::.Welcome to Marina Bandar Al Rowdha .::

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MARCH 2010

A tragedy at the swimming pool on 12th resulted in the death of a young girl and reminded us all of what can happen when recreation and enjoyment is uppermost in our minds and death or injury seems remote and unthinkable. It is so unthinkable that we tend not to think about it, neither do we want to be bothered with a lot of do’s and don’ts when we are enjoying ourselves. In the heart-rending case of this little girl it is now too late and our thoughts and condolences are with the bereaved family.

During the month, we have suffered from major interruptions to our fresh water supply which has been beyond our control. I’m aware that some blame is being attached to the marina because we are currently relocating our fresh water tanks. However, all work on this project which necessitates an interruption in the water supply is being carried out at night. When the Municipality cuts off our water it sometimes happens without warning. Whenever the water supply is interrupted, we ensure tankers supply sufficient water to keep essential services going – this does not include a supply to the pontoons, so, if you cannot wash your engine through or clean your boat off, please be patient, we are doing our best.
The recent shortage of dock staff has been addressed and we have recruited 5 additional staff with a further 5 to come. This will hopefully fill up the gaps left by recent departures and also to take care of the newly installed pontoons.
The Jewel of Muscat arrived safely on schedule in Cochin on 15 March on its historic voyage to Singapore. This voyage recreates the 9th century trading route between Omani ports and the Orient. Interested readers can keep right up to date with the vessel’s progress by logging on to www.jewelofmuscat.tv
Further development work within the marina is planned for this year and we have already made a start on cutting the jebel behind the workshop in preparation for the installation of a sewage treatment plant. Other works which will start this year are:

A workshop extension
A new slipway
A larger travel hoist dock

All of the above will result in some disruption to the marina but we will ensure that this is minimised and that you are still able to enjoy your boating to the full.
Finally – to those of you contemplating selling your boat: please ensure that you inform the berth holder’s office staff when your boat changes hands. Thank you.
I wish you all safe and enjoyable boating.

Bob Looker
Marina Manager

1 April 2010

To all Berth Holders

This is the first Newsletter for a couple of months and I apologise for the lapse. A great deal has happened since the last Newsletter but I’ll keep this short with just the important things.

Firstly, the inaugural Muscat Regatta was held here from 1 to 10 December, immediately following the Dubai to Muscat yacht race. Both events were well attended and enjoyable. The Muscat Regatta was deemed successful by participants, organisers, sponsors and spectators. It culminated in Khasab on 10 December where Her Excellency the Minister for Sports Affairs presented prizes totalling US$ 55,000 to the winners. Our thanks go to the sponsors, especially to Bank of Beirut for their amazing generosity, all the participants for having a go and last but not least to all of the volunteer helpers without whom the regatta could not have happened. This year’s Muscat Regatta will be held in late November/ early December so: watch this space.

The installation of the new Walcon pontoons is now completed and, because we had a few pilings remaining, we plan to extend the berthing which is currently along the quay wall. This, when finished, will be for the exclusive use of our commercial operators who will no longer have to wait for another boat to finish loading guests on the hammerhead.

Most of you will now know that the former Assistant Manager Mr. Paco has returned to his native Australia. Whilst management seeks a replacement, the Operations Department will be under the care of Saud Al Subhi. He operates from the control tower, just as Paco once did.

More improvements are in the pipeline for this year, including additional office space, an extension to the workshop, relocating the fresh water tanks to the top of the adjacent jebel and generally consolidating the gains in useable space made ashore. Preparations for future improvements will also be put in hand this year, including a sewage treatment plant, a larger slipway and a larger capacity travel hoist.

The replica of a 9th century trading vessel ‘Jewel of Muscat’ which was built in the nearby village of Qantab and resided here in the marina for a while following her launch, departed Muscat for Singapore on 16 February. We at Marina Bandar Al-Rowdha were very proud to be associated with this ship and we wish her Captain, Saleh Al Jabri and his crew asoldier’s wind* all the way to Singapore.

*Soldiers wind – a gentle wind from abaft the beam, according to us sailors!

Finally: A timely reminder to all who have yet to pay their berthing fees for 2010 that, as from 1 March, a 2% interest charge will be added monthly to the outstanding amount in accordance with the Berthing Agreement. So please, if you haven’t already settled, now is the time to do so.

Also, please inform the marina when you sell your boat. Failure to observe this simple rule creates work and a lot of inconvenience to all concerned, including the seller.

I wish you all safe and enjoyable boating.

Bob Looker

Marina Manager

GWM RACING LTD

Marina Bandar Al Rowdha is holding the first ever international sailing regatta from the 1st of December to 8th December at marina. Establishing a new regatta is a complex task calling for a range of different skills from the shoreside hospitality to on water race management. An early decision by Marina Bandar Al- Rowdha was the appointment of GWM Racing Ltd to be in charge of race management. GWM Racing Limited (www.gwmracing.com) is a UK based company founded in 2007 and owned by Peter Wykeham-Martin and John Grandy. The company specializes in all aspects of the planning and execution of the on the water side of large yacht regattas for charter companies, yacht designers and manufacturers and clients who need specialist professional advice on how to run the racing element of their regatta. They were in charge for the Dubois Cup in Palma in 2007, the Superyacht Cup also in Palma in 2008, and made their Caribbean debut in charge of Antigua Sailing Week 2009. In addition the company is working with Porto Montenegro in the Adriatic and has recently been contracted by Oyster yachts of UK run all on water aspects of their overseas regatta programme from 2010-12, normally in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. The Muscat to Khasab regatta is GWM’s Middle East debut and they are much looking forward to tackling the unique Omani combination of fluky wind conditions, challenging inshore and offshore courses and of course – lots of sun!

John and Peter are honoured and delighted to be providing their services for the inaugural.Muscat to Khasab regatta. GWM Racing operates on the principle that meticulous prior preparation is the key to success and that it is never too early to start – the first tasks for Marina Bandar Al-Rowdha were to author both the 2009 Notice of Regatta and Sailing Instructions.

John is Chairman of Cowes Week and an ISAF International Race Officer and Peter as well as being an RYA qualified race officer is an experienced offshore racer participating in the 1973 Whitbread Race and many other events including the Fastnet, Sydney to Hobart and Antigua Sailing Week; he was until recently CEO of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Peter is also a qualified IRC measurer and carries out Special Regulations checks as required by event organisers. Part of the fun of their job is running the racing and they look forward to meeting and working with local race officers to establish a fun regatta enjoyed by all entrants whilst ensuring that the racing is conducted in a professional and safe manner.

GWM Racing specialise in establishing a close and informal relationship between themselves as race officers and competitors. They make a point of staying close to their ‘customers’, by radio while racing and by physical presence on the dockside. This helps to develop and maintain the right atmosphere which at all times must be seen as a two way dialogue – the days of “them and us” for competitors and race committee are long since gone.

John is well used to handling multi class crowded start lines at Cowes, and Peter has plenty of first hand experience both of being on the receiving end of the starting gun and feedback from offshore competitors – they have assured us that they are ready for anything!

The inclusive nature of the Muscat to Khasab regatta welcoming entries from the smallest single handed dinghy to the fully crewed IRC rated race boats presents an exciting race management challenge. However, that is part of the fun of racing and GWM Racing’s first priority will be to ensure that all have a really great and memorable time on the water.