After four successful years, EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour, has matured into an event that offers golden opportunities for teams looking for a unique challenge, maximum brand exposure and big returns during the European winter season, writes Sue Pelling.

Teams looking for winter training and a unique and challenging event that promises maximum exposure in a friendly, receptive and affluent environment, could do worse than sign up for the fifth edition of EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour (SATT) scheduled for 15-28 February 2015.

With high level sailors including the likes of leading French sailors/SATT 2014 winners, Sidney Gavignet, Damien Iehl and Cedric Pouligny, plus Bertrand Pacé, and Britain’s Dee Caffari rating SATT as one of the best events of its type on the circuit, it is not surprising this annual event is fast gaining a reputation as the ultimate test of all round sailing skill.

On similar lines to the Tour de France à la Voile, this event naturally appeals to commercially driven teams seeking maximum brand exposure and big returns. However, the focus is also on club/corporate teams, or teams from the armed forces that may wish to not only exploit their sailing talent on the international circuit, but also to use SATT as a team building exercise, and as a platform in which to help build international relations.

Since its inception in 2011, EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour (SATT) has grown in popularity and prestige both locally and internationally and has become a media success story. In its first year, the event yielded US$3.8m of PR media return, in the following years that value doubled to more than US$9m and in 2014 it achieved more than US$13.5m of coverage.

At the fourth edition of the event in February 2014, a highly competitive mixed fleet of professionals, students and local teams, including an all-girls team led by American Katie Pettibone (former America’s Cup and VOR sailor), and the Royal Navy of Oman, enjoyed two weeks of intense one-design racing. The seven-leg, 760-mile course from Bahrain to Muscat (Oman) via the Arabian Peninsula gave teams the opportunity to enjoy close, tactical racing in some of the best summer sailing conditions imaginable.

With EFG’s continued support, the 2015 edition of this Oman Sail-organised event is expected to be even better with new race course and format designed to improve the overall experience and offer locals, amateurs and professionals from Europe, North America and beyond a chance to experience the Middle East as a prime international sailing location. The timing in February provides those in the northern hemisphere a perfect opportunity to escape winter and enjoy top-class racing in sparkling sunshine and crystal clear waters.

Dee Caffari plans to compete again in the future once she fulfils her commitments with the Volvo Ocean Race 2014/15. Commenting on the benefits of taking part in the event, Caffari said: “The exposure for commercial partners involved in the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour is second to none. Also for those looking for winter training in an interesting location in the depths of a European winter, this event is ideal. The warmth of the sunshine, the brilliant blue waters, and the intense pace of the event with the mix of offshore and in-port races, in identical boats where only seconds separate first and last, is a fantastic way to improve sailing skill and teamwork.”

With arrangements for the 2015 event well underway, interest is gaining momentum with seven teams already confirmed. The plan is to run a four-day practice and warm-up session at Oman’s luxury oceanfront development – The Wave, Muscat – before the fleet embarks on a two-week, 676-nautical mile race west bound towards Saudi Arabia.

The first 105-nautical mile leg is to Sohar (Oman), followed by the longest leg (172 nautical miles) round the spectacular Musandam Peninsula to Ras Al Khaimah (UAE). Leg 3 is to Dubai (UAE), followed by Abu Dhabi (UAE), Doha (Qatar), and Al Khobar (Saudi Arabia) where the event will conclude with a final in-port race and closing ceremony.

The Farr 30, the choice of boat for this fast-paced event that combines in-port competition with multi-stage long-distance offshore endurance races couldn’t be better because it delivers on speed, performance and versatility.

The huge course area, which spans over four countries, provides a variety of sailing conditions, with backdrops ranging from remote desserts, to the huge high-rise metropolises of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. While most of the areas around the coast are charted some areas have limited data, which makes navigation and tactical skills paramount. Navigating through an oil field at night and passing from the Arabian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman through the Strait of Hormuz, round the Musandam Peninsula where mountains rise up 2,000 metres above sea level are just some of the course highlights which make this event so unique, exciting and unforgettable.

The seven stopover venues are carefully chosen to ensure competitors experience a real taste of the rich cultural traditions and sumptuous hospitality of the Middle East. Formula 1-style prizegiving ceremonies and special VIP events after each stage of the Tour – often in the presence of Royalty – provide plenty of opportunity for the local community to showcase its heritage.

Given the nature of the Tour, which involves sailing from one side of the Arabian Peninsula to the other, the logistics of transferring kit, and the associated paperwork involved are potentially complex. Thankfully, Oman Sail the organisers are able to offer support and it does pay off to be well prepared.

Among those hoping to take part again in 2015 are Team Messe Frankfurt – the young student team from Plymouth – headed by Marcel Herrera who finished second overall to Sidney Gavignet and team on EFG Bank (Monaco), and Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft led by Kay Heemskerk who took third. Although amateur, these young teams of students demonstrated how it is possible to use the event as a platform not only to improve teamwork, but also to perfect professional skills on and of the water to ensure sponsors gain maximum exposure.

Herrera commenting on the event and how it provides the perfect starting point for teams looking to make the transition into the professional sailing world, said: “This event is ideal for teams looking at making a name for themselves to emerge into the professional yacht racing world. It is a great foundation to find and introduce sponsors to the sport of sailing. Their expectations will be surpassed allowing teams to obtain a gradual commitment from commercial sponsors to support them on other campaigns and races. It is also a great winter racing venue with consistent and Grand Prix level conditions.”

David Graham, Oman Sail CEO believes that SATT has put the Middle East on the map as a prime international yachting location: He concluded: “The vision by Oman Sail to develop the region’s sailing talent and reignite the rich maritime heritage has become a reality. EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour offers an unrivalled opportunity to showcase the region as an exceptional international race destination with its splendid sailing conditions, and fascinating mix of ancient traditions and modern sophistication.”

Click here for more information on EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2015»

The marriage of film and fibre to produce lightweight sails is nothing new, but UK’s latest development in this field is taking a new approach that brings additional qualities to the laminate never seen before

It is fitting that the name UK has chosen for this new material is the very definition of strength, lightness, toughness and durability: TITANIUM.

The process to produce TITANIUM resides in a corner of Hong Kong that is off-limits to visitors due to the sensitivity UK Sailmakers has to revealing the numerous innovations developed in the production of this material that may be the Holy Grail of sail materials.

“It’s a lot of science, a good helping of art, and a pinch of black magic,” says UK Sailmakers’ Barry Hayes of UK Sailmakers’ massive loft in Hong Kong. “Titanium sails are true one-piece sails that have continuous yarns running between the corners of the sail. They are the latest chapter in a story that began back in the 1980’s with UK Tape-Drive.”

When first introduced, Tape-Drive represented a remarkable insight to knowing how to separate the load-bearing and the air-impermeability functions of a sail. Using carbon tapes that followed the computer predicted load paths between the corners of the sail, Tape-Drive was a leap forward in producing membranes that were strong in the right directions without having excess weight.

UK’s TITANIUM sails continue this heritage of innovation through a new process of building the film-fibre-laminate sails. It starts with two thin films made of tough PET that are coated with a co-polymer to comprise the outside faces of the construction, with the familiar pattern of load-bearing carbon fibres oriented along load paths in the sail. In Uni-TITANIUM sails, a uni-directional carbon cloth is also introduced between the skins to help further stabilize sail shape.

This construction method has the exterior films perform the combination of both the ‘finish’ and the glue that holds everything together. Shiny and weatherproof on the outside, the grey (or black) PET co-polymer skins are tacky on the inside, holding the whole layer cake together as it is constructed and also providing the resin that is going to melt down and through the interior elements, just like the cheese in a Reuben sandwich. There is no need for added glue on the fibres, which contributes to not only excess weight, but in time the brittle glues break down and can cause de-laminations.

Furthermore, that makes for lighter sails (by 15-30%), happier foredeck teams, and ultimately happier owners who are not replacing their mis-shapened and broken sails as often.

The PET film is a key element to the sandwich: at only 1.3 micrometers thick, this material provided by Dimension Polyant is incredibly tough, and will be most familiar for its use in plastic litre bottles and in some paper currencies - try tearing either of these apart. Sunlight and heat up to 50°C does nothing to PET, not even make it shrink like many other similar materials.

The other key element is the Carbon used in Uni-TITANIUM sails, which is extruded as a 2m-wide continuous fibre sheet for added strength yet with unmeasurable thinness. This looks similar to one of your old cassette tapes, but is a lot stronger and less likely to be used as emergency tell tales.

The four layers are dropped into a custom-formed variable geometry thermoform in which the sail is UV-bonded into one piece at 1 bar pressure under vacuum. This is a concave form, and the ‘variable geometry’ part is the unmentionable proprietary part of this process. Suffice to say the copolymer melts around the carbon fibres and then down through the unidirectional weave cloth, and the result is a whole that becomes substantially greater than the sum of its parts.

What’s happened here is that instead of applying the load path structural members to a pre-made sail membrane, the sail skin and load path structures have been fabricated as one integral product. The result is a sail that is formed to exactly the right shape, as stiff as cross-grain plywood thanks to the unidirectional panels, as strong as the carbon load-bearing fibres can make it, and – here’s the bonus – it is not subject to UV degradation. In fact, quite the opposite, because along with heat, ultraviolet light is part of the process that bonds everything together.

This unidirectional carbon cloth is also massively strong as well as gossamer light, and its job is to provide rigidity to resist the typical twisting forces found in a sail that is being pulled in four directions – from the head, the tack and the clew, as well as form the luff to the leech.

Hayes recalls how the development process started. “When we made our very first (Uni) Titanium sail there was inevitably a certain amount of experimentation,” he said, “a sort of suck-it-and-see process where the materials were concerned. We sandwiched three layers of unidirectional cloth into a No 3 jib built for Frank Pong’s R/P 76 JELIK. We knew the material was strong, but we didn’t expect the jib lead car to get ripped straight out of the deck! So it’s strong – stronger than we realised. JELIK’s present No 3 only has one layer of unidirectional in the sandwich, and it is holding up just fine.”

Another impressive result came recently at the ORC World Championship, where Heinz-Peter Schmidt’s GP 42 NEO SILVA team earned Bronze medals in Class A. They had high praise for their Uni-TITANIUM sails contributing to their success in a class of 27 boats from several nations.

“The sails were incredibly light and flexible, but also stable,” said Schmidt. “The trimmer’s work was much easier because the shapes never distorted, yet they could add depth and move the draft in the mainsail in a wide range of wind speed. The mainsail weighs only 25 kg, but we never have any problems when the wind is strong. In fact, our targets had to be adjusted because we were 0.3 knots faster upwind!”

Schmidt is no newcomer to success: his last boat won the ORC European Championship in 2011 and again last year, and was also equipped with UK sails. He credited his team’s ongoing success with the support he has received from the UK Sails operation in Germany, one of 50 lofts located around the world. It’s this strength in depth that has come together time and again over the decades to produce some of the finest racing sails in the world, with the latest of these being UK Titanium – strong, light, stiff, practically bulletproof, and beautifully engineered.

Click here for more information on UK Sailmakers»

Local islander and America’s Cup team helmsman Peter Holmberg gives a preview of next year’s premiere regattas around the Caribbean. Each featured event has its own unique attributes and flavour, allowing teams to select those that suit their style, their type of racing and their schedule...

My hope is to provide some inside information on the logistics and practicalities of racing in the Caribbean, to encourage more teams to come and race, do a few events while you are here, and help make that experience as enjoyable as possible.

Let’s start with the schedule. The Caribbean racing circuit fits nicely within the international race and weather calendar. The circuit starts in January when our sailing conditions are perfect, and runs through April, which places it perfectly after Key West Race Week and before the racing season starts in Europe or America. New this year is a slight adjustment of dates for a couple of regattas which now gives each event its own time slot, so no overlapping events with conflicting dates.

First on the list of logistics is whether to sail your own boat down, ship it here, or just charter a boat. Several teams sail on their own bottoms and, providing they allow a timeframe to pick the right weather window, it’s a reasonable crossing from Europe or America. Just remember, as my brother John says, the most dangerous thing about a delivery is a calendar! The other option is to select one of several shipping agents or companies that cater for the growing number of boats coming down in December-January, and returning in April-May, both to North America and Europe.

A new event this year that will serve to bring more boats from Europe to the Caribbean is the RORC Transatlantic Race, a 2,800-mile event that starts on 29 November in Lanzarote and finishes in Grenada.

Another development worth mentioning is a new business venture being floated that would cater for one-design classes. The concept is for a 180-220ft supply vessel or barge that would provide the full package, from shipping the fleet of boats both ways, to on-deck storage between events, onboard repair facilities, supply of spare parts and climate-controlled sail storage space. A great concept that will hopefully find the necessary backing.

The race charter route is a growing trend, and the options range from chartering and racing in the bareboat division, to chartering a raceboat, to just buying a spot on a commercial raceboat.

The bareboat option can be a fun adventure with friends, or a full-on competitive campaign if you choose the right event with a big class.

Chartering a performance boat can be an easy way to race in a competitive class, with good sails usually being the trick to getting results. A smart option here can be to bring a few good sails with you. Last year’s race sails that a top programme no longer values can perform pretty well in our conditions with a little more cunningham and a couple more friends on the rail. The best way to learn which charter options are available is to work directly with the events. You want to race, and they want entries, so they will help put you in touch with all the available options for their regatta.

The next major decision in choosing which events to enter is closely tied to the type of boat you have, and the type of racing you want to do. I have to be careful here not to show favouritism and so will just present the information to help shape your decision.

If you go the charter boat route you would be smart to look at the events with the biggest charter fleets – this would include Heineken, BVI and Antigua. But also you should realise that all events are now including these fleets. As for which events offer the best racing, with good classes, courses and race committees, a smart move is to look at the last few years’ results on their websites which will show the make-up of boats and classes that regularly attend. You should also look at the current entry list, and enter early, which will encourage similar boats to sign up too.

Once you’ve selected the events to attend, the next major decision that rewards early planning is finding the right accommodation. The three basic alternatives are hotel/condo, villa/house rental or a floating charter boat, with each having their pros and cons.

The standard hotel room or condo within walking distance of the host club or marina is always a good default option if available. This allows the crew freedom to come and go individually, avoids the need for a rental car, is usually cost-effective and offers the comfort of a basic room with beds and AC.

The next option is house or villa rental, with several bedrooms, kitchen, pool and the comforts of home. Most islands have a significant villa rental business so there are usually several good options to be found working with a local broker. As with hotels, the early shoppers have more options. The villa requires a car or two for crew transport, but offers a great space to relax and the ability to have home-cooked meals. One should also consider buying a few inflatable beds to get more crew per house, and hiring a local cook for the week to make crew lunches and a few dinners.

The third option to consider is floating accommodation, either by necessity on the smaller islands with limited hotels, or to fully enjoy the best of the Caribbean. The options range from a fully crewed megayacht with first-class amenities, to a spacious catamaran, to a standard monohull that gets the most bunks per dollar. This can be a great way to really have a fun and unique regatta experience. To make the charter boat option easy, consider ordering online to have the boat provisioned when you arrive, and get one or two crew to go a day early to pick up the boat and have it waiting at the regatta site.

On the subject of crew, I highly encourage that all visiting teams consider utilising one or more local crew. There are good sailors on every island and enough talent in the region to fill every position from strategist to bow. The upside of using local crew is that it saves money, reduces the number of flights and beds required, often brings a vehicle to the equation, provides local knowledge and contacts for everything, and creates goodwill in our sport. The best route to find local crew is to contact the regatta organisers and ask them to connect you with one of the good sailors within their club who can then open the channel to local sailors. Another option is to contact us at the Caribbean Sailing Association, and we can put you in touch with our contact on each island.

The final step that warrants smart planning is air travel. Generally it has improved greatly in recent years, with more direct flights from Europe and the US to all the major islands, so it is worth doing the research to find the best option. The general advice is that if you can land by jet at your destination island by making a connection within your country first, it is usually worth it. If you do need to island hop, there are several carriers, LIAT being the primary one, with several flights daily between all islands. Small plane charters are also available throughout the islands and can be cost-effective when three to five crew are travelling together.

Once you have decided to race in the Caribbean you should definitely consider doing a couple of the different events. There are marinas and haul-out options throughout the islands, and it should not be too hard to convince a crew member to spend a couple of weeks playing while prepping the boat for the next event.

Perhaps the most important point I can make is to consider how significant reliable winds and nice weather are in our sport of sailing.

After all the time and money invested to go racing, doesn’t it just make good sense to come and race in the Caribbean, where we have the reliable trade winds and some of the nicest weather and scenery in the world? I thought so. See you next year.

Click here for more information on the Caribbean Sailing Association»

Jimmy Spithill: two-time America’s Cup winner at insurers Lloyd’s

Career Ending Injury & Medical Repatriation Insurance is a must for responsible owners

Sports persons consistently face the risk of injury during training, practising or competing and even a minor disability can be a career ending event.

Injuries are a realistic possibility in the world of professional sailing, however, Personal Accident Insurance is too often overlooked by those competing in top-level sailboat racing programmes.

For the uninsured it is extremely hard to obtain compensation for injury against a yacht owner unless negligence can be proven and the process is expensive and challenging. In all sports disciplines athletes accept the “Volente non fit injuria” rule, which simply translated means that one knowingly consents to take risks whilst performing dangerous sport activity, simply: participants are aware of the risks involved.

In this context proving negligence is not straightforward and the process is aggravated by the tortuous legal wrangles around the owner’s registration, flags of convenience and maritime law in different jurisdictions. The chances of a successful legal action is reduced and ultimately may not provide proper and adequate compensation to protect future income.

Lex Risks has been arranging Career Ending Injury insurance for many top sailors and racing yacht teams involved in the America’s Cup, RC44, and Volvo Ocean races amongst others for many years. Lex Risks CEO Richard Henry has significant knowledge and experience placing insurance for his clients in the Lloyd’s market and has teamed up with global insurer and Sport insurance specialist Arch Insurance, to provide Lex Risks clients with the best possible cover.

• What happens when an accident occurs?
• Who looks after the injured crew or their next of kin?
• What are your rights? If your injury is potentially career ending, what will you do?

Career Ending Injury insurance is a must for all responsible owners
Some Yacht Management Companies or Owners do generously purchase additional Career Ending Injury insurance to protect their crews against the worst case scenarios. But in most instances this vital cover is overlooked as they rely heavily on the benefits included in the standard Protection and Indemnity Club policy which offers basic cover if proven that the accident is a result of the yacht management’s negligence whilst in employment.

Some Yacht Management Companies or Owners expect sailors to arrange their own cover especially if employed on the yacht for a single event or race.

What are your options in order to protect yourself?
Career Ending Injury insurance can provide protection for individuals or their next of kin from loss of current and future earning following death or disablement. Cover can be a lump sum or a multiple of the member’s annual salary.

Even a partial total disability following an accident can be devastating for the sportsman’s career, policies can be enhanced to include Temporary Disability or Income Protection benefit, which provides a regular income for a limited time, after an excess period, to allow the injured sailor time to plan the future.

Following an accident whilst competing abroad, who deals with the medical bills and your safe repatriation?
In an overseas environment, accident or medical problems can become traumatic experiences. Accident Medical Expenses and Repatriation insurance ensures you are given the best possible care immediately. All necessary arrangements are taken care of by trained professionals available 24/7, 365 days a year, and who provide help and support to patients and families and liaise with the hospital to arrange proper care and safe and prompt repatriation.

This approach is vital especially when dealing with US hospitals due to the excessive cost of care.

Be prudent, manage your risk effectively, contact Lex Risks for a comprehensive and bespoke policy to suit your needs.

Click here for more information on Lex Risk Solutions»