Racing cancelled at Extreme Sailing Series

Dubai: Strong winds continued to plague the UK round of the Extreme Sailing Series yesterday and, for the first time ever, in the five-year history of the Series, the decision was made to cancel the racing due to extreme weather conditions.

The break from racing means the leaderboard remains unchanged with Oman Sail's The Wave, Muscat in pole position, and Oman Air sitting in seventh place, with two more days of racing still planned.

With the winds peaking at 35 mph, the cancellation of the racing gave the eleven international teams a well earned break.

Nasser Al Mashari, Oman Air's bowman, commented: "It's frustrating to have the racing cancelled, but it was the right decision by the race management team. As we were heading out to the race course we couldn't believe how windy it was. We would have liked the opportunity to gain extra points today and the next two days are even more important now."

Team spirit

Despite the lack of racing, there was no less spirit ashore, with a host of VIPs and media in attendance to show their support for the Omani teams. Among those in attendance was Shaikh Sultan Al Qasmi, co-owner of the five-star Six Senses Beach Hotel in Musandam. Also present was Michael Lenarduzzi, chief executive officer, The Wave, Muscat, alongside David Stafford, vice-president of sales and marketing.

The team on Oman Air had the support of their CEO Peter Hill and Philippe Georgiou, public affairs and communications director, both in Cowes representing the national carrier.

"We at Oman Air are part of a global ambassadorship on behalf of Oman. So whether it is Oman Sail, The Wave, Muscat or Oman Air, we all participate in the same effort — to promote Oman and create awareness of what Oman has to offer. This is a great opportunity to promote the country and I think we have created a lot of exposure here in Cowes which is in line with one of the airline's ultimate objectives; for us to bring in tourists, to see what Oman has to offer," noted Georgiou.

Two more days of racing remain in Cowes and forecasters are predicting strong winds today. "The lack of racing has worked in our benefit because we are still top of the leaderboard, however we wanted the opportunity to extend our lead before the next two days, so it is disappointing we didn't race. It is going to be really interesting sailing tomorrow — every point is vital now," said sailor Khamis Al Anbouri.