Friday, Oct 23, 2009
Gulf News
Dubai As Heat One of the Traditional 22-foot (6.71- metre) Dhow Sailing Championships takes to the water tomorrow it will be interesting to see who wins and to take a good look at the design of their boat and sail.
The 22-foot dhow is the training boat, not just for new sailors but it is also the prototype for the 43-foot and 60-foot racing dhows and a real family affair. Fathers look to the boat to teach their sons how to sail but also they use it as a tool to test improvements to increase the effectiveness of their larger racing dhows.
The UAE Marine Sports Federation supports and encourages sailors to think about not just their sailing but also about the design of the boat and sail as long as they keep within certain guidelines. There is fierce competition between the teams that must include two sailors under the age of 17.
Most of the training is done during the racing.
The programme has been a success and the fleet has flourished since its inception in 1999 and now boasts a starting line-up of over 70 boats.
The Dubai International Marine Club runs a Championship throughout the year and a series of match races to put the sailors through their paces.
The boats, with their shallow hulls and keels are portable and easy to store, cost around $4,000 (Dh14,680) to make. They are mostly built in families' backyards with the sails sewn by local tailors. It is an evolving family industry and will be interesting to see how it develops in the future.
A new inclusion for this season is that sandbags that have traditionally been used for ballast in the keel and for stability in stronger winds have been banned as an environmental measure. The result will surely be a change in design and a fascinating race tomorrow.
Staff Report
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