JASC eye top honours at World meet

Dubai and the Jebel Ali Sailing Club (JASC), one of the Gulf's centres of excellence for sailing, stand an excellent chance of bringing home gold at the World topper championships.

The championships are being held at the Workum Sailing Club, Holland, from August 25-29. They are being organised in conjunction with the International Topper Class Association.

"The Topper Class is one of the biggest and most competitive in the world and with over 200 boats expected to participate, the competition will doubtless be enormous," stated John Howard, Commodore of Jebel Ali Sailing Club, who operates under the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), the governing body for water sports in the country.

"The World topper champio-nships are held every two years and JASC sailors are amongst the most successful of any club in the world.

"Just last month Simon Keen achieved 15th place overall in the UK topper national championships. This was a great result and when you consider that Simon prefers racing in the Laser fleet, it is quite an outstanding achievement," said Howard.

Six of Dubai's JASC sailors competing in the event are: Daniel Kilsby, Ben Kilsby, Eve Brinsley, Alexa Soar, Paul Castle and Fraser Bodie.

"In the Senior Open event we expect Daniel and Eve to push hard for places. Fraser and Alexa look strong in the under-12 section while Paul and Ben shouldn't be discounted either. Compe-ting in their first series they can do very well in light winds," he stated.

Confirming Dubai's focus on water sports and the role that the JASC plays in building the sports' credentials. The JASC has unprecedented levels of success in sailing at the International level, including Dave Holligan's recent gold in the TopCat World Championships and superb res-ults specifically in the Topper Class.

Daniel Kilsby won the under-12 World championship in 1996.

Founded in 1977, the JASC is located at Mina Seyahi, on the land kindly granted by the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. From a small beginning the club has grown to become the leading and most active sailing club in the Gulf, hosting world championships alongside beginner-level tuition and an active school programme for both the local and expatriate community.

As a non-profit making, high-quality RYA (Royal Yachting Association) approved sailing centre with over 1500 active members, the club plays a vital role in promoting Dubai as a suitable location for international marine sport.