Saturday was a day that produced dramatic changes to the EFG Sailing Arabia leaderboard.
With defending champions Beijaflore starting to show the kind of form that saw them win the 2018 Sailing Arabia event.
In the main race of the day – the 21 nautical mile Masirah Raid – defending champions Beijaflore were down in seventh place at the first mark, and over three minutes behind early leaders, Oman Shipping Company of skipper Stevie Morrison, at the second mark.
But, by the finish Valentin Bellet, skipper of Beijaflore, had edged ahead of Morrison’s team on Oman Shipping to take their first victory of the Tour.
Aa result they went from an overnight sixth place up to second overall, just three points behind Robin Follin’s leading Cheminée Poujoulat team.
The long coastal race was followed by two intense Stadium races, with Sofian Bouvet’s Seaflotech team adding another race win to their tally, along with a second place to finish the day in third place overall.
Further Stadium racing on Sunday could see up to six more of the short high-intensity races in Masirah before the EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour fleet moves on to Duqm.
Overall standings after four days of racing:
1st Cheminées Poujoulat 11 points
2nd Beijaflore 14 points
3rd Seaflotech 15 points
4th Oman Shipping Company 15.5 points
5th Mood 19 points
6th Golfe du Morbihan 19.5 points
7th CER Geneva 27 points
8th EFG Bank 27 points
9th Renaissance 32 points
10th DB Schenker 40 points
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