Today marks the exciting return of the water sports season along Jumeirah Shore in Dubai as the Marine Sports Season 2023-2024 kicks off. This exhilarating event, organized by the Dubai International Marine Club, is set to run from today until next April.
In the afternoon, we will witness the first round of the Dubai International Marine Club, which is the opening race of the season, bringing together an elite group of young sailors competing in two categories: juniors under 16 years old and youth under 21 years old.
This season, DIMC will organize two rounds of the Dubai Traditional Dhow Sailing Race, with the first one held today and the second round in November. This race serves as an academy to train young and junior sailors, preparing them for bigger races, as well as to preserve the legacy of their forefathers.
The race will start on Jumeirah Beach with a large participation of Dhow boats, lining up near the World Island. They will navigate the race course as soon as the green flag is raised, marking the start of the race, and the finish line will be near Burj Al Arab, covering a total race distance of 5 nautical miles.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, Mohammed Harib, CEO of the Dubai International Marine Club, extends a warm welcome to all participants as they kick off the 2023-2024 season with the inaugural round of the Dubai Traditional Dhow Sailing Race (22ft). Harib expresses his sincere wishes for the organizing committee and all event participants to have a successful start to what promises to be an exciting and eventful season.
He underscores that the new calendar composes of an array of water sports activities, encompassing a blend of both modern and traditional races across various categories. The primary aim is to foster a stronger community presence and engagement with watersports.
21
Toofan 21 displayed exceptional performance, surpassing all other boats in the Dubai Traditional Dhow Sailing Race (22ft) in both categories the youth and junior last season. They secured the top position with an impressive 15 points accumulated over three consecutive rounds. During this competition, they achieved first place in first rounds, and in the remaining two rounds, they finished seventh.
1999
In 1999, the Dubai International Marine Club organized the first Dubai Traditional Dhow Sailing Race (22ft) on October 1st. The event featured 16 participating boats, with the crew of the boat 'Hayaf,' owned by sailor Rashid Mohammed Rashid Al Rumaithi, successfully crossed the finish line first and claimed the victory.
This race was established as a translation of the vision of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with the aim of creating an academy to train young and junior sailors, preparing them for a bigger races.
Over the years, the rules and conditions have evolved, culminating in the recent season's inclusion of two categories: the juniors under 16 years old and the youth under 21 years old.
16
Dubai International Marine Club organized the first Dubai Traditional Dhow Sailing Race (22ft) on October 1st featuring 16 boats wherein the crew of 'Hayaf,' a boat owned by sailor Rashid Mohammed Rashid Al Rumaithi, successfully crossed the finish line and claimed the victory.
