The Chairman's Cup - Start

The Chairman’s Cup race, sponsored by The Bank of Beirut, started without delay this morning from outside Marina Bandar Al-Rowdha in the presence of the Her Excellency Maytha bint Saif bin Majid al Mahrooqiyah, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism.

A northwesterly breeze of 8-11 knots just west of the north provided ideal conditions for the start with the fleet beating to windward. Cloud cover over the coast may well prevent a sea breeze from developing, which may result in the fleet seeking to go offshore for more breeze and a better angle to the wind further up the coast, as the wind is expected to strengthen and veer to the northwest by tomorrow.

The 230-mile race is a very tactical affair with yachts needing to forsee the best direction to sail to stay in the best breeze. Inshore may result in land effects creating wind both day and night, however offshore there may be more gradient wind.

“Shortly after the start the wind started to pick up, resulting in an increase in sea state. It could be a bumpy ride to Khasab, especially if the wind increase and stays on the nose. We could see as much as 20 knots maybe more later in the race.” Confirmed Oman Sail Farr 30 coach, Jean-Michel Gandin.

Oman Sail 5 got the best start judging the line with precision. Given fair winds, the fleet could arrive in Khasab by Monday morning, about two days and nights at sea.