EFG Bank (Monaco) sailed to an impressive, tactical 60-nautical mile sprint from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, to win Leg 3 of the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014.
Skipper Sidney Gavignet and his professional team on EFG Bank, who now lead the series by three points, used their experience to their advantage by positioning themselves perfectly for a 40-degree windshift on the right-hand side of the course.
This put them over two minutes ahead at the first mark in the light 3-5kt breeze.
They then went on to extend their lead and, in a freshening sea breeze, finished the race 10 minutes ahead of the next boat – Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team.
Gavignet commented: “Reading the windshift just before the first mark was crucial for us. We were expecting this right shift and it worked out to plan, and I think we had good boat speed too.”
The closest battle in the fleet however, was between Katie Pettibone and her all girl team on Al Thuraya Bank Muscat, and Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team.
Although Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team managed to overtake and finish one minute ahead in second place, they certainly didn’t have it their own way.
Marcel Herrera, skipper of Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team said: “We were particularly pleased because our instruments broke so we had to rely on good sailing technique, and it was the driver and mainsheet combination that really worked well.”
