Team Abu Dhabi will participate as a special guest in the second in-port race of EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour, which takes place in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
The local professional sailor Miguel Contreras is heading the team, entered by Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club (ADSYC), as skipper. He is joined by a young crew of regional sailors including Ahmed Al Marzouqi, who represented Abu Dhabi in The Tour last year.
“We now have two Farr 30s [boats] at the club so we have put a crew together and have been training for a month now,” Al Marzouqi said. “Our skipper has been helping us develop our skills and I really feel the crew has improved, so we are looking forward to seeing the rewards of all our hard work. If we get a podium position, we would be so proud for our country.”
Reinier D’Arnaud, centre principal at ADSYC, said next year the club hoped to enter two boats in the Tour, the 15-day event that is the Arabian Gulf’s only long-distance sailing race.
“The event last year helped us plan our strategy in development and training long term,” he said. “The idea is to have a full, year-long programme of racing and training and develop the crews skills so they can all work efficiently as a competitive team.
“Now that we have two Farr 30s, we are really keen to work with Oman Sail to develop the Farr 30 as a one-design fleet in the region and, hence, support the event with two teams next year.”
The Tour started in Bahrain, with EFG Bank winning the first leg, which finished in Doha. The second leg was due to finish late Friday night in Abu Dhabi.
Saturday’s in-port race takes place at the Water Bridge, the area of water just in front of Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht Club on the Marina Mall breakwater. Racing is scheduled to start at 11am.
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