Dubai: Adrian Lee’s Cookson 50, Lee Overlay Partners, has claimed line honours in record-breaking style for the IRC Racing Division in the 2013 Dubai to Muscat Race, sponsored by Xtra-Link.
The Irish canting keel racing yacht crossed the finish line at Muscat on Tuesday in a time of two days, 53 minutes and 40 seconds, a new course record for the 360-mile race.
Adrian Lee was full of praise for his crew after breaking the 13-year-old monohull record for the longest offshore yacht race in the Arab region.
“The crew have been absolutely first class; we have sailed together for many years and beating the course record is a very special moment for us. We think we have done well on handicap but we will just have to see how the competition does before we will really know. I think we made some excellent tactical decisions and, if we had to run the same race again, I doubt if we would have changed much. What has really surprised me about the race is the 30 knots of wind we experienced for most of yesterday. It was not forecast and seemed to just come from nowhere. The boat was sitting at 16 knots for long periods and flying down the beautiful Omani coastline was very special. We have received a very warm welcome at Bandar Al Rowdha Marina,” Lee said.
The 360-mile race is the longest offshore yacht race in the region and is organised by the United Arab Emirates Sailing and Rowing Federation in association with Oman’s Ministry of Sports Affairs.
For regular updates including satellite tracking of all of the yachts, visit www.xtra-link.com.
