Oman Sail – Masirah
A dramatic transformation in just 3 days
In April 2008 we were asked by Offshore Challenges to get involved with an exciting new team which would be entering the iShares Cup.
Oman sail has been set up under the guidance of her Excellency, The Minister of Tourism, to develop and train a core team of Omani sailors who will represent the Sultanate both in Europe and in Oman at key sailing events.
The team took possession of their new Extreme 40 in Valencia a very short time before the start of the iShares Cup 2008 in Legano, Switzerland. This meant that due to the short time period available we were required to brand the hull and sails in one of the America’s Cup bases in Valencia.
The first job undertaken was the sail branding which was a large task in itself with graphics over nearly the entire mainsail and part of the jib. The red and green stripes were put on first followed by the Khanjars (cross daggers) and finally the text before turning over the sails and starting the whole process again.
The boat itself originally had black hulls so in order to realise the design put forward by the team, we needed to completely wrap both hulls in red, green and white vinyl and then apply all text and logos on top.
A forklift truck was a vital part of this job enabling us to suspend one hull at a time from the boats centre beam whilst leaving the other hull safely resting on the trailer.
Two days after a black boat was rolled into the AREVA Challenge America’s Cup work shed, a spectacular new boat appeared having undergone what can only be described as a dramatic transformation.
The Oman sail Extreme 40 sailing team achieved a very respectful 4th place overall in the iShares Cup 2008 ahead of teams comprising of Olympic Gold medallists, round the world sailors and international sailing legends.
One of the principle objectives of the Oman Sail Team is to re-ignite Oman’s maritime heritage and help promote the Sultanate as a world class sailing destination and a place for inward tourism and investment from Northern Europe. The project will also play a pivotal role in developing a Festival of the Sea as part of the 40th National Day Celebrations in 2010.
“Grapefruit Graphics did a fantastic job in Valencia with our Oman Sail Extreme 40. The great thing about using Grapefruit is that you know the job will get done on time and always look fantastic. They are friendly and efficient and work to the very highest standards.”
Pete Cumming – Skipper, Oman Sail Extreme 40