The crew of Shahrazad were crowned winners of the inaugural Sir Bani Yas offshore race after just four of the 11 teams completed the course yesterday.

Beginning at Sir Bani Yas Island in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region on Friday afternoon, the 10-crew team arrived at Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC) after completing the course in 39 hours 14 minutes 49 seconds ahead of second-placed Niabenaur (42:20.44).

Tazotoo (46:54.32) and Bintoak (48:53.24) finished third and fourth respectively.

The remaining teams failed to finish due to the “tough” conditions on the course.

Shahrazad skipper David Worrall – who led crew members Nigel Easterbrook, Kirsty Tuxford, Peter Caush, Anders Henckel, Brad Gibbs, Jeff Bright, David Carroll, Keiran Walsh and John Cole – was delighted with the victory.

“The team are all pretty excited to win,” said Worrall.

“It required a lot of work, planning and organisation and each member of the team put in a very good performance.”

When asked how tough the race was, Worrall said: “It was surprisingly challenging to be honest. Because as you head to the west of Abu Dhabi there’s a lot of challenges because you are in the oil fields and there are other things you have to avoid and miss.

“It was quite challenging in terms of the navigation, and when you are racing it’s even more difficult. It’s about having the skill of every member of the team to ensure that the boat moves fast throughout the race.”

Having won the first edition, Worrall emphasised the importance of raising the profile of the race.

“Absolutely, we will defend this title,” he said. “We want to grow this race into a major event in the region. It’s not just about the racing. A lot of people do this for fun. A large part of the event gives the people the opportunity to use their boats at a fantastic place like Sir Bani Yas Island.”

Organised by the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC), the race competed by UAE-based sailors was the last of the series for the season by the DOSC.

And race manager James Harris hailed the event.

“It’s a fantastic achievement that it’s now completed, especially as this was the first time the race set off from Sir Bani Yas Island,” said Harris.

“It was very much a feeling of accomplishment that the first one has been completed.

“It was a very challenging and tough course, which gave the sailors many obstacles to overcome. It required a lot of time and effort on the sailors’ part to navigate the waters safely.”