The Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation is delighted to announce the publication of Sailing Oman: A Yachting Guide – the first cruising guide dedicated entirely to sailing Oman.
Written by experienced bluewater cruisers Reem Askalan and Jaoudat Kazoun, the new guide opens up a remarkable stretch of coastline that remains relatively little-visited by the international yachting community.
Reem, an Omani urban planner, researcher and sailor, and Jaoudat, who has had close ties with Oman since 2000, bring together a deep knowledge of the country with extensive offshore sailing experience. In 2012, they exchanged conventional careers for life under sail, spending five years living aboard their catamaran Flâneur and cruising extensively throughout the Mediterranean and Red Sea.
In 2015, they went on to co-found Red Sea Sails, the first sailing school and charter company in the Red Sea. In 2017, they began an ambitious expedition to explore and survey Oman’s largely undocumented cruising waters. Over the following six years, they sailed the length of Oman’s 3,165km coastline, from Dhufar in the south to the dramatic inlets of Musandam in the north, documenting 53 anchorages along the way.
The result is a full-colour cruising guide containing detailed notes on anchorages and marinas, plans based on the authors’ own bathymetric surveys, aerial and sea-level photography, local weather information and practical advice for cruising the region. It also brings Oman’s rich maritime heritage, culture and landscapes to life, with suggested itineraries and recommendations for exploring ashore.
For sailors looking to venture beyond more familiar cruising grounds, Sailing Oman provides an authoritative introduction to one of the Arabian Peninsula’s most spectacular and uncrowded coastlines.
The publication will be celebrated with an official book launch at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in London on Tuesday 6 October, hosted by the British-Omani Society, Imray and the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation. Reem and Jaoudat will share some of their experiences from the six years spent researching the guide, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Sailing Oman: A Yachting Guide is available to purchase now, published by Imray Nautical.