Al Hur Rashid Al Muhairi's 'Dahees' ('Clear Air') victorious in Dubai

by Sharon Allison, Dubai International Marine Club on 26 Oct 2009
It is very heartening to see pockets of real traditional boat racing around the world. There is a whole plethora of craft racing in the Caribbean, the Indonesians are into the trad stuff big time, and now there is a resurgence of dhow racing taking place in the United Arab Emirates.

Last Saturday's opening heat of the Dubai Traditional 22ft Dhow Sailing Championships was an outstanding race for skipper Al Hur Rashid Al Muhairi - sailing 'Dahees' to an emphatic victory ahead of a tough fleet.

The race held just off Mina Seyahi, delighted beach goers who witnessed the spectacular arrival of the dhows finishing close to the shore. Al Wasf helmed by Mohammed Hamad Al Ghashaih took second place and Yousef Mohammed Ahmed Al Hamadi on Mura’ab took third.

Dahees lived up to the English translation of its name and ‘steamrollered’ the fleet by getting a superb start, taking him away from the other sails in to clear air. ‘This win at the beginning of the season is really heartening, I didn’t win any of the races last season, so this is great,’ said the happy skipper.

The 22 ft dhow is used to train and introduce youngsters to sailing. Although the design of the boat remains traditional many sailors have opted to purchase sails from modern sail makers in Europe keeping within the guidelines of the UAE Marine Sports Federation. ‘We have taken the approach to develop a training boat based on our traditions and we are pleased with the results,’ said Saeed Harib. ‘Some of these sailors will go on to race the 43 ft or 60 ft dhows and some will
go on to race on our Sea Dubai branded RC44 and race internationally in the RC44 Championship Tour. The final Round of the RC44 Championship Tour will be hosted in Dubai International Marine Club in November,’ he added.

Organizers, Dubai International Marine Club, were pleased to welcome HH Sheikh Saeed bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum to watch the race and present the winners with trophies.