Traditional 22ft Dhow Championships at Dubai
by Sharon Allison 25 Oct 2009 13:53 GMT
24 October 2009
Clear air for Dahees
An outstanding race for skipper Al Hur Rashid Al Muhairi sailing on Dahees scooped victory in the first heat of Dubai Traditional 22ft Dhow Sailing Championships ahead of a tough fleet. The race held just off Mina Seyahi, delighted beach goers who witnessed the spectacular arrival of the dhows finishing close to the shore. Al Wasf helmed by Mohammed Hamad Al Ghashaih took second place and Yousef Mohammed Ahmed Al Hamadi on Mura’ab took third.
Dahees lived up to the English translation of its name and ‘steamrollered’ the fleet by getting a
superb start, taking him away from the other sails in to clear air. ‘This win at the beginning of
the season is really heartening, I didn’t win any of the races last season, so this is great,’ said
the happy skipper.
The 22 ft dhow is used to train and introduce youngsters to sailing. Although the design of the
boat remains traditional many sailors have opted to purchase sails from modern sail makers in
Europe keeping within the guidelines of the UAE Marine Sports Federation. ‘We have taken the
approach to develop a training boat based on our traditions and we are pleased with the results,’
said Saeed Harib. ‘Some of these sailors will go on to race the 43 ft or 60 ft dhows and some will
go on to race on our Sea Dubai branded RC44 and race internationally in the RC44 Championship
Tour. The final Round of the RC44 Championship Tour will be hosted in Dubai International
Marine Club in November,’ he added.
Organizers, Dubai International Marine Club, were pleased to welcome HH Sheikh Saeed bin
Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum to watch the race and present the winners with trophies.
Overall Results:
| Pos | Sail No | Name | Skipper/Owner | Owner |
|---|
| 1st | 10 | Dahees | Al Hur Rashid Al Muharii | &nbsb; |
| 2nd | 4 | Al Wasf | Mohammed Hamad Al Ghashaih | &nbsb; |
| 3rd | 16 | Mura’ab | Yousef Mohd. Ahmed Al Hamadi | Sh. Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nayan |
| 4th | 3 | Al Iz | Sultan Ahmed Khadim Al Muhairi | &nbsb; |
| 5th | 34 | Deenar | Aref Saif Al Zafine | Mohammed Abdul Rahim Ahmed Al Hamadi |
| 6th | 1 | Sharmardal | Sultan Saeed Harib | Sh. Majid bin |