Duboats hope to leave their mark

Dubai: The Duboats Yacht Racing Team, winner of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Races, is once again intent on striking a bold vision in this year's Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race to start on Friday.

The team will be led by skipper/ navigator, French yachtsman Christophe Vanek, and co skipper Yousef Bin Lahej from the UAE.

The team will enter the race with a Beneteau First 34.7, attributed the "Best Sail Yacht in the Middle East" award at the inaugural Arabian Gulf Yachting Awards 2007 and named AGMC BMW after its sponsors AGMC, the exclusive importer of BMW, BMW Alpina, MINI and Rolls-Royce in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, and BMW Group Middle East.

Vanek, aged 42, is one of the most talented and experienced sailors in the UAE with several years of marine practice and sailing stature behind him.

Local sailor

To prove, he has not only three America's Cup campaigns under his belt, he has also won the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race 3 times in the past, as well as many other races.

To add, Christophe Vanek was awarded the "Person of the year award" at the inaugural Arabian Gulf Yachting Awards 2007 for his contribution to the sailing world in the Middle East.

Bin Lahej, 27, is the only Emirati skipper to enter the competition and is undoubtedly the best local sailor in the GCC.

He has been with the Duboats team for 2 years now and is the first UAE national to qualify for the Olympic Games.

Bin Lahej is also the first UAE national to win an international sailing event, the Al Bareh International Regatta in Bahrain.

Vanek and Bin Lahej joined forces 2 years ago and have proved to be a winning team ever since. "We are very excited to participate again in the Dubai-Muscat Sailing Race.

Sharing the skippering role with Yousef is great experience especially on such an exciting race," commented Vanek.

Podium finish

The seven-man crew of Duboats AGMC BMW includes many sailors from around the world.

Over the past years the Duboats team has established itself as a leading stable in the fast growing yacht racing world and has consistently proved the capabilities and successes of its Beneteau yachts.

No doubt, with such experience and its great combination of skill, youth and talent, the Duboats team has all the ingredients to finish on the podium when the race ends in Muscat.

The Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race is a classic passage event covering 360 nautical miles and takes the boats from the relatively shallow waters of the Arabian Gulf to the deep waters of the Indian Ocean, passing through the famous Straits of Hormuz, undoubtedly the highlight of the journey with their currents and unstable winds.

This prestigious race is a mythical event promising some very exiting racing.

The Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race is a classic passage event covering 360 nautical miles and takes the boats from the relatively shallow waters of the Arabian Gulf to the deep waters of the Indian Ocean...