Messe Frankfurt Finishes Creditable Second In Sailing Arabia – The Tour 2014

Just 6.5 points behind favourites as 15-day regatta finishes in Musannah, Oman

Helmed by Marcel Herrera, the young sailors of the Messe Frankfurt Saling Team, finished a creditable second overall in Sailing Arabia The Tour 2014, behind the highly-experienced EFG Bank Monaco team, skippered by Sidney Gavignet, the Volvo Ocean race veteran.

The gruelling 15-day regatta which finished at Musannah, Oman yesterday, took the teams through a variety of sailing conditions as they sailed from Bahrain through Qatari and Emirati waters before coming ashore in Oman.

Finishing just 6.5 points behind the favourites, the spirited performance by the Messe Frankfurt team came in for praise from organisers and sailing enthusiasts alike.

Skipper Marcel Herrera said: “We are ecstatic about getting second place in this event. We are a young crew, but all of our training and boat preparation in the UK has really paid off and we are very proud to have challenged the winning team who have many more years experience than us.”

“The team’s determination and the skill with which they faced up to the challenges and varying conditions have made us proud,“ said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Epoc Messe Frankfurt. “This result has been made possible by the hard work and preparation put in by the youngsters, who gelled well as a team to overcome their experienced rivals in extremely challenging open sea conditions.“
Results:

EFG Bank (Monaco)
Messe Frankfurt Sailing Team
Team Delft Challenge – TU Delft
Al-Thuraya Bank Muscat
Team Renaissance
Royal Navy of Oman