Al Zeer: the winner. Image copyright Dubai International Marine Club.
Marwan Al Tayer, left & Mohammed Rashid Bin Shaheem, 3rd from left & crew members. Image copyright Dubai International Marine Club.
by Sharon Allison
Al Zeer swooped through the finish line next to the Burj Al Arab this afternoon (Friday) to score a win in the second round of the Dubai Traditional 43ft Dhow Sailing Championship organised by Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC). Dahees narrowly beat Al Adeed to take second and third places as the fleet seemingly descended from every direction at the finish line. Shamardel was fourth and the winner of the last round Al Shared took fifth after an amazing hour-long race full of manoeuvre and charm.
Burraq & Al Adeed in front of the Burj Khalifa. Image copyright Dubai International Marine Club.
‘It was my race’ said skipper Mohammed Rashid Bin Shaheen, ‘I like tactical races and the race today was very tactical; you have to read the conditions and stick to your plan. The weather was great; a good northerly breeze of around 13 knots and I felt very confident. I want to win the championship this season and I’m really happy with this result.’
Image copyright Dubai International Marine Club.
Image copyright Dubai International Marine Club.
Eighty-two boats, the largest fleet this season, started dramatically with shredded sails and a man over board who was miraculously recovered by his crew mates at the start line. Lively wind conditions and a choppy sea contributed to a spectacular race, which witnessed more split sails along the way and more men over board who were quickly recovered by the support craft.
Image copyright Dubai International Marine Club.
Image copyright Dubai International Marine Club.
‘We moved the race to start at Deira Palm and finished at the Burj Al Arab because of the wind direction,’ said Marwan Al Tayer from the DIMC organising committee and Race Officer of the Day. ‘The conditions were superb for a really exciting race and I am pleased with the amount of boats on the start line, this sport is truly growing in popularity which it’s very encouraging.’
Image copyright Dubai International Marine Club.
The next and final round of the Championships is at DIMC on March 12th.
Shamardel and kite surfers. Image copyright Dubai International Marine Club.
Provisional Results – Place, Boat Number, Boat Name, Skipper, Owner
1st 16, Al Zeer, Mohammed Rashid Bin Shaheen, Khalifa Rashid Bin Shaheen
2nd 87, Dahees, Hassan Abdullah Juma Al Marzouqi, Ali Abdullah Juma Al Marzouqi
3rd 30, Al Adeed, Rashid Mohamed Rashid Musabbeh Al Rumaithi, Mohamed Rashid Musabbeh Al Rumaithi
4th 8, Shamardel, Sultan Saeed Hareb, Sh. Majed bin Mohd. Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
5th 60, Al Shared, Majid Ahmed Al Muhairi, Ahmed Khadim Al Muhairi
Dubai International Marine Club
