A ROUND-the-world sailing team were given heroes’ welcomes as they returned to Oman after completing an historic circumnavigation yesterday.

There were jubilant scenes in capital city Muscat as the five-strong crew of Oman Sail’s 75ft trimaran Musandam crossed the finish line at 11:43am GMT after 76 days at sea.

Crowds packed the corniche to welcome home the crew, which smashed their 80-day target by four days.

Onboard was former Solent University student Nick Houchin – but the spotlights were focused on local hero Moshin Al Busaidi who became the first Omani to race round the world.

Moshin, who had never sailed before being picked for the Oman Sail project, was selected from eight Omanis in an X-Factor-style series of auditions.

Nick said: “It feels absolutely great to be back in Muscat.

“It’s going to feel really weird being back on dry land again, I will have to find my land legs pretty quickly.

“Our partners came out to meet us on the boat after we finished and we had a big plate of fresh fruit – it was so good to have real food.”

The 24-year-old added: “The last 36 hours of the challenge were just perfect – downwind in 15 to 20 knots with the gennaker up.

“We were all hoping the wind would hold up and it did.

“It is such a huge honour to have been part of the project and hopefully it will have helped establish Oman as a sailing nation.”

After berthing in Muscat, the crew was at the centre of lavish celebrations at the corniche at Port Sultan Qaboos.

Nick, from Southampton, was asked to join the crew after helping refit the Musandam, formerly Ellen MacArthur’s record-breaking B&Q, Castorama, while the yacht was in Cowes.

Other crew members were Cowes-based Charles Darbyshire and Frenchmen, Loik Gallon and Thierry Duprey Du Vorsent.