Oman's all-women crew on podium

Inspired by the presence of Suzanne al Houby, the first Arab woman to climb Mount Everest, the all-women crew on board Oman's Al Thuraya BankMuscat secured a third-place finish during an in-port racing event held at the Royal Ras al Khaimah Yacht Club, Al Hamra Marina, in the UAE on Tuesday.

Courrier Dunkerque of France and Team Commercialbank of Qatar took joint first place while Team Bahrain was in second position. Team Commercialbank won the first race, followed by Oman's BAE Systems in second and Courrier Dunkerque in third.

In the second race, Team Bahrain led from start to finish. Team Muscat 2012 and BAE Systems collided and fell behind while Al Thuraya BankMuscat sailed on to take third positionbehind Team Commercialbank.

Meanwhile, the nine-team fleet for the 2012 Sailing Arabia-The Tour will leave Ras al Khaimah on Wednesday and set sail for the next stopover in Musandam for the fourth leg of the event.

Following Musandam, the tour travels to Musannah and finally Muscat.

Courrier Dunkerque won the third leg ahead of Team Commercialbank. The fleet arrived at Ras al Khaimah on Sunday morning after completing a 232km journey from Abu Dhabi.

The teams were honoured at Ras al Khaimah on Tuesday by the UAE's Crown Prince H H Sheikh Mohammad al Qasimi.

David Graham, Oman Sail’s chief executive, said at the felicitation programme, “This is the second year Ras al Khaimah has provided a spectacular stopover for Sailing Arabia-The Tour. The tour provides a platform for the GCC countries to come together to showcase our region.”