MUSCAT: Day two of Oman Sail’s Musannah Race Week saw incredible action across all five categories with Omani sailors ending the day on top in three. Perfect conditions promised great sailing and it certainly delivered. Four races were completed in ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7, while Optimist completed three and RS Venture Connect sailed two, setting up a strong second half to the week as the leaders began to break away.
Oman’s Al Mutasim al Farsi put on a masterclass in ILCA 6 sailing on day two, winning three of the four races to soar from fourth place overall to lead. Teammate Al Salim al Hamadani was in equally fine form, winning one and finishing in the top three two more times to rise from fifth to third. Othman al Hammadi of UAE split the two to finish the day in second.
Hatim al Araimi is currently fifth, Elyas al Fadhali is sixth, and Meshari al Hadhrami finished in eighth with all to play for on day three.
Speaking back on shore, Al Mutasim al Farsi said, “Today was a very good day for me. I am pleased with my performance and to end the day in first place, and to see my teammates doing well. The fleet is very strong, and we are lucky to have so many talented sailors in this group so the competition will be tough, but we are all focused on doing our best and gaining more experience for the future. The conditions have been excellent and we’re looking forward to the next day of racing.” Husain al Jabri continues to lead in the ILCA 7 competition with a further three victories to stay ahead of Hamza Al Ali from UAE. Abdulmalik al Hinai is currently third, just one point behind Al Ali, and Ali al Saadi finished in fourth.
In an all-Omani fleet, the four RS Venture Connect crews all switched places on day two.
Ghaliya al Jabri and Malik al Qartobi moved from fourth to first with three victories, bumping Zahir al Atbi and Ahmed al Shukaili into second just two points behind, and Sultan al Wahabi and Adil al Siyabi into third a further three points back. Sami al Sulaimi and Hassan al Lawati will start day three in fourth place but just seven points separate first and fourth meaning it could all change yet again.
It is a UAE one-two in the Optimist competition after four races as Abdulla Yahya recorded one win and one second place to takeover the lead from teammate Khalifa al Romaithi in second. Adison Ein from Thailand moved up to third. Oman’s Tamim al Balushi found his form to rise from eleventh to fifth. Hassan Al Wahaibi remains in eight, and Khamis al Mashaikhi and Firas al Nabhani ended the day in 11th and 12th respectively.
The ILCA 4 leaderboard was dominated by India after the first day, but Abdulatif al Qasmi won two races and finished in the top three in two more to move up from fourth to second.
He trails Eklavya Batham of India by just one point while opening a five-point gap to Shashank Batham of India in third. Oman’s Saleh al Balushi is currently sixth, just ahead of teammate Firas al Hashmi in seventh and Aws al Busaidy in tenth.
Abdulatif al Qasmi commented, “I sailed well today and feel very pleased with my performance. The first day was difficult with just one race but we found our rhythm today and it shows in the results. There are four Omani sailors in the top 10, and hopefully by the end of Musannah Race Week we will all be high up in the standings.”
Racing continues every day until the final on October 7, where the winners will receive their prizes.
As well as organising Musannah Race Week, Oman Sail has supplied two highly experienced officials to the race jury committee. Saleh al Jabri and Ali Ambusaidi join the Jury Chief from Singapore and a representative from China in ensuring the rules are adhered to and any protests are settled amicably.
Saleh al Jabri said, “Race Juries are a very important of every regatta and make sure the races are contested fairly, using authorised equipment, and within the rules so that all sailors can compete on equal terms. If there is an official dispute, we evaluate the claim and make a decision. It is a great honour to be selected to be part of the Jury and a role we are all very proud to have at Musannah Race Week.”
Musannah Race Week is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Barceló Mussanah Resort, Pocari Sweat, and Al Khoud Pure Drinking Water.
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