Muscat – The Oman Sailing Festival wrapped up at the Seeb Corniche, Sur Al Hadid, after transforming the area into a celebration of sport for the past two days. Filled with light and colour, the corniche bustled with national pride on 26-27 November 2021 as the community celebrated the National Day festivities, while 730 people took the opportunity to try sailing and windsurfing and take part in a beach clean-up nearby.
Ali Al Shuhaimi, Centre Manager of Al Mouj Sailing School and project manager of the Oman Sailing Festival, said, “Organised by Oman Sail, the Oman Sailing Festival has been a huge success so far, gaining momentum with each stop. Our latest event, along the stunning Seeb Corniche, was a great reminder of the affinity the local area has with the sea. Huge crowds, lots of enthusiasm and a willingness to try sailing and windsurfing is really promising for the future of the sport in this area. We are also delighted to see so many residents and visitors keen to take responsibility and clear up the beach areas so that everyone can enjoy clear sands and clean seas.”
The next stop for the Oman Sailing Festival is Sur, a city steeped in maritime heritage, from 3-4 December 2021 at Khor Al Bath. After that, the festival moves Barceló Mussanah Resort from 11-18 December 2021 and Hawana Salalah from 6-8 January 2022 before wrapping up in Duqm from 11-15 January 2022.
Oman Sail is currently preparing to host the 2021 ILCA 6 World Championships at Barceló Mussanah Resort, which runs from 29 November until 6 December 2021. A fleet of 160 male and female sailors from around the world is expected, including some of the top ranked sailors in the world.
At the same time, Oman Sail’s own Sailing Arabia – The Tour continues after a successful opening leg in Mussanah from 24-27 November. The next stage takes place in Sur from 27-29 November where the fleet will battle it out for the lead during a coastal raid and in-port race. The third leg is at Marina Bandar Al Rowdha from 1-2 December with the final set for Muscat from 3-5 December.
The winter season has been an incredibly busy period for sailing across the nation and the eighth and final event of the year is perhaps the most anticipated. The prestigious 50th edition of the Youth Sailing World Championships, a notable highlight within the global sailing community, gets underway on 11 December in Mussanah and will be the first time the event has been held in Asia.
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