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Bahrain countdown begins in EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour

The countdown is on with just five days to go until the fifth edition of EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour reaches a thrilling conclusion in Manama, Bahrain.

- World Professional Powerboat Association welcomes first woman driver
- Delft Challenge sails to victory on Leg 2 of the EFG Sailing Arabia
- EFG Bank wins Leg 3 and strengthens overall lead in EFG Sailing Arabia

The tour’s 11 teams have been on the water for nine days and the competition is fiercer than ever with EFG Bank placed first overall after two leg wins. Second and third place is being hotly contested between Team Averda and TU Delft Challenge, whilst Zain Sailing Team of Kuwait launched an attack on Bienne Voile’s fourth place position after an impressive second place finish in Leg 3.

The boats, which set sail from Abu Dhabi on February 23rd for Qatar shores, will depart Doha on the final leg of the race and take on the ultimate head-to-head challenge to reach the finish line on Saturday, February 28, at the Amwaj Marina, Manama.

Fleet shot of the SATT boats
Fleet shot of the SATT boats

Bahrain will provide the perfect finish for the teams after 15 days at sea with a fitting Closing Ceremony to take place at the luxurious Dragon Hotel. The winning team will be awarded the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour trophy but all the teams can proudly celebrate their achievements in completing the gruelling race.

Salma Al Hashmi, Director of Marketing and Events at Oman Sail, the race organiser, said, “EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour has brought together the best sailing talent in the region and elite international sailors from around the world to tackle an intense schedule of long and short offshore races with inport races, and long and short offshore legs.

"This year’s reversed route has already presented new challenges with the headwinds and unpredictable weather conditions providing a true test of mental strength. The teams will get some much-needed rest tonight and set off again tomorrow.”

Leg 6 from Doha to Manama is a 98 nautical mile sprint to the finish line in Amwaj Marina. Hugging the coast of Qatar, the race looks to be an uphill battle with strong headwinds and choppy waters a probability.

A total of 11 teams representing seven nations – Oman, Kuwait, China, Switzerland, EU, Monaco and The Netherlands – and of more than 20 different nationalities are currently battling it out on the azure Gulf waters.

The challenging route has tried the crews’ endurance and teamwork with EFG Bank, skippered by Sidney Gavignet, winning an exceptionally close race in Leg 3 this weekend which saw the teams face high winds and plenty of place changes as they sailed from Ras Al Khaimah to Dubai in the UAE. Their win puts the team back in first place overall.

EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2015 began in Muscat, Oman on February 15th and ends in Manama, Bahrain on February 28th. Sports fans can follow all the action of the Gulf region’s leading offshore race with live tracking and updates at www.sailingarabiathetour.com.


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