Oman Laser Championships at Ras al Hamra Boat Club

Waleed Al Sharshani new Open and Radial Champion

Assad Al Hooti best Omani sailor

The Volvo 2010 RAHBC Oman Open Championship for Lasers (one man Olympic class sailing dinghies) was sailed for the 28th time last weekend from the beach off the Ras al Hamra Recreation Centre. 32 sailors competed in the event organised by the Ras Al Hamra Boat Club (RAHBC) and the Oman Laser Association (OLA) with participants from Oman Sail, Qatar National Sailing team, Bahrain, Castaways (Civil Aviation Recreation Club) and RAHBC. Lasers with a standard sail or the slightly smaller radial sail competed for the Open (all boats) or the Radial cup. The Radial cup was limited to those sailing all races with a Radial sail.

Waleed Al Sharshani from Qatar came out on top in both the Open and Radial classes with 9 points (out of 8 races with one discard). Second place, again Open and Radial, was for Hassan Al Tamimi also from Qatar (15 points) with Alexander Rice following as third in the open class with 28 points and Assad Al Hooti from Oman Sail in the Radial class. Assad was also the best Omani Sailor with 7th position in the Open. All these winners are young man aged 15 to 18. They beat the older and more experienced sailors in some very competitive racing. Well done for the youth. A great sailing future lies ahead for them.

The first racing day saw very strong easterly winds throughout the day. Wind speeds from 15 to 20 knots created very demanding conditions. 5 races were held and the scene was immediately set by the youngsters of the Qatar national team making 1 and 2 in each of the races. The radial sail was the better choice in this heavy weather. The battle for positions 3 to 6 was severe with the older RAHBC sailors Dave , Tony and Stephen trying to beat 15 yr old Alexander. Alexander came out as 3rd at the end of the day.

On Friday the wind was again blowing strong. Just a notch less power full than the day before, creating excellent sailing conditions which most of the fleet managed well. The lighter sailors wisely decided to use the smaller radial and 4.7 sails. 3 races were held and Mohammed al Zaini from Qatar won them all. Mohammed sailed the standard sail which on day 1 created too much power leaving him in only 9th place. With slightly less wind there was no stopping him! The first day 1/2/3 placed sailor Waleed, Hassan and Alexander continued strongly leaving only the 4th and lower places for the seniors.

Prices kindly sponsored by VOLVO-MHD were awarded to all participants by Rakesh Malhotra of Volvo-MHD. VOLVO has long history in their link with sailing in the world and has been the title sponsor for this event for the third year.

Tony van Thiel (OLA Chair and event organiser) thanked the Officers Of the Day (OOD’s) Andrew Faulkner and Peter Argument for the first rate management of the races. He also thanked all the competitors for taking part, the RAHRC staff and management for the great facilities and VOLVO-MHD for the sponsorship.

The Laser is a small single sail boat sailed by one person with 3 different size sails (Standard, Radial and 4.7). It is an Olympic single design class which is very popular around the world. Laser sailing is a fantastic sport which can be practiced in Oman throughout the year. In strong winds the sailing is very physical; the boat gives you a great workout. With Oman’s strong history of sailing, good winds, beautiful beaches and deep blue sea, Laser sailing has the prospective to become a true national sport with the potential of Omani participation in world class events such as the Asian and Olympic games.

The Oman Sail Academy has started training young Omanies and a strong National squad of Laser sailors is emerging. The 2010 Asian Beach Games which will be held in Oman in December will also feature Lasers as one of the sailing events. Keep training!

For full details and pictures of the event click here.

Overall Results: