24th April 2010. Dubai Traditional 22ft Dhow Match Race. Shamardel qualified confidently in first place in the second round of the Dubai Traditional 22ft Match Race held at Dubai International Marine Club.
Skipper Sultan Saeed Harib sailed a superb tactical race to lead the fleet from the start ahead of Dahees who secured second place with Hassan Abdullah Al Marzouqi at the helm and Lahoub, skippered by Mohammed Ahmed T. Al Qubaisi came third followed by Rejam sailed by Khalid Tarish Al Qubaisi, to become the last of the top four boats to qualify through to the next match race round.
The traditional dhow typically races on a downwind one-leg course but for the match race series the organizers at Dubai International Marine Club introduced the triangular course for the eight boats that qualified for the match race series last November.
With a northwesterly seventeen knot breeze the fleet quickly settled in to two distinct groups of four, but the pattern didn’t last. Muzahem settled in to second place for much of the first two legs but a tactical mistake put them out of the running. Al Za’eem was also positioned well in the race but had trouble at the downwind mark and lost valuable ground to Lahoub. A war of nerves ensued as skippers focused on when to turn for the top mark, taking into consideration current, tide, wind the shape of the hull and sail as well as advice shouted from support crews which all added to the pressure.
‘I wanted to be the last boat to gybe to make the angle easier on my crew,’ said Sultan Saeed Harib. ‘The wind was very gusty and quite strong, I wanted the gusts to work with us and not over power us so it was important to get the angle right,’ he added.
Organising the race today was Saeed Harib, CEO of DIMC who took time out from his busy schedule as part of the organising Committee for the Sport Accord meeting which is being held for the first time in Dubai.
The final of the Dubai Traditional 22ft Dhow Match Race will be held on Friday May 7th in the lagoon in front of Le Meridien Mina Seyahi
Provisional Results: Place, Boat, Skipper and Owner
1st. Shamardel, Sultan Saeed Harib, Sh. Majid Bin Mohd. Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
2nd. Dahees, Hassan Abdullah Al Marzouqi
3rd. Lahoub, Mohammed Abdullah Mohd. Al Marzouqi
4th. Rejam, Khalid Tarish Al Qubaisi