Dubai: An exciting win for Muqasas in ideal conditions put defending champion Burraq in second place and last year's runner-up Seda'a in third position for the first heat of the Dubai Traditional 43-ft Dhow Sailing Championships 2009.
The format of the championship includes one long race for each of the four heats. Yesterday's 15-knot west-northwesterly wind took the fleet on a one-leg cross-wind course for 13 kilometres along the Dubai coastline to arrive at the finish line next to Port Rashid.
A pre-race change in the wind pattern forced the race committee to move the start further offshore and set a kilometre-long start line next to Jebel Ali Port.
The shift translated into extra work for the support boats that tow the dhows to the starting line.
Results:
1st 73 MUQASAS Khalid Mohammad Al Rumaithi Brig. Musabeh Rashid Al Fattan
2nd 33 BURRAQ Rashid Mohammad Al Rumaithi Ahmad Mohammad Rashid Al Rumaithi
3rd 199 SEDA'A Marwan Ali Sa'eed Al Muhairi
4th 80 TOUFAN Ahmad Saeed Salim Al Rumaithi
5th 31 AL SAHEL Saeed Saeed Al Rumaithi
6th 12 ATLAS Faraj Bin Buti Al Muhairi
