#routedesprinces – Damian Foxall's Oman Air-Musandam MOD70 gains two points on first offshore leg from Valencia, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal after a good start on Sunday and a fast race to the Benicarlo turning mark and scoring gate.
According to skipper Sidney Gavignet who leads a mixed crew of seasoned professionals and trainee Omani crew, the team has settled in to their watch system and is enjoying the conditions off the coast of Spain.
"We had a great race from Valencia to Benicarlo," he wrote from the boat last night as the sun was setting over Valencia. "Then the wind dropped and our lead dropped with it, but we just managed to get our nose out in front a mile from the buoy and won the points! We needed to!
"Then we raced back towards the south again in the setting sun and at moments like this you feel privileged to have such a job!
"All the guys are in good shape, we are into our watch system. Damian [Foxall] and Fahad [Al Hasni] are recovering and Neal [McDonald] is driving with Gilles [Favennec] and Thomas [Le Breton] is trimming the boat. I am writing but I keep an eye on the instruments. I am obsessed with the percentage polar right now and with keeping our performance optimal.
At noon today, the time of writing, the Oman Air MOD70 is sailing at 18knots off Cartagena in the south of Spain and in approx 15 knots of breeze. The six-man team has a 21nm lead on the rest of the highly competitive MOD70 fleet and hopes to hang on to it to gain another bonus point through the Gibraltar gate.
