The lives of the ancestors in the UAE were closely linked to the sea, a source of abundant goodness and livelihood. The traditional local sailing boat races organised by DIMC serve as a beautiful message to revive those vivid images in the nation's memory.
DIMC organises traditional sailing boat events in different categories, including races for 22ft, 43ft, and 60ft boats.
The 22ft tradition dhow sailing competitions are among the most beautiful categories. Launched by DIMC in 1999 as an academy to train juniors and youth, the rules and regulations have been developed season after season to include two categories in recent seasons: juniors under 16 years and youth under 21 years.
The 22ft tradition dhow sailing races began in 1999, initiated and supported by the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who directed Dubai International Marine Club to launch this category to train young sailors for future participation in larger categories and teach them sailing skills.
The first race in the 22ft category was organised by Dubai International Marine Club on October 1st, 1999, with 16 boats built in response to the initiative. The boats competed for the "Namoss" (First Place), and the crew of the boat "Hayaf," owned by Rashid Mohammed Rashid Al Rumaithi, won the first place.
