us but we took some good shifts and pulled through.

'A key to our win was tweaking the rig. We have been working on the rig from the start of the series and we are now close to very good trim for this mainsail, which is a very positive point.

'It was also very important to be first at the first mark because from there on it was difficult to overtake. We had to play with a few fishing nets too in the latter stages of the race but managed them well. The fishermen came to us with a torch. In fact there seemed to be one fisherman per net which helped the fleet a lot.'


Heemskerk and Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft who won both Inport races in Abu Dhabi, sailed well off the startline and had good pace up the beat, however, 10 miles into the 46-mile race, fellow students on Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team, took the favoured left-hand side of the course and took the advantage. However, as they rounded the windward mark EFG Bank (Monaco) moved into the lead, a position she was never to relinquish.

Marcel Herrera commented: 'We were pleased with our speed. It was all about sail trim and adjusting in the rig because the wind was up and down and all over the place. We suffered with gear failure just after the start when the bottom of our mainsheet system jammed but once sorted we pulled through into the lead. Once EFG Bank (Monaco) had got through however, the leg to the finish became a procession so there was no chance to overtake.'

Heemskerk skipper of Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft, said: 'We led the first upwind beat but it was tough and difficult conditions because the wind picked up to 15-18kts. We picked up a good right shift and chose right but EFG and Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team went left, and it paid.'

The team is now preparing for the third Inport races in Ras Al Khaimah at Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club today. With two wins apiece in the Inport racing so far Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team, and Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft, are keen to repeat their performances, which means there’ll be no shortage of top level racing once again.

The short windward-leeward course will be set close to the shore, to allow spectators who have turned up at Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club for the event to see just how close and exciting EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014 really is.
The mix of offshore racing around the Gulf Peninsula and Inport Racing gives not only gives crews the opportunity to showcase their versatility on the racecourse, but also allows the region’s spectators and supporter to embrace EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour and everything it stands for, which is to encourage sailing across the GCC by showcasing local role models in a hope to motivate other youngsters into sailing in the future.

This event, which runs from February 9-24, is now in its fourth year and offers 15 days of intense sailing with a mix of inport and offshore races to test the skills of not only the region’s best sailing talent, but also a selection of elite world class sailors.

 EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour 2014 results







Rooster 2025Hyde Sails 2024 - One DesignSwitch One Design

Related Articles

Middle Sea Race set to attract exceptional fleet
Royal Malta YC has 118 entries already At midnight on Friday, 19 September the 46th Rolex Middle Sea Race had amassed a fleet of 118 yachts. The entrants represent 30 countries and territories: from Australia and New Zealand to Finland and Norway, and from the United States to Romania.
Posted today at 6:27 pm
52 Super Series 2025 Porto Cervo day 1
Solid Sled earn early lead in Sardinia Takashi Okura's Sled lead the 52 SUPER SERIES - Porto Cervo - Range Rover regatta after the first two windward leeward races.
Posted today at 6:10 pm
Melges 24 Worlds 2025 at Trieste, Italy Day 1
No racing possible on the first day Good things are worth waiting for, and that was the adage at the opening day of the Melges 24 Worlds, which ended without any races in the scoreline. The weather in Trieste proved too unstable, with storms in the morning followed by a lack of wind.
Posted today at 5:41 pm
Formula Kite Worlds Quartu Sant'Elena preview
9th Sardinia Grand Slam is the first major step towards Los Angeles 2028 Next September 28th to October 5th, the Poetto beach will host the event that crowns the new World Champions. Among the top contenders: Maeder, Vodišek, and Pianosi in the men's fleet; Nolot, Aldridge, and Kampman among women
Posted today at 5:14 pm
SailGP, TOR Europe, Women's Match Racing Worlds
Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity. Such was the case for the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank squad when they notched their first-ever SailGP event win at last weekend's Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix.
Posted today at 5:00 pm
Melges 15 Fittings Guide
A breakdown of the fittings based on a complete Allen Brothers fit-out If you are looking to upgrade or replace the hardware on your Melges 15, it helps to know exactly which fittings you need and what their role is on the boat.
Posted today at 7:30 am
Fortaleza World Sailing Championships announced
Test event in January 2026, and the real thing in January 2027 World Sailing has confirmed the dates for Fortaleza 2027 World Sailing Championships as 22-30 January 2027, with a Test Event being held one year prior.
Posted today at 6:40 am
All set in Trieste for the Melges 24 Worlds
Racing set to begin at Yacht Club Adriaco The countdown is nearly over. In just a few hours, the Yacht Club Adriaco will oversee the start of one of the most eagerly awaited international sailing events of the season.
Posted today at 4:41 am
2025 Six Metre World Championship Day 1
Wind gods fail to deliver in Oyster Bay, NY Sadly day one of the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (SCYC) proved to be a non-starter as the wind failed to make an appearance.
Posted today at 12:51 am
52 Super Series Porto Cervo practice race
The loss of the last 'dress rehearsal' is something of a disappointment Although there was just enough breeze to execute a couple of meaningful practice starts, the breeze dropped away and thereafter proved insufficient to allow the planned two short official practice races to be sailed today off Porto Cervo.
Posted on 22 Sep