Incredible hulls: Don’t miss the boats

Boat shows will come and go. But there is only one Boating Festival in Dubai, the first of which kicks off on Friday at Dubai Festival City (DFC) Marina, say organisers.

Organised by DFC in association with Island Global Yachting (IGY), the newly-opened 74-slip marina along Dubai Creek will play host to a raft of activities that will celebrate all things nautical over two days.

Up to 5,000 visitors are expected to take part.

"This isn't a boat show, it's a boating festival that we hope will continue every year," says Phil Blake, DFC Marina Manager and organiser. "This really is a celebration of boating that will promote the boating culture."

Free of charge to everyone, doors open Friday morning marking a plethora of events the entire family can enjoy, Blake said, sitting comfortably aboard a 33-metre yacht aptly named "Tradition" that will be open to visitors by appointment only.

Colourful reflections

Reflecting Dubai's colourful maritime heritage, the festival will host in and out of water boat displays, a demonstration by Dubai firefighting boats, dragon boat race, bungee jumping as well as a mock rescue by helicopter on Dubai Creek.

The highlight of the weekend gathering at the 250 metre-diameter Festival Marina will see Dubai-based corporate four-member teams race in hand-built water rafts constructed completely from recyclable materials, Blake said.

"The idea is to build a floating raft of recyclable materials and race from one end of the basin to the other," Blake said. "We have 14 teams confirmed."

Dubbed "Whatever Floats Your Boat", the race is being held on Saturday from 2pm to help drum up awareness about recycling in Dubai.

The race will be supported in part by the Intercontinental Hotels Group which opened a new hotel on the Festival Marina next to the 400-shop Dubai Festival Centre.

Tom Meyer, Intercontinental General Manager, said the event has "a powerful message, one that we hope will grow to greater heights in future years".

Meyer said the float-your-boat race is "an opportunity to give something back to the environment".

The Boating Festival will include the second annual Floating Wheelchair Race in the DFC Canal to raise funds for children with special needs.

Marina demand increases

Special water-related events such as the DFC Boating Festival are expected to become more common in Dubai given the city's growing demand for more private pleasure yachts.

Estimates by IGY, said Phil Blake, DFC Marina Manager, predict that demand will see the construction of 20,000 new berths in Dubai over the next five years.

Dubai currently has eight marinas hosting hundreds of slips but few are capable of housing new mega yachts of more than 50 metres or giga yachts of 100 metres of more.

The new 74-slip Dubai Festival City Marina, opened last year, can hold yachts up to 35 metres in its circular basin along Dubai Creek.

As a developer and manager of luxury marinas, IGY now operates 24 marinas around the globe and is working on new projects in Dubai, including the Palm Jumeirah Mega Yacht Marina to be completed by 2009.

"It's exciting to be building such a vast expanse of berths in such a relatively short period of time," said Blake in an interview. "In comparison to other mature markets, this is unprecedented."