Sixth GCC Sailing Championships - The final day

by Icarus Sailing on 16 Mar 2014 On the final day of the Sixth GCC Sailing Championship the weather in the Gulf was hot with light winds. The athletes enjoyed the sunshine while they waited for an hour for the wind to fill in.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, sailing championship is one of the most important events in the region, aiming to give all the young sailors here good competition and a great chance to make friends and build relationships with their counterparts in other countries. And, as they say, the best practice for competition is competition itself.

In the Laser Standard class Bahraini Al Koheji has more experience than most in this category, and he did score a bullet in race eight. But it wasn't enough, because local Qatari sailor Al Sharshani put in the most consistent set of results throughout, the key to winning regattas. And this is Sharshani’s sixth victory in the GCC, so a talent to watch out for.

In the Laser Radial Kuwaiti Ali Buhamad was on form with his battle against Qatari Faris Al Bakri, winning race seven. But Al Bakri nailed race eight and race nine, which took him two points clear on the final leaderboard. Fantastic dueling between these two.

The battle for the Laser 4.7 podium was one of the most intense here in Qatar. Three countries placed in the top three. Omani sailor Khamis Alwaibi did his best winning race six, but Qatari Saleh Telfat finished the final race on equal points, and won on count-back, with five bullets compared to three. Saoud Alnaar from Bahrain came third.

In the biggest class, the Optimist, Abdulaziz Alsaib from Kuwait was on fire today, scoring another two bullets, making four out of eight races in total. But Alsaib had an eighth and a sixth on his scoreline, whereas Ahmed Almujaini from Oman scored a string of second and thirds to win overall by three points. Again, a perfect lesson that consistency, not race wins, gets you to the top spot overall.

In the Hobie 16s, the Omanis took first and second overall, Akram and Aziz Alwahaibi just pipping compatriots Musab Alhadi and Mohammed Alwaibi by one point. Mohanna Al Dooseri and Mustafa Janahi from Bahrain took third.

The closing ceremony and prize giving took place at the hotel next door, and the winners and the rest of the athletes enjoyed a grand finale.

So, the Sixth GCC Sailing Championship came to a successful end. All the athletes complimented the excellent accommodation and good atmosphere of this friendly event.

We hope to see you again next year for the Seventh GCC Sailing Championships.