Please select your home edition
Edition
PredictWind - GO! exec 728x90 TOP

EFG Sailing The Tour 2014 - EFG Bank Monaco's excellent performance

by Oman Sail on 19 Feb 2014
Ras Al Khaimah In-Port racing - EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014 Lloyd Images
EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014 - Two firsts and a second place in yesterday’s gripping Inport races at Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club in Ras Al Khaimah was enough for Sidney Gavignet and team on EFG Bank (Monaco) to take the overall win.

The team, on EFG Bank (Monaco) were, once again, spot on identifying the shifts in race one, giving them an early advantage up the first beat of the tight, stadium-style course. In doing so, managed to keep Kay Heemskerk and Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft-Katie Pettibone and her all girl team on Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat, exactly where they wanted them, in second and third places respectively.


EFG Bank (Monaco) repeated their performance in race two with both Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft, and Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat challenging off the line but EFG Bank (Monaco) popped out in front again and led Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft by just five seconds at the finish.

All fired up for the final race of the day, Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat girls’ team, were neck and neck with Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft off the line. EFG Bank (Monaco) suffered an OCS [over the line at the start] but they were soon back in contention and managed to out-manoeuvre the girls for second place, while Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft took their first win of the day.


Having won all four offshore legs since the start of The Tour in Bahrain 10 days ago, Gavignet, skipper of EFG Bank (Monaco) was delighted to finally win the Inport races, something that has eluded the team so far this year. 'It was good fun sailing in a stadium like this and to win, but it really highlights the fact it is far from finished. We need to remain focused, continue to make progress, and keep enjoying it.

'Tomorrow’s offshore leg to Dibba will be tough. The challenge is not to be too tired because the race really starts once we are over the peninsula. With the wind coming over the mountains it will be very shifty and good tactics will come into play.'

Kay Heemskerk, skipper of Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft in second place in yesterday’s Inport races, said: 'The most important thing on these small courses is boat handling and keeping it as simple as possible. We all worked well, and are looking forward to today’s long leg to Dibba.


'This is the most beautiful leg of the tour and, unlike last year, we are hoping for a daylight rounding of the peninsular this time. It will be tough however, with loads of sail changes because we are sailing a lot of different angles.'

Chatting about the Inport race, and the 104-mile leg to Dibba, Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat’s skipper, Pettibone, commented: 'We had great day and good racing against EFG Bank (Monaco). Our teamwork is coming on, but this sort of short-sharp racing really highlights any weaknesses so we have a lot to work on, but it’s definitely going the right way.

'The next offshore leg is going to be downwind initially and obviously very complicated navigationally with a lot of land effects, it is a long leg, it is going to be a long overnight so we need to prepare mentally.'

The prizegiving ceremony for the Leg four and the Inport races took place in the delightful setting of Ras Al Khaimah at Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club. Competitors and guests were graced with the presence of Sheikh Mohammed bin Kayed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Ras Al Khaimah Department of Economic Development.

The teams are now preparing to leave the marina for Leg five of the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014, which starts at 1030 today.

This 104-nautical mile leg to Dibba is one of the most challenging and will take approximately 24 hours to complete, depending on the wind strength. This means that if the scheduled start time goes to plan, the estimated time of arrival in Dibba is between early-mid-morning on Thursday 20 February.
Event website: click here

 EFG Sailing Arabia -The Tour results 









For more information on the race please visit: www.sailingarabiathetour.com

Palm Beach Motor YachtsArmstrong 728x90 - Wing FG Board Range - BOTTOMMackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOM

Related Articles

2025 29er Europeans at Lake Garda Day 1
Five teams tied at the top Ikke Huber / Liam Berger (Switzerland) lead the charge after sweeping all 3 races in the Green fleet — an impressive perfect score of 2 points. Lucas & Moritz Hamm, the dynamic twin duo from Germany, matched their Swiss rivals with consistency and pace.
Posted on 3 Jul
Onboard reporters in the Course des Caps
Enjoying the challenge of bringing the race to life In the Course des Caps - Boulogne sur Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, the Onboard Reporters, or OBRs, are back doing a wonderful job of bringing IMOCA racing to life with pictures, videos, interviews and reports from the boats.
Posted on 3 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais Day 2
Consistent American Magic Quantum Racing move clear ahead American Magic Quantum Racing stepped three points clear at the top of the 2025 Rolex TP52 World Championship leaderboard today in Cascais, Portugal on the strength of a first and third from two breezy races.
Posted on 3 Jul
505 UK Nationals at Weymouth
Michael Sims and Carl Gibbon hold back Howie Hamlin and Andy Zinn Apart from one 'stumble' in Race 7, the two leading boats were almost invisibly tied together to the point that after 8 races, they were tied on points.
Posted on 3 Jul
Robert H. Tiedemann Classics Regatta concludes
A triumphant start to the Classic Yacht Challenge Series The 2025 Robert H. Tiedemann Classics Regatta, hosted by the New York Yacht Club, delivered a spectacular start to this year's Classic Yacht Challenge Series.
Posted on 3 Jul
Unforgettable Transatlantic Race 2025 finish
First to arrive was Ocean Fifty Calamity, co-skippered by Timo Tavio and Kimo Nordström. It was rush hour in Cowes on Day 15 of the west-to-east Transatlantic Race 2025, as boats crossed the finish line in Cowes within minutes of each other after an epic 3,000-mile battle for top honors in IRC 1.
Posted on 3 Jul
iQFOiL World Championships set to open in Aarhus
Olympic medalists and world-class riders gather in Denmark for the biggest iQFOiL event of the year. The stage is set in Aarhus for a spectacular week of high-speed sailing as the iQFOiL World Championships 2025 kick off on 4 July, bringing together over 200 of the world's best windsurfers from more than 40 nations.
Posted on 3 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe to showcase new race tracker
Developed with PredictWind to revolutionise race coverage The Ocean Race, often described as the toughest test of a team in sport and widely recognised as a leader in impactful ocean health initiatives, and PredictWind, a global leader in marine weather forecasting, are collaborating on a new race tracker.
Posted on 3 Jul
Oliver Heer confirms 2028 Vendée Globe ambition
The Swiss skipper aims to return for the 2028 edition of the legendary solo race with a newer boat After completing the Vendée Globe 2024 on his first attempt, Oliver Heer, the Swiss-German skipper of Tut gut Sailing, has confirmed his intention to return for the 2028 edition of the legendary solo race.
Posted on 3 Jul
SailingFast to provide unrivalled event support
During the WASZP Games at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy SailingFast UK is set to land in Weymouth on the 8th of July and will be on-site until the 26th of July to provide the GOLD STANDARD in event support.
Posted on 3 Jul