Omans Towing The Line

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Musandam-Oman Sail keep up the pace in Krys Ocean Race




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Improvisation on board Musandam-Oman Sail has allowed Sidney Gavignet’s crew to maintain healthy speeds in the 2012 Krys Ocean Race as they approach the half way mark.



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Improvisation on board Musandam-Oman Sail has allowed Sidney Gavignet’s crew to maintain healthy speeds in the 2012 Krys Ocean Race as they approach the half way mark.
With only one foil remaining, following the failure on Sunday of the port foil, the crew is having to switch it from side to side every time they gybe. This added workload, while tiring, has allowed them to hold onto their fourth place, managing speeds of around 25 knots in their sprint across the Atlantic.


Moshin Al Busaidi from Oman, the first Arab to sail around the world, said moral was good onboard and that everyone is carrying on as normal and looking forward to the remaining 1,500 miles.


“We’ve had a little problem with the foil which has affected our position in the race but there isn’t much we can do. We are still going fast but not fast enough. But so far it has been good,” he said.


It is warm, the seas are relatively flat and the wind is blowing in the right direction, said American Ryan Breymaier as Musandam-Oman Sail reported a position some 150 miles behind the leading boat.



“We are going well at the moment - pretty much full speed. When the foil failed, we had to take it out because there was a lot of turbulence and drag and the boat was very slow – about 22 knots – though when it came out completely, the bow dug in a lot so we had to reduce sail.
“We didn’t feel comfortable trying to change the foil from one side to the other during the night but now we have the foil from the starboard side on the port side which makes things normal again.
“The guys are getting tired as it weighs 100kgs and takes three crew plus one on the halyard every time we change it over, but hopefully we will only have to do it twice more during the race.
“We have 25 knots of breeze and flat water downwind. Overcast. It’s not beautiful but its warm which is nice and we have wind in the right direction so we are making good miles for the finish, which is what matters. In the next 24 hours, conditions are not expected to change.”

Follows Omans efforts here Live tracker @http://www.krys-oceanrace.com/en/race-tracker.html