Hello Everyone!

The journey continues here in the Arabian Peninsula… It has been an interesting week on many fronts. The reality of working in a foreign country with a very different way of doing things has me worried about our preparation. The team really hasn’t been able to focus on high performance and as all athletes know- you play like you practice.  I am America’s Cup and grand prix sailor where focus is keenly on second to second performance- I know this is a major flaw.

We will be competing against very experienced and top-international skippers. Plus, let’s be real- the teams are all-male and really do not want to be beaten by the women. Yesterday, we finally were able to do some intensive performance sailing as the rest of our crew arrived and some boat parts were finally obtained. As the team continues to practice this coming week (albeit without me as I need to head back to the U.S.), each minute will be precious.

This past week, we made final selections on the Omani young women for who was going to race on the boat- Intesar and Raiya. The two who did not make it took it hard.  The idea that they are reserves and are still part of the team was a difficult concept for them to appreciate. They had real trouble understanding that a team is bigger than the players on the field and that at any moment a person might have to step in for another. We continued all week to try to educate them on that concept. A person has a choice about whether to work hard, asking for any opportunity to be on the water with any boats or other programs, or be derailed by the selection. I was concerned when one of the reserves asked what the point of the gym was!  One of those defining moments in life I suppose- how do you deal with disappointment and what do you do going forward?

To help bring their attention to the bigger picture, Dee took the girls to Abu Dhabi (UAE and one of our stops) where the Volvo Ocean Race had a stopover in it’s Around-the-World- Challenge. This is one of the top, international races, taking teams around the world. I have competed in two and it truly is race that tests one’s mettle. They are 70 foot, carbon-fibre-racing machines and everything is super high-tech from the mast to the sails, to the rigging and even food. While they were there seeing the potential of offshore racing, we stayed back in Oman and raced against one of the men’s teams.

Since we were short on crew, we took two of the Omani male sailors on our boat. They were great fun and had a ball sailing with us. During our second race, the main sheet turning block ripped off the deck of the boat, so I grabbed the lines holding the boom, braced myself and held it in a one-to-one way so that the mainsail was trimmed and could continue to work (normally it is held in a 6:1 ratio by ropes and blocks) Huge pressure and very difficult, but it allowed us to make it to the top mark and round still ahead of the other boat. I kept yelling at the guys to hike all the while. The guys couldn’t believe that I was strong enough to do that and were well impressed. One of them said in an approving way- “she is like a man!” Huh. Well, coming from the source, I will take it as a compliment….  When we asked them to put on skirts and join us, they said they would! LOL

Dee announced the team today!

“Having an all-female team in SATT is a bold initiative and one that I am honoured to be involved in. They are brimming with enthusiasm and are keen to absorb the knowledge being imparted to them. They know they are being exposed to a first class crew and really want to do their best to contribute to the success of the team.”

“We have Christine Briand (FRA) as our Navigator and Tactician. Christine has a wealth of both offshore and match racing experience. Her ability to play a tactical game and make the crucial decisions at the right time is invaluable.”

“Katie Pettibone (USA) will be putting her trimming skills to test in the engine house of the boat, as the mainsail trimmer, while at the sharp end of the action will be Claire Pruvot (FRA). Claire is looking ahead for an Olympic medal this year so we are lucky to have her acting as our bowman for The Tour. She is passionate about the sport and will inject her enthusiasm and passion for the sport with Olympic class accuracy,”

In the middle of the boat working in the pit is Hannah Morris, (NZL).

“Being a true international boat Hannah is representing the Southern Hemisphere and comes from a background of match racing so will be at home pitting her skills against identical boats on this race course,”

Hannah will be replaced by round the world sailor, Briton Emma Westamott, for the final leg.

Trimming for maximum speed is Mary Rook (GBR). Speaking about Mary’s Olympic hopes, Dee forecasts her rise to glory in 2016:

“Mary has been training with Olympic squads and has been sailing all over the world as part of world class teams, with her focus to date on match racing and keelboats she is a real asset. We are grateful for her energy and dedication to this event.”

Read more here: Dee Caffari, Oman Sail, Sail World

Oman Sail

15.01.12

In a highly-anticipated announcement, Oman Sail has revealed the four Omani recruits who will join the all-woman crew Al Thuraya BankMuscat for the prestigious Sailing Arabia The Tour (SATT), 2012.

The announcement was made at an official press conference organized by Oman Sail, in co-operation with BankMuscat, at the Bank’s headquarters. The event was attended by several officials and delegates from Oman and the GCC, including Her Highness Sheikha Naima Al Sabah, Head of GCC Women Sports Organizing Committee, Ahlam Al Mana, Chairwoman of Qatar Women Spots Committee, Sayyida Sana Al Busaidi, Head of Women Sports Association at Oman Olympic Committee, Bing Liu Shu representing International Olympic Committee, ZaitoonOthman representing the Olympic Council of Malaysia, Dr Muna Al Ansari from Bahrain University, Dr Maryam Arab from Kuwait University and Saada Al Ismaili Head of Womens Sports association Ministry of Sports, Sulaiman bin Mohamed Al Yahyai- Vice-Chairman BankMuscat, and David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail.

Led by world record-breaking British sailor Dee Caffari, the first woman to sail single-handed and non-stop around the world in both directions, the four Omani women selected to join the crew are:

1. Intisar Al Tobi
2. Raya Al Habsi
3. Tahira Al Yahyai
4. Khulood Al Kindi

Hello Everyone!

Hope your New Year was fantastic and all your resolutions come true. It is time for another update from Oman. After a brief respite in the U.S. and being in Sacramento for the start of the next legislative season (already proving to be busy), it was time to come back to do more training here in Oman.

Part of the 29 hour trip took me from Frankfort, Germany via Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Muscat, Oman. Normally a stopover wouldn’t give me a second thought but there were a couple of notables about that flight. Firstly in Frankfurt I would guess 80% of the flight was male. I did see a couple of U.S. passports, but all men. Then when we arriving, the flight attendant over the loud speaker told us that all printed material (magazines, books, ect) that had graphic or nude images and all alcohol had to be in a sealed container-  not just in duty free bag and nothing could be left in the seat back pockets. (!) Finally when passengers went to disembark, all the women who had boarded the plane in normal clothing or even with a long dress/robe on had done the full change into max coverage of burka or abaya. Looking out the window it was completely desert… I was very glad to be heading onward to Muscat.

Arrival into Muscat felt like old hat- so much nicer to be experienced this time! Knowing which line to go to in order to get a visa, then where to go for customs, and expecting the throng of men on the other side of the arrival doors… My driver was there waiting and off we went to the hotel. Back to training up in Mussanhah again in the still-under-construction marina.  The training has and continues to be stepping up in seriousness and urgency with the start of the race in one month. There are things that have been very frustrating, for example needing parts that either no one has any idea about or has been ordered and no one knows when it will arrive. An often answer to a question that has no answer is “Inshallah”- which is like “manana” in Spain and for us westerners means- god (insert your god) willing it could be any time/ will happen/won’t happen….

We have selected two out of the four Omani girls to race on the boat with us. The other two will be back-up and at the physicality, demands and likelihood of wear and tear- I am confident we will be using back-ups. We will continue to train all four- both on the boat and on land. They have come such a long way!  There is a proudness and confidence they now exude. Pushing them in the gym and getting them to be out of the comfort zone still is progressing as well as getting them to have more protein in their diet.

It is  evident on the boat when concepts and lessons learned go in one ear and right on out… There is so much to learn and added with the physical drain, it can be difficult to process it all. The gloves have come off as well far as teaching- they are told when a maneuver is unacceptable, we are now pushing to speed up and show urgency in maneuvers and I instituted the rule if I have to tell them to hike more than a couple of times on the boat, then the entire team does 20 pushups in the gym the next morning for every time thereafter that I have to tell them to hike. (hiking is the act of having people lean their bodies over the lifelines as far as possible to help level the boat when it leans over due to increasing wind. There is an optimum angle boats carry for speed and this boat is very sensitive) These boats are very sensitive to weight on the rail, or body movement around the boat so getting that awareness of this concept is hugely important.

On a serious note, clearly everyone is watching the news. Things in the Gulf in terms of politically are heating up but in terms of our race and for us – appear to ok. This event and our team is here under the auspices of the Sultan and their government, and Oman has a good relationship with everyone. It would be improbable that anyone would from a political perspective would worry about a little sailboat race.

I was told to NOT worry about the smugglers we will see at the Strait of Hormuz- they aren’t coming for us. LOL!  However, my attention has been drawn to the piracy issue and it is real. We are going to be looking further into this but I know the last thing that anyone would want was to have some criminal act derail this great event. This aspect does reaffirm our decision to ship our boat to Bahrain, instead of sail it there…

Tomorrow is our first offshore practice-which means going out racing overnight. In light of the activity south of Muscat, our discussions are about a course heading north. I have seen a military ship hanging around out in the distance so maybe we will invite it to come along…

Have a great day!

It has been a really interesting week. We have been training everyday on the boat and in the gym, continuing the education of the girls… I say girls, but they are young women around 22 years old. However they look much younger. When it comes to physical training they are inexperienced… It is amazing- for the first time in their life they are sore and tired. To their credit they are keeping a stiff upper lip and continue to be game. Unfortunately, they have a long way to go before they are prepared for a competition like this, it is going to be tough on a high performance boat like this. But we met with the CEO of Oman Sail and this is a very big deal for Oman and we will  perform with the spirit of the venture. They are also trying to have a team from every GCC country in the tour d’ Arabia, but the Saudis will never come with a women’s team competing…

So some interesting observations- crossing the street is like frogger in real life- there are no cross walks except at occasional major intersections that have a light. At the marina they don’t use toilet paper- and all toilets have shower heads next to them (sort of like a bidet but more inclusive in theory). Men can have up to four wives, but it can be expensive. If he has more than one wife he has to split time equally between houses (Apparently there is a house for each one but in rarer cases all live together). Parents arrange marriages but apparently kids can influence choices more now. If a man and a woman has a child out of wedlock it is a crime punishable by up to six years in jail(!). We were told that it is unlikely the woman would go (but she could) but the man would likely go. No overcrowding problems there…

Finally- power surges have destroyed my chargers. (hoping not my computer but that remains to be seen)… A full power converter and surge strip will be required for my return… So this the last update until I return to Oman in the new year.

Merry Christmas!

Katherine

Hello everyone-

After some technical difficulties I am finally online here in Muscat, Oman. I am here joining Oman Sail’s all women’s team training in preparation for The Tour d’Arabia in feb. The Sultan Qaboos bin Said wants to establish Oman as a leader in developing opportunities for women and sailing is going to be one of the competitive venues for this. We have three young Omani women that will learn to compete and sail with us. That is the focus of this week. Also teaching them how to eat for performance in sports (rice and veggies won’t cut it), how to work out and well- a lot of other things!

First impression upon arrival- foreign. I have lived abroad and sailed around the world on international teams. I have repaired sails in an ancient prison in Argentina and dove with great whites in Africa… Here however- we aren’t in Kansas anymore Toto! I arrived at 1am- and arrivals was full of Arabic men, many(if not most) in the long/traditional dress. Only a handful of women, in full robes- some in full burkas. One other western woman with her family. Some aggressive staring going on in my direction- the kind if you did in new York you would get a punch in the nose… It is very desert like- though there are trees and scrubs. Architecture is very Arabic and beautiful. I definitely have the feel of being the Arabian Peninsula. We have sea snakes in the water so a swim requires some vigilance.

Sailing- we have been practicing against two other Arabic men’s teams- and have been beating them regularly. It is early days but it has heartened our supporters and the oragnizers. Yesterday I got a very warm welcome from our government liaison at the marina base when he found out I was ‘the American’…

Ok- off to breakfast. The time change is 12 hours and is still a killer…

Have a great day!

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