Easy sail

Boat Owner chatted to Tom Pratt and Silke Ehrenbrandtner from Laser Distributor, T5 Middle East, about its objectives:

“We were very nervous ahead of the first round of the Volvo Laser SB3 Middle East Grand Prix at DOSC, but even without much wind, the competition was a great success. Considering there was only 40 seconds difference between the first and last boat in the last race, it shows how competitive it was. One incorrect reading of the wind and the whole race can change. But the great thing is that Volvo is fully behind the development of the class, having signed up for next year’s Grand Prix circuit as well.”

How far do you plan on taking the class?

“With SB3 getting one design accreditation from the ISAF, we might be able to get the World Competition out here in a couple of years. But now the SB3 class is up and running, we are looking at a small fleet in Bahrain, and pushing awareness of the value of sailing and the ease/economy of Lasers to hotels and developers. We want to see more corporate investment in sailing in the future, which we believe we will see with Volvo demonstrating the way the sport can be effectively used for brand promotion.”

What about existing Laser sailors?

“We now have a vast warehouse of spares for all Laser models, from spars and sails to complete hulls, so there is now no need for Laser owners to wait when something breaks. We have also donated a Laser GXD Standard to Adel Khalid to sail in competitions throughout the Gulf. Whether he makes it to the Olympics or not, we very much want to support how far he has come and what he is becoming in terms of a role model to young sailors. The Olympics would obviously be great for him, and Arab sailing in general, but we also want him to do well locally.”

So big things in the pipeline?

“Starting off where we have, there is so much to do in terms of awareness of T5, Laser, what we do and what we offer. Ultimately we want Laser to be the boat of choice for the environment. At first we will look at pushing our services through the Grand Prix events and supporting youth sailors. Then we will have a great push at the SB3 Grand Prix final during the Dubai International Boat Show.

In the next year we are planning to expand all the way across the Middle East, and maybe even acquire some further territories as well. There is a massive lack of sailing schools and places for Laser sailors to club together. We need greater capacity so clubs and schools are able to accept the influx of people wanting to get involved with sailing. With the ease and availability of Laser, we hope to change that.”