(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Oman Sail's spotlight on speed in 2014 when it broke the Round Britain Race and Ireland World Record will be taken further this year with a focus on the future targeting Oman's offshore team for development in a demanding European season that includes the Rolex Fastnet and Middle Sea Races.
Already the Omani offshore squad has left Muscat for Quiberon France where it kicked off its cold-weather training at the 2015 curtain-raiser Spi Ouest France recently.
'We have two priorities this year' said the team's mentor Sidney Gavignet skipper of the MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail team. 'One of the aims for the season is to make our Omani sailors tougher so that they can handle heavier loads and keep working at full pace even when they are exhausted.
'The second aim is to make them more accomplished when it comes to technical skills like handling the electronics and the mechanics. We want offshore sailors who can turn their hands to anything whether they are
fixing heads trimming sails patching up holes helming or doing running repairs.'
Oman's Fahad al Hasni who is the longest standing Omani sailor on the MOD70 circuit is set to take on more responsibility in 2015 starting with skipper's duties on the Oman Sail M34 at the Normandy Sailing Week in France from June 10-14. He takes over from Gavignet who will move into a coaching role for this campaign.
Gavignet will return to the helm of MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail which he raced single-handedly in the Route du Rhum last November. It has had a major refit and will be launched in April ahead of a training session at the end of the month.
The programme starts with France's season openers the GP Guyader Round Belle Ile and ARMEN regatta. Then the MOD70 heads to Germany for the Kiel Week where it aims to improve on its record time in last year's Welcome Race.
Meanwhile the Oman Sail women's team will compete again in Europe with the aim of learning through competition. A surge in interest in sailing among women in Oman has given selectors the opportunity to try out three new team members all of whom have joined from other sports and are keen to learn fast.
'We saw in the recent EFG Sailing Arabia-The Tour just how much the women are improving and while these new members have a lot to learn we are excited that their sporting backgrounds have given them a good
understanding of what it takes to win' said Mohsin al Busaidi who heads the Oman Sail women's sailing programme.
Oman Sail's European season calendar:
April 2-6: Spi Ouest France; May 1-10: Grand Prix Guyader France; May 8-10: Tour de Belle Ile France; May 14-17: ARMEN Race and Grand Prix de l'Ecole Nationale France; June 10-14: Normandy Sailing Week France; June 20-28: Kiel Week Welcome Race Germany; August 8-20: Cowes Week Artemis and Rolex Fastnet Race UK; October 12-20: Rolex Middle Sea Race Malta.
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