Image: Beneteau First 34.7 Water Fairy approaching Muscat
Seven more boats arrived into Muscat Wednesday, bringing the total arrivals to 14 in the 33rd edition of the Aramex Dubai to Muscat Race. Among yesterday evening's finishers was Nagini, the Farr 30 skippered by Ronan Considine with an all-Irish crew, which looks increasingly likely to claim back-to-back overall victories on IRC corrected time following the boat's win in last year's edition.
Finishing fifth on the water at 18:45 local time – five hours behind leading boat Heaven Can Wait – Nagini now sits in pole position depending on how the remaining seven boats perform over the next 24 hours.
The battle for overall honours came down to a close tactical duel along the Omani coastline between Nagini and Sandpiper. Though Sandpiper finished almost seven hours behind on elapsed time, IRC handicap meant they still had a chance to win. However, the dying breeze in the final approach cost them crucial minutes, putting them second overall. Full winners will be announced in due course once the remaining fleet finishes.
For the teams, the warm welcome on shore matched the conditions on the water. This edition of the race has delivered everything the Arabian Gulf could throw at crews. Abdallah Elkharboutly, skipper of the third multihull to cross the line Layla 22, summed up the experience: “We got the whole Aramex Dubai to Muscat experience in one shot. Fishing nets, medium winds, no winds, low winds, high winds, dolphins, turtles, hundreds of motor boats coming towards you – everything happened during this trip!”
Jason Freeborn aboard the Dragonfly 32, on his seventh Dubai-Muscat race, added: "I like sailing in a warm climate better than in a cold one. I'll take being too hot over being too cold every day of the week, and that's why I live in the Middle East.”
Julian and William Berney brought Acalli home 10th on IRC overall, marking a special reunion for the father-son duo. “The last time we did a long offshore race together was the Fastnet in 2005, 20 years ago,” said William. For Julian, a RORC member approaching his 50th year with the club who was taught to sail by his grandmother, the highlights onboard the Beneteau First 40.7 were simple: “22 knots of wind in the night with some nice waves and dolphins by the moonlight – it was excellent.”
The day brought mixed fortunes elsewhere in the fleet. Tan 3, technically the first boat into Muscat, was disqualified following a ruling by race officials – commiserations to husband-and-wife crew Xavier and Tania Bouin. Meanwhile, Notorious I, the Beneteau First 44 that arrived fourth yesterday evening, is already heading back to Dubai and was spotted waving to boats still sailing towards Marina Bandar Al Rowdha. The most recent arrival was Water Fairy, skippered by Borodinov Sergey, which finished in 14th in the afternoon.
After overnight calms, conditions built throughout the day to deliver champagne sailing in 12-15 knots this afternoon. The wind is forecast to die down again this evening and won't return until after lunch tomorrow, which could impact the final boats reaching the manned finish line. Three further boats have had to retire – Wanderlust, Spirit, and Longreach – leaving seven still racing towards Muscat.
The 2026 Aramex D2M is organised by the United Arab Emirates Sailing & Rowing Federation (UAE SARF) and Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC) in association with the Oman Maritime Sports Committee.
To follow the race, go to www.dubaitomuscatrace.com or @doscuae on Instagram.