Search Halted for Oman Sail crew member

(October 15, 2015) – Oman Sail, a non-profit organisation established in 2008 to promote sailing in the Arab nation, has halted the search for Mohammed Al Alawi (26 years), who fell off the MOD 70 trimaran Musandam-Oman Sail while off the coast of Croatia.

On October 7 in winds of 15-17 knots, skipper Sidney Gavignet (FRA) reported a Man Overboard (MOB) while en route from France to Trieste in Italy for the Barcolana yacht race. The Italian and Croatian coastguards had been assisting with the search, which had been challenged due to high winds and bad visibility. The Italian and Croatian coastguards will now remain on alert.

“We are completely devastated,” said David Graham, Oman Sail Chief Executive Officer “Mohammed has been a sailor and sailing instructor with Oman Sail for many years, he was a cherished member of the team with a hugely positive approach and passion for the sport. He was a highly respected colleague and will be greatly missed. We are doing everything that we can to support his family at this difficult time.”

Mohammed Al Alawi was reported MOB at 05:05 CET, just south of Pula in Croatia. The search effort included aircraft, RIBs, the MOD70 and coastguard launches.

Time and tidal patterns prompted the search to shift to the Italian side of the Adriatic Sea between Ancona and Rimini yesterday. The search in this area continued today using a light aircraft, but without results.

Daily updates of the search were posted here.