After a month-long rollercoaster regatta that took Oman Sail’s M34 squad from the north of France and fierce English Channel conditions to the very south and fickle Mediterranean weather that kept the nine teams ashore one minute and left them drifting the next, the Omani team’s hard work and determination paid off last week and the squad climbed on to the third step of the Tour de France a la Voile podium.
“We believed we could do it and we did it!” said an exhausted but joyous Fahad Al Hassani at the finish in Nice where the battle for third came down to the wire.
The team had to wait until Hyeres on Tuesday July 22nd to resume the battle for the podium after the race committee decided to cancel the offshore leg from Hyeres to Gruissan due to safety reasons. To make up for lost time, the organisers put on three days of inshore and coastal racing for the fleet. Oman Sail continued to rotate the sailing squad to keep everyone as fresh as possible after a gruelling few weeks and the crew rallied posting two 3rd places and a 5th to inch back up the ranking and sit just one point behind Bretagne-Credit Mutuel Elite.
Day two in Hyeres was in total contrast to day one with very light conditions for the inshore and coastal race. Oman Sail had a difficult day with two penalties at the start of the inshore putting them in 9th place for race 1, but they bounced back for race 2, a coastal, and posted a 5th. Morale remained high going into the final day in Hyeres and the team added another 5th and a 6th place to their bag to finish the round six points off the podium, in 4th place overall.
The crew had everything to fight for going into the final offshore leg to Nice on Friday night. The 110 nautical miles were challenging with light conditions and tough tactical decisions, but with intense concentration, Oman Sail managed to finish ahead of Bretagne-Credit Mutuel Elite in 6th place to take back three points.
The final day of the 37th edition of the Tour de France a la Voile got underway on Saturday on the magnificent Bay des Anges in a light 7-10 knots. Cedric Pouligny called tactics while Damien Iehl – a match racing specialist – was on the helm. Oman Sail had a good first start and consistent race with good solid crew work to finish the first round in 2nd place (Bretagne was in 7th). Race two, one point ahead, Oman Sail attacked with confidence – the tide was turning – they finished 7th, but ahead of Bretagne in 9th place. Oman Sail had a 4-point lead and was back on the podium. Race three turned into a match race and Damian Iehl’s pedigree came into its own with a crew that could react smoothly to back him up having honed their boat handling skills over the month-long event. The team fought hard and it was enough; their determination paid off and they defended their third place podium step by the slightest of margins – just a 2-point advantage over Bretagne-Credit Mutuel Elite – but enough to fulfil their goal.
“What a month! We have fought for every point and it could have gone either way today – our team spirit and determination won the day,” said Ali Al Balushi, bowman, who has sailed the Tour since Oman Sail first started in 2008. “I am happy to at last step on to the podium, it is an honour to be in the top three with such illustrious competition and it makes me very proud for my country – for Oman and also for my Omani team mates – we are really making our mark in the sailing world."
