Muscat: Atari Seven took line honours in the 25th edition of the Dubai to Muscat Yacht Race on Sunday in a time of 70 hours 32 minutes and 16 seconds. Line honours are taken by whoever crosses the line first but corrected time results to account for a handicapping system are still pending, therefore the overall winner is still to be announced. Pindar Volvo 60 came second, five and a half hours after Atari Seven, and Faith finished third a further six hours later.
Atari Seven skipper Hannes Waimer attributed success to a particular type of sail. “We took the Code Zero from our Farr 400,” said Waimer, who set off from Dubai on Thursday. “Although slightly small for our Landmark 43, it was this sail that achieved us line honours, having used it probably 35 per cent of the time.
“The remaining factors were good weather routing and great drivers. We were also very lucky. There is always an element of luck with the wind. The team worked very hard and they are great people.
“This is the third time we have taken line honours and the second time we’ve done it in Atari Seven, so we are very happy.”
Pindar Volvo 60’s skipper Tom Way said: “It was a fantastic experience and a great eye opener for what is available for sailing in this part of the world. The highlight of the race was the crew, taking a group of individuals that had never sailed together and finishing with a coherent team, and despite the wind (or lack thereof) we were able to show we could do the same as all the boats that have sailed together for years. Our low point of the race was the wind hole we sat in for 24 hours, knowing that other boats were sailing around us.”
There were seven retirements from a starting list of 19 during the race due to equipment failure and the lack of wind.
