Dubai: A record 120 dhows from all over the UAE have already departed on their long journey to Sir Bu Nair Island, a day before the actual ‘Al Gaffal’ sailing race to be held on Saturday.
When registration closed on Tuesday evening, a total of 120 dhows had registered for the 27th edition of this event that has a total prize fund of Dh10 million.
Last year’s race was won by Zilzal, and this year too the dhow, skippered by Marwan Abdullah Mohammad Al Marzouqi and owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), is bound to have a strong challenge from the likes of former multiple champions including Azeer, Ghazi, Sirdal and Barraq. Azeer, Ghazi and Barraq have all won this race on four occasions each, while Sirdal and Zilzal have taken the crown twice each.
The scrutineering of dhows was held on Wednesday, after which the vessels made their way to Sir Bu Nair where the participants will engage in various activities including deep-sea diving contests. “Each race has a unique flavour. We try and bring something new each year, and this year our focus has been on the Sir Bu Nair island that also houses some rare species of wildlife and flora,” Mohammad Abdullah Hareb, CEO of Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), told Gulf News.
“The highlight of this race is that we have the involvement of an entire sea-faring community because our lives are so closely connected to water. At the same time we need to make our younger generation aware of our roots so that we don’t drift away from our culture and heritage in the long run,” he added.
The annual race, organised by DIMC, had the highest number of 120 dhows participating in the 2015 edition. “Once again we have a huge number of dhows this year and this just goes on to show the increasing popularity of sailing in the UAE,” Hareb said.
The race is scheduled to be flagged off at 6.15am on Saturday with the first of the dhows expected to reach the edge of The Palm Jumeirah by 12.30pm.
“A lot of effort has been invested in everyone’s safety. We pray that everything goes well and we have yet another edition of Al Gaffal,” Hareb added.
