Muscat: The Oman Sail Winter Cup took place from February 11-14, 2025, at Barceló Mussanah Resort. Fifty top young sailors from Oman Sail’s three sailing schools competed in the Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, and ILCA 7 categories. This event allowed the best sailors to showcase their skills, aiming to represent Oman in upcoming international regattas.
Khamis Al Mashaikhi won the Optimist event, securing four out of five victories. Hood Saad Al Nofli finished second, with one win and three second-place finishes. Mohammed Ziyad Al Qasimi earned third place after three podium finishes. Moreover, all three sailors also had impressive results at the recent Admiral’s Cup in Pattaya, Thailand.
In the Junior category, Ziyad Al Qasimi led, followed by Khaled Yahya Al Sarihi in fourth and Mohammed Suleiman Al Balushi in sixth.
The highest-ranked female sailor was Tarteel Zaid Al Hasani, finishing fifth overall. In the Optimist Girls competition, Hadeel Yousuf Al Mushaifri took second place and 13th overall. Abeer Kalil Al Zakwani finished third in the girls’ race and 19th overall.
In the ILCA 4 class, the top three sailors were separated by just four points. Hassan Nasser Al Wahaibi claimed first, edging out Tamim Sulaiman Al Balushi by one point. Saoud Talib Al Shaqsi finished in third.
Al Moatsem Hamooud Al Farsi dominated the ILCA 6 category, winning four straight races. Alsalim Ali Al Hamdani took second, just four points behind. Hatem Mohsen Al-Araimi rounded out the top three with a win in the final race.
In the ILCA 7 category, Hussain Said Al Jabri won all five races, securing first place. Ali Hussein Al Saadi finished second in every race.
Mussanah Sailing School earned the Best Sailing School award due to the impressive performances of its sailors across all categories.
Hashim Al Rashdi, Oman Sail’s Head Coach of Performance, praised the sailors for their dedication. He highlighted their commitment to training, which showed in their excellent results. With a busy season ahead, the sailors will now prepare for upcoming competitions.
Next on the schedule are the GCC Beach Games in Muscat from April 5-11, 2025, followed by the Optimist World Championships in Slovenia in July. The Oman Sailing Championship will be held in Sur in August, and the Suleymanpasa Cup in Turkey in September. The 14th edition of Mussanah Race Week will take place in October.
Oman Sail will also host the 2025 IODA Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championship from October 25 to November 1. The year will conclude with the Arab Sailing Championship in Algeria in November.
