Tour of Arabia 2016
- January 24, 2016
Launched by Oman Sail in 2011, EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour was designed to reignite the Gulf region’s maritime heritage by celebrating the fast-growing sport of sailing and the opportunities that it represents. The regatta is also an opportunity to showcase the beautiful region as the ideal winter sailing destination and present its offerings as an international stage for high-calibre sailing events.
The Tour is contested in a fleet of identical Farr 30 yachts – one of the most exciting boats on the professional sailing circuit – along a course, which stretches each crew to the full, testing their skill, teamwork and versatility.
In its short history, EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour has gained global recognition, attracting top amateur and professional sailors from four continents and blue-chip sponsors. Now in its sixth year, The Tour has become one of the most respected and dynamic sailing regattas on the international circuit.
The 2016 route has been redesigned to visit six of the region’s most prestigious sailing venues, with three challenging inport races at three of the most beautiful marinas in the Arabian Gulf. The event will begin with a glittering opening ceremony in Dubai and the first inport race before heading 61nm to Abu Dhabi where the teams will compete in another inport race. From there, the teams will travel 160nm across open waters to Doha, Qatar for the final inport race of the Tour.
Doha signals the start of three long offshore stages with a 280nm course to reach Khasab, the most northerly point of the Sultanate of Oman. The fleet then heads south, first to the port of Sohar and finally to Muscat, where the Tour will close in Almouj Marina at The Wave, Muscat.
Each participating yacht will have a YB tracker installed prior to the start. The tracker will collect and transmit data via the Iridium satellite network every fifteen minutes, giving those left ashore a way to view their progress and cheer on the whole fleet or just an individual yacht.
For more information and live tracking once the race has started, please visit the Tour of Arabia website.
