David Worrall steered Sharazad to success in the 108-nautical mile Dubai-Sir Bu Nair-Dubai race which ended late yesterday off the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC).
However, Christophe Vanek in Horizon FCB retained the outright lead in the Maktoum Sailing Trophy at the end of the second round.
Owned by Shaikh Rashid Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and skippered by Australian Mark Feilberg, Serdal Dubai took line honours as the first boat to reach the finish at the DIMC after a demanding offshore race through the night.
But with the IRC handicap system in place, it was Worrall vice president of the UAE IRC Owner's Association who came out on top on the day, with Vanek taking first round winner Horizon FCB to second place ahead of Serdal Dubai.
Yousuf Bin Lahej, the first UAE national to quality for an Olympic sailing event, guided Xclusive Amirah to fourth place in the first of the offshore events included in the Maktoum Sailing Trophy series.
That performance lifted Bin Lahej to third in the overall standings behind Horizon FCB and Sharazad.
With the top six challengers still closely grouped, everything points towards this being a fiercely competitive series.
The third round of the seven-round series will take place next month off the Jebel Ali Sailing Club.
Victory on the day was particularly sweet for Worrall, who would almost certainly have fared better than his fourth place overall in last month's opening round but for a disqualification from one of the five races.
Delighted to have taken Serdal Dubai first past the finish line, Feilberg said: "It was a tough race and a big mixture of conditions. On the approach to Sir Bu Nair, the wind was very light and the other boats were catching us up fast.
Playing a key role in the event was a UAE Coastguard Cutter, captained by Lieutenant Jasem Salim Al Jabri.
"They spent two days out at the island providing information about traffic and weather conditions," said regatta chairman Sid Bensalah.
The focus of attention at DIMC now switches to the Emirates airline-sponsored Dubai Junior Regatta, the world's largest junior sailing festival which starts next.
Dubai-Sir Bu Nair-Dubai race results: 1. Sharazad (David Worrall) 1:1:41:39; 2. Horizon FCB (Christophe Vanek) 1:1:48:05; 3. Serdal Dubai (Mark Feilberg) 1:2:41:28. Maktoum Sailing Trophy overall positions: 1: Horizon FCB (33 pts); 2. Sharazad (30); 3. Xclusive Amirah (26); 4. Aquamarine Shock Wave (25).
