Ibtisam Al-Salmi, 25 years old, is the most professional woman sailor in the Middle East. She is an Omani girl and since 2012 she trains at the Oman Sail, a non-profit organization that was established in 2008.
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s vision was to rekindle Oman’s maritime heritage, promoting the Sultanate of Oman around the world through sailing while providing long-term learning opportunities for the youth of Oman. All these ideas lay beneath Oman Sail activities. In order to create more opportunities for women in the field of sailing and also to empower Omani women in their everyday life, in 2011 the Women’s Sailing Programme was launched.
Here the girls learn the art of sailing, but they also develop strategic quality, patience, ability to work in a team and to lead it, skills to endure hardships. Sailor women feel they can spend these very same qualities in their social and working life.

Building inspiring female figures for new generations is one of the key points of the program, thus they help girls and women to become instructors themselves. The Oman Sail created the first all-female sailing team throughout the Arab world. This team works with foreign instructors in the gym and on the water.