Dubai: Record three-time winners and defending champions Bank Monaco had to settle for equal points with Al Mouj in the fourth and penultimate leg of the EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour, on Saturday.
Al Mouj shot out of the blocks as the eight-boat race set sail for Doha from Abu Dhabi on Thursday, and they still had a slim advantage before the wind dropped. Due to the lack of wind, officials split the leg into two parts worth equal points. The decision handed Al Mouj an early victory in the first part, with Bank Monaco and Renaissance coming second and third.
The second part of the race saw the wind pick up and Bank Monaco took the lead and stayed ahead until the end, with Al Mouj and Zain coming second and third.
Bank Monaco remain first overall followed by Al Mouj and Renaissance.
Al Mouj pipped Bank Monaco to victory in the opening leg from Muscat to Sohar, before Bank Monaco got back-to-back wins in the next two legs from Sohar to Khasab and Khasab to Abu Dhabi. Al Mouj had to settle for second in both legs. All eyes are now on the rivals ahead of the fifth, final and longest leg of the race from Doha to Dubai, which starts on Sunday.
“For sure we are paying more attention to Al Mouj than the other boats, it’s part of the game,” said Bank Monaco skipper Thierry Douillard. “They are fast and we’re both very close, so it’s going to be pretty tight.”
Sailing Arabia is a five-leg 763-nautical-mile race from Muscat to Dubai, via Sohar, Khasab, Abu Dhabi and Doha, with three in-port races in Muscat, Doha and Dubai, where teams can rack up bonus points. It started on February 14 and will end on March 1.
