Issue date
Mussanah Race Week concluded yesterday in Oman, and what a great week of sailing and cultural experiences it was. The race committee did a fantastic job getting us 14 races completed over the five days of racing. We had all onshore winds, ranging between five and fifteen knots. It was awesome practice to race at the same venue as our World Championship later this year, in similar conditions to what we can expect in November.
Image by Paul Lloyd
Over the five days I felt I sailed well and strung together a series of decent results including three race wins, eventually finishing up second overall to Tom Burton (AUS) who sailed really well all week. Full results can be found on the regatta website here.
Coming to a new place like Oman was always going to be a cultural experience and the locals made us feel very welcome with some great hospitality. The traditional “dishdasha” white robes the men wear were very different. In New Zealand you may see a few sheep on your drive through the countryside, where as here in Oman you will see camels walking all around the side of the roads! I even got to ride on a camel during the “Arabian Cultural Night” that the regatta organizers put on for all the competitors, that was pretty cool.
The combination of great weather, beautiful sailing conditions, friendly hosts and the interesting culture really make me look forward to coming back here in November for the 2013 Laser World Championships!
We have just arrived in Barcelona, where we will unload our boats from the container that was shipped from NZ, and then head off to Palma for the ISAF World Cup Event starting in roughly two weeks time, on the 1st of April.
I also made a short video of some highlights during our week in Oman, it can be viewed here.
Be sure to stay tuned to my Facebook page www.facebook.com/AndyMaloneySailing for regular updates between now and the end of racing in Palma.
Thanks for all of the continued support!
Cheers,
Andy
