Aktuelle Nachrichten aus der Segelwelt Segelnachrichten 2010 http://www.omansail.com 3 July 2010 Oman's Gift To Singapore Arrives In short:-  o      Jewel of Muscat reached its new home in Singapore at sunset on July 3 2010 after an epic journey following the ancient maritime silk route from Oman. On arrival in Singapore, Omani Captain Saleh Al Jabri presented a kamal, a 9th-century navigational tool, to Singapore President S.R Nathan as a symbol of the gift of Jewel of Muscat.   Foto: www.omansail.com o    Jewel of Muscat is a 9th-century reconstruction based on the only wreck of an Arabian sailing ship from this period ever discovered. Built without nails, it took two years to construct and was hand sewn on Qantab beach in Muscat, Oman. o      The journey to Singapore has taken nearly 5 months including stopovers in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia en route and has successfully re-charted the old trading routes from Arabia to the east.   o      Jewel of Muscatis a symbol of friendship between Oman and Singapore and a celebration of the close ties and ancient connections between these two great seafaring nations and Peoples across the Indian Ocean, from Arabia to China.   o      The President of Singapore, S.R. Nathan, said on arrival "On behalf of the people of Singapore, I would like to express my deep appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the Sultanate of Oman for the generous and deeply symbolic gift of Jewel of Muscat."   o      Mohsin Al Busaidi, the first Arab to sail non-stop around the world, was also in Singapore to welcome the crew and celebrate their achievement.   Image In full:- On 16 February 2010, Jewel of Muscat slipped her moorings and left Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat on a voyage of rediscovery. Nearly five months later, at sunset on 3 July 2010, she was greeted on arrival at Keppel Bay Marina by the Singapore President S. R. Nathan and His Highness Sayyid Harib bin Thuwainy Al-Said and other key dignitaries from Oman and Singapore. She sailed an epic voyage commemorating the historic trade links that have long existed between Oman and Singapore, around the Indian Ocean rim via ports in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.    Based on the wreck of a 9th-century Arabian trading vessel, the only one ever found, Jewel of Muscat is 18-metres long and was built without nails. Instead, its planks were sewn together with coconut fibre through nearly 70,000 stitching holes.   On arrival in Singapore, the crew disemba rked for the very last time at the marina to the beating of Omani drums, which seamlessly turned into the drumming of the Singapore drummers and dragon dancers. President S.R Nathan and His Highness Sayyid Harib bin Thuwainy Al-Said greeted the crew individually before making their welcome speeches followed by Captain Saleh Al Jabri and the gifting of the ship to the people of Singapore.   President S.R. Nathan addressed the crew and well wishers at the arrival ceremony; "Lying across the other side of the Indian Ocean, trade and friendship have long been pillars of the Sultanate of Oman. For centuries, the maritime route between Arabia and China was the longest trading route in the world.  Oman lay at one e nd of this route.  It was Oman that produced the sailors and navigators that plied this route.  The extraordinary achievements of these Omani seamen have been preserved and remembered in stories such as those of Sindbad.  The voyage of Jewel of Muscat, which has been captured in a documentary by National Geographic, adds to this rich tradition, and should be remembered as a symbol of goodwill between old friends linked by history.   Image  Being at the crossroads between East and West, Singapore is a fitting place for the Jewel to be based.  Historically, ships from Arab destinations stopped in Si ngapore or in ports nearby to await the change of the monsoons, before continuing their journey eastwards to China or the other way.  We hope that Captain Saleh and his crew will feel at home here before leaving to embark on new adventures.    On behalf of the people of Singapore, I would like to express my deep appreciation to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said and the Sultanate of Oman for the generous and deeply symbolic gift of the Jewel of Muscat."   His Highness Sayyid Harib bin Thuwainy Al-Said, responded "His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, has honoured me by asking me to represent him here today at this ceremony and to f ulfil the precious duty of presenting this ship, Jewel of Muscat to the people of Singapore.   We wish here to record a special greeting to the Captain and all the Crew of the Jewel of Muscat, for their great endeavour in sailing the Jewel of Muscat all the way to Singapore."   The journey began back in October 2007 when Australian-based maritime archaeologist Dr Tom Vosmer headed up a team from Oman and began thechallenge of finding identical species of wood that were used and scientifically identified from the Belitung shipwreck found off Indonesia.  A fter extensive research Afzelia Africana timber from Ghana was located and felled for the keel and planks of the ship. Closer to home, wood for the frames was sourced and cut in Wadi Bani Kharus in Oman."Throughout construction, discussions about the archaeological evidence swirled about, leading us by twists and turns through the reconstruction process." Dr Tom Vosmer, in his sea-log from the ship in the final days of sailing explained, "Sometimes the evidence was enigmatic, ambiguous, baffling. Sometimes it generated an epiphany of understanding, a marvellous revelation of the cleverness of ninth-century shipbuilders. Plank by plank Jewel was carefully sewn together, the frames sewn in, the massive beams fitted and sewn. The ship has performed magnificently; we have learned so much about ancient ship construction, sailing, and navigation. All those involved in the design, creation and sailing of Jewel of Muscat must be justifiably proud to have been a part of this great adventure."   The world has changed in the intervening centuries; the high seas are now the domain of large cargo ships and cruiser liners, but the art of sailing by the wind has been carried down through generations. Omani Captain Saleh Al Jabri and up to twenty brave crew members spent long periods at sea, crossing the Oman Sea and Indian Ocean from Muscat to Cochin, then experiencing the edge of a tropical cyclone with four days of strong winds and high seas after leaving Galle, Sri Lanka, in the Bay of Bengal on their way to Penang, Malaysia. Witho ut an engine and solely reliant on the wind and currents to push her along, the crew used their kamal to navigate and also spend long periods of time in the doldrums without any wind.   On board when they departed Muscat, the crew had a pen of live chickens and two goats, as well as staples of rice, bread and dried fish, but supplemented their diet with Snicker bars, a rare 21st-century luxury!   The last Captain's log written as the ship entered Singapore waters on 3 July was full of emotion. "For nearly five months, this ship has been ourkitchen and our cradle, our office and our classroom. Our lives have depended upon her, in the most adverse weather conditio ns, on tossing seas and in driving winds.   She has not failed us. She has surprised and perplexed us on many occasions. But she has proven loyal and true, exceeding our expectations, and above all protecting our lives.   On her deck, we have gained a whole new respect for our forefathers, learning to navigate by the stars, as they did centuries ago.   For the crew of Jewel of Muscat, this voyage has also forged unforeseen relationships to our past. We have gained a real connection to, and a deep respect for, our ancestors who went before us, charting the course, mapping the stars.   But perhaps more importantly, it has produced unbrea kable relationships among us here in the present."   Jewel of Muscat's new home in Singapore will be at the Resorts World Sentosa's upcoming attraction, the Maritime Xperiential Museum. The museum, which will pay tribute to the maritime silk route and Asia's rich maritime history, is scheduled to open next year.   FREE VIDEO OF JEWEL OF MUSCAT'S ARRIVAL WILL BE AVAILABLE VIA FTP ON SATURDAY JULY 3 FROM 1900 BST / 2200 OMAN / 0200 (4 JULY) SINGAPORE TIME ftp : https://media.sunsetvineapp.net username: appftp password: news Folder: SVAPP_News Sub-folder: Jewel of Muscat File: Jewel of Muscat Arrival VNR (.mov)