Anchors aweigh for ‘Sailing Arabia’

The Middle East is steadily progressing in terms of hosting various adventure tourism events over the past few years. ‘Sailing Arabia’ brings together sailing enthusiasts from around the world to network with each other whilst enjoying the spirit of sportsmanship.

TT BUREAU

David Graham, CEO, Oman Sail
This year marks a historic moment for the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour, for the first time in the event’s history we have invited local and international sailors to experience the beauty of the Sultanate through an exclusively Omani event. Oman is blessed with fantastic sailing conditions and the Tour is an incredible opportunity to showcase the natural beauty of the country and explore the diverse landscape at each stop along the coastline.

Riwan Perron, Co-skipper, Lorina Golfe du Morbihan
EFG Sailing Arabia–The Tour (EFG SATT) is one of the most important sailing tours and a great sport adventure. Especially with the new format, EFG SATT brings a similar challenge like the Tour de Voile, which occurs in France each July. The entire crew and I are extremely happy with our time on the race. In Oman, we’re looking forward to returning next year and we would love to come back to discover more of Oman as a country. I love everything about Oman – from its dunes to the sunny weather which makes it an ideal place for sailing. Oman really is, if you pardon the pun, smooth sailing.

Mathieu Souben, Skipper, Vivacar.fr
As a professional sailor, I believe sailing as a sport is an essential part of my life. I spend around 200 days a year sailing. EFG Sailing Arabia–The Tour is a perfect mix between sport and adventure. On the water, we have tight races but can also experience trips we have never been to before and simultaneously, enjoy the beautiful landscape of Oman. It is my first time in Oman participating in EFG SATT. I would love to come back in the coming years, as it is even better than what we expected. Oman provides better weather conditions at this time of the year and is ideal for sailing.

Valentin Bellet Skipper Beijaflore
EFG Sailing Arabia–The Tour is an important event on the calendar. As a team, it allows us to improve and train for the year ahead, including the Tour de Voile in France. This gives an advantage over the competition. Since this is our first time in Oman, we have the opportunity to live a new experience and discover a country we never had the chance to discover before. There is good competition here, and we would love to keep coming back each year as this would help us to progress and learn from each other and the teams involved.

Elodie-Jane Mettraux, Skipper, DB Schenker
EFG Sailing Arabia–The Tour continues to offer an incredible experience in a beautiful sea and country. Everyone who participated in previous years were happy about the race and the gorgeous weather in Oman, and I am pleased to be a part of it this year and experience it myself. SATT is a perfect way of beginning the sailing season. I believe all the teams are happy about the tour, degree of organisation and the venues we get to sail in. One thing that would encourage me to join next year is the fact that we have the opportunity to be in this part of the world in February.

Cedric Pouligny, Skipper, Renaissance
Most of us are experiencing Oman for the first time. However, our main goal is to be able to compete with other teams at a high level. The teams participating in this ev   ent are some of the best teams in Europe and therefore, this is a great opportunity for us to train before the sailing season in Europe starts. Since this year’s edition has a new format, everything is new – from the boats to the venues. The destinations allocated for this year’s edition are great to visit, and allows us to discover and experience new places in Oman.