Dubai International Marine Club Match Racing - Qualifying
by Sharon Allison 8 Nov 2009 08:13 GMT
7 November 2009
Eight boats qualify for the first round of the Dubai International Marine Club Match Racing Series © Ashraf Al Amra
Eight boats qualified convincingly today from two separate races, in a light westerly breeze to go through to the first round of the Dubai International Marine Club Match Racing Series in the Traditional 22 ft Dhow Sailing Class. Shamardel, Dahees, Al Alawi and Al Za’eem led the fleet in the first race and Rejam, Mura’ab, Al Wasf and Lahoub scooped the winning four places in the second race.
The fleet of twenty were divided randomly for the two races during the briefing by one of the youngest sailors who unwittingly picked the first, second, third and fifth placed boats from the last season’s championship for the first race causing a stir from the anxious audience.
‘It was a tough race,’ said Sultan Saeed Harib, skipper of Shamardel ‘we had to work hard and make no mistakes to be in the top four but luckily we made it.’
Shamardel showed some superb skill to gain first place on the last leg after following Dahees around most of the course. It was not so smooth for all the boats however. During the boat weigh in before the race one boat was banned from racing as the mast was too long and one of the leading boats in the first race was disqualified as a crew member was not a UAE national which is imperative to be able to sail in this class.
Eight boats will now go forward to the first series of matches to be held later in the season. Back on shore there was an interesting mix as the Traditional 22ft Sailing Dhows and sailors mingled with the RC44 Class sailing boats, which have arrived at DIMC for the Sea Dubai RC44 Gold Cup starting on the 25th November. Many of the Dhow skippers were vying for an onboard place during the match racing which will run for the first two days of the RC44 Championship Tour regatta.