Cascais in Portugal proved a fertile learning ground for six members of the Oman Sail National Squad who competed alongside elite sailors at the 2016 Laser SB20 World Championships last week.

Ali Al Balushi and Fahad Al Hasni skippered all Omani crews in the 76 strong international Laser SB20 competition gaining valuable experience across a range of skills in a variety of conditions from no wind to 30 knot Atlantic blasts and blanket fog, bright sun and heavy rain.

For Team Fahad comprising Al Hasni and his teammates from Oman Sail’s MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail, Yasir Al Rahbi and Raad al Hadi, and Team Ali with Al Balushi, racing with Sami Al Shukaili and Tour de France a la Voile teammate Abdulhaman Al Mashari, the event was less about the results and more about the experience and learning as much as possible.

Competing at this level against a fleet that was recognised as one of the strongest for a SB20 Worlds in many years was a major challenge said Al Balushi, who took the helm for the first time in his career, attracting praise from his coaches.

“Even the top guys were having problems getting off the line cleanly and to get a result, a clean start was essential but we struggled with that and with finding clear air upwind,” Al Balushi said.

“It was a big learning week for us but we really enjoyed it and really want to sail these great boats again as it is such a fantastic way to learn on our own – we are looking forward to more SB20 competitions.”

Across the week, many of the Laser SB20s, which came from 13 different nations had their fair share of damage and drama including the Oman Sail boats which had numerous rigging issues and also hooked a lobster pot which forced them to a halt in one race.

But valuable lessons were learned in boat handling, starting manoeuvres and race tactics and in such a large fleet this added new strengths to each sailor’s skillset, commented Fahad Al Hasni, recently voted Seahorse Sailor of the Month for September 2016.

“Before we started racing we decided our focus would be on clean starts and finding ways to go fast upwind on the first beats and although our tactics were sometimes a bit muddled and we gave away places unnecessarily, it was a superb opportunity to see how it should be done!” said Al Hasni.