Wave of sailing euphoria hits Oman

Not everything is a lesson. Case in point: Oman's thriving sailing community.

A country that barely registered on sailing's map five years ago has developed into an emerging power so rapidly it's tempting to look at it as a model. Just last year, for example, The Wave, Muscat won the Extreme Sailing Series championship. In second place was Oman Air.

All this for a tiny nation that officially took up the sport in 2008.

Mohammed Al Eissa, regional PR manager for Oman Sail, said the nation began looking for an opportunity to revive its maritime heritage, kicking off its push when it sponsored Mohsin Al Busaidi's non-stop trip around the world in 2009. Al Busaidi became the first Arab to make the journey.

"To me, it only proves sailing is in the blood of Oman," Al Eissa said on Friday in Singapore at Extreme Sailing's second act of the season. "The friendly nature of the Omani, the culture of the Omani, It's all been engraved in our DNA, because of the maritime heritage."

Few other countries have the resources, demographics, history or geography to copy Oman's success.

The county has a population of 2.85 million - almost half of whom are under 20 years old - and nearly 3,000 km of coastline.

All those children and all that waterfront property were an obvious match, especially for a nation teeming with natural gas and oil resources that make sailing more accessible than in less-developed countries.

Speaking of obvious matches, Oman can throw in endless pristine beaches and perfect winter weather.

It's part of a national initiative to promote tourism, introducing the sanguine nation to a world that's often wary of the Middle East.

"The main objective is to use the power of sports to contribute to the development of Oman," Al Eissa said. "Oman was introduced to the world through our maritime heritage."

The country is thinking long-term: An Olympic berth in 2020, and the nation's first Olympic medal in 2024.

To that end, seven sailing schools are being set up. So far, 2,000 students have been trained as sailors. By 2015, that number is expected to balloon to 30,000. Free community sailing is offered to young hopefuls and, in 2011, Oman introduced the world's first women's sailing federation.

Oman has brought in a number of world-class sailors to help with training. Leigh McMillan, a two-time Olympian from Britain, skippered The Wave to that championship last year.

But that wasn't his real job. His real task was helping Omani crewmates like Musab Al Hadi and Hashim Al Rashdi blossom.

"(McMillan's job) is 100 percent training," Al Eissa said. "Winning is a bonus.

"To us, what we are trying to do is show (young sailors) that if you show us the determination, we'll provide you with the resources. We are taking the sport very seriously."

The Singapore event runs through to Sunday, and can be viewed online at extremesailingseries.com. The third of eight acts will be held in Qingdao, Shandong province from May 2-5.