44Cup Oman, Muscat

44CUP_Oman
7 – 11 December 2022: As the final event of the 44Cup 2022 and the last regatta in the Black Star Sailing calendar, we are expected in Muscat, the capital of the Sultanate of Oman. While the football world looks to Qatar, the season finale of the RC44 boat class will take place not far away, where once again regatta legends and elite teams will compete to win the 44Cup 2022 overall title.

After an encouraging 44Cup event in Portorož, where we visibly got better into the race with our new yacht, we are looking ambitiously at the upcoming races with the goal of not finishing the last event of this season as last in the table.
Besides the upcoming exciting regatta on our new racing yacht, the return to Muscat gives the Black Star Sailing Team a nice portion of joy. We remember Oman as an extremely hospitable and pleasant venue: after an impressive final race of the GC32 Racing Tour 2019, Black Star Sailing held a team event and extensive training in Muscat in early 2020 – only to be abruptly thwarted by the emerging Corona wave. Regrettably, Oman has not been on the GC32 class racing calendar since. But it is on the RC44 class calendar:
While it took a few years for the 44Cup to find its way back to Oman since it was last held in Muscat in 2014, the class is pleased to see the great commitment from Oman Sail. Since 2009, Oman Sail has been trying to build on the country’s great maritime past and, among other things, to give Omani youth access to sailing at world level – and has received much international recognition for this engagement. Elite teams from Oman are now part of several leading regattas and Oman Sail is hosting a growing number of major international events on the country’s magnificent coastline. In 2021 alone, they hosted the Asian Windsurfing Championships, the 2021 Asian and World Championships in 49er, 49er FX and Nacra 17, the ILCA Radial World Championships in Mussanah, among others, and ended the sailing season by successfully hosting the World Youth Sailing Championships.

Dr. Khamis Al Jabri, CEO of Oman Sail, welcomed the 44Cup to Oman, saying, “The high-speed, high-performance racing on display during the 44Cup is always a spectacular sight. Some of the world’s best professional sailors compete, and the ideal winter sailing conditions provide an excellent backdrop for deciding the top prizes. We look forward to welcoming the teams to Oman and sharing our famous warm hospitality at the finale of this year’s series.” (Source: 44Cup.org)