Now in its fifth year, EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour attracts some of the world’s best sailing talent, and has made Oman and the GCC a sought-after venue in the international sailing calendar as the only pan-GCC long distance offshore sailing competition.
– #Quiz360: WIN dinner for 2 at Jumeira Rotana, Dubai
An all-new route is set to provide the teams of EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour a fresh challenge in 2015. Teams will set off from Oman on February 15th into strong and sustained head-winds, making their way across 700 nautical miles around the Arabian Peninsula towards the finish in Manama, Bahrain on February 28th.
UAE sailing enthusiasts and those new to the sport alike can play witness to the excitement first hand on February 19th when the boats arrive into Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club, Ras Al Khaimah before heading to Dubai where teams will take part in a thrilling inport race on February 21st. Leg 4 then arrives into Abu Dhabi on February 22nd.
Ahead of the race, we spoke with Wouter Sonnema – skipper for Team Delft Challenge.
Find out more at www.sailingarabiathetour.com
Q. What is the energy like for the team at the beginning of a race? How do you mentally prepare for the long race ahead?
A. The energy within the team is positive at the beginning of a race like the SATT, the team loves the sports and the challenges it brings.
Because we’re all students, our priority besides sailing is of course studying. We have to be finished with our papers/exams/readings/etc at the TU Delft [our university] in order to start a race with a clear mind.
Everyone in the team studied hard these past months to completely focus on the SATT 2015 for the next weeks.
How important is it to have team members for whom the Gulf is home waters?
The Gulf’s waters are beautiful, clear and great to sail at, however it can bring some serious challenges. The local effects at, for example the rocks in the Strait of Hormuz, can be unexpected and definitely asks for some experience from local experts.
For me and other team members it’s not our first ‘Arabia Tour’, so we hope to bring some experiences from previous races to expertly navigate the local challenges.
What has the biggest impact on crew morale when out at sea? How do you keep spirits high during long legs?
I think the warm weather and the calm winds can be treacherous for the fleet, staying concentrated can be hard. An attuned team can motivate each other to stay focussed and continue with the sailing job.
When did you first get into sailing?
My father put me in an Optimist sailing dinghy when I was around 8 years old and pushed me on the waters, coaching me from ashore.
The tour is a strenuous 15-day trek across the Arabian Gulf, is it hard being on sea for that long? What do you miss the most?
The tour contains some serious legs and asks for physical and mental strength from all team members. Again, only an attuned team can motivate each other to let the boat sail fast. Though, when you’re on a boat in warm weather for more than a day you will start to long for a fresh cold drink.
Which event in your sailing career are you most proud of and how do you take your learnings from that into this race?
I don’t have a sailing event I am the most proud of, I think I have several. One of them is the ISAF Youth Worlds, which I participated in twice now, the hectic and intensive Laser sailing taught me to fight for every meter and to keep going on after a bad result in the previous race.
The last two SATT races (2013-2014) are also some of my favourite events. It’s great to sail against professional teams and learn from them every race, we can evaluate their approach and how a team like EFG Monaco were victorious.
Do you have any unique talents out of the water that people don’t know about?
I don’t think I have any unique talents. I love to sail with my team members and they are also my friends. They know how I work and I know how they work, so no unique talents are needed any more.
What’s your day-to-day fitness regime when prepping for a race like Sailing Arabia?
Besides our sailing team, TU Delft has several other sports teams and associations. One of them is the rowing society ‘Proteus’, which includes a few Olympic-level rowers. They invited us to join their indoor fitness training and allowed us to work on our physical strength with them.
What is the greatest challenge you face when out on the water?
The continuous changing wind conditions in the Gulf will be one of the greatest challenges out on the water. Adapting to it every time of the day and staying focussed will be a key priority during the tour.
