Million-Dollar Dhows

[Updated -- Tue 14 Mar at 0730 and 1130.]

In recent years ISAF and the Hobie Class, and perhaps others, have run world championships in the UAE. As you will know, Emirates Airlines is sponsoring Team New Zealand. Russell Coutts has his new match racing event set to run there. Formula One is now firmly entrenched in the UAE -- indeed, the first Grand Prix of the year took place in Bahrain yesterday.

Now this story from the Yachting World website about the increasingly high-tech dhows that race for a million-dollar cash prize.

Call it prescience or coincidence, but when we posted this story yesterday we had no clue that ETNZ was "Going live in Dubai" this week. Good for ETNZ, and good for the Cup!

Yachting World has posted a good overall report on events this week in Dubai.

What's next? An AC 33 "Act" in the Middle East? A challenger from the UAE?



Dubai's Burj Al Arab, the world's only 7-star hotel, just down the coast from the Dubai International Marine Club. DIMC has hosted a number of recent international yachting events. Is there an AC "Act" or even challenger in the UAE's future?