Wednesday 12 / February / 2025
Muscat – Five of Oman Sail’s Optimist youth squad joined over 100 sailors from across Asia in Thailand for The Admiral’s Cup 2025, with three achieving top 10 finishes in their fleets. Khamis Nasser Al Mashaikhi finished in ninth place in the Gold fleet while Hood Saad Al Nofli won the Silver fleet and teammate Mohammed Ziyad Al Qasimi finished fourth.
Khamis Al Mashaikhi started strongly by winning the opening race, and was consistent throughout, also notching a third-place finish in round eight of 11. The top seven places all went to local sailors from the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand in what was a very strong showing for the hosts.
Oman’s Hadeel Yousuf Al Mushaifri finished 35th out of 51 and Tarteel Zaid Al Hasani ended the event in 47th. Both have gained valuable experience as they continue to develop as sailors on the international stage.
Hood Al Nofli showed remarkable character to recover from a shaky start to achieve six podium finishes from the last seven races – including three wins – to win the Silver fleet competition. Teammate Mohammed Al Qasimi narrowly missed out on third place but impressed as the regatta progressed, achieving two podium finishes.
The Omani delegation was led by Hashim Al Rashdi, Team Leader and Sultan Al Zadjali, Optimist Coach.
Hashim Al Rashdi said, “This was an excellent experience for all five of our sailors. Each sailor is at a different stage of their development, so to end the Admiral’s Cup with a top ten finish in the Gold fleet and a winner and fourth place in the Silver fleet is great. We worked on tactics and mentality in training, and it was evident in the performances that the sailors recognise their strengths and are able to shake off difficulties and approach each race with renewed focus. We will look to build on these performances throughout the coming season and have every confidence that the sailors will continue to improve.”
The Admiral’s Cup 2025 was organised and hosted by the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, Thailand, from 6-10 February.
The team will represent Oman in several regattas throughout the year, including Winter Cup, GCC Beach Games in April, Oman Sailing Championships in August and the 14th edition of Mussanah Race Week in October and IODA in October-November in Oman.
