IN JUNE THE SB20 CLASS ANNOUNCED THE WINNERS OF THE 2024 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS BID, WHICH WAS AWARDED TO SB20 UAE AND WILL HAPPEN IN FEBRUARY OF THAT YEAR IN DUBAI HOSTED BY DUBAI OFFSHORE SAILING CLUB (DOSC). GREAT NEWS FOR THIS NEW PROMINENT COUNTRY ON THE SB20 HORIZON AND A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CLASS TO EXPERIENCE NEW TERRITORIES.
As well as other festivities the event will celebrate the 50th anniversary of DOSC’s, which has been the home of the UAE SB20 fleet for the past 15 years. It is now the largest one-design keelboat class in the Middle East. The Club also hosts other international, regional and local events, including Dubai Duty Free Sailing Regatta, Aramex Dubai Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, and most recently, the AIRBUS Race Week.
In the late 2021 a number of SB20s traveled to the UAE for the Dubai Duty Free Sailing Regatta, which welcomed the participants from 9 countries. The event presented a fantastic organisation on and off the water and made Dubai an attractive destination for other SB20 sailors. It included a Live commentary, comfortable spectators area and Club’s lounge along with evening entertainment programme. This fantastic hospitality together with excellent facilities, organisation and, above all, sailing conditions have secured the bid for the 2024 Worlds to be successful. Congratulations team SB20 UAE!
For every SB20 World Championships moving boats to event location is one of the key elements in organisation. Dubai Offshore Sailing Club together with its partners are committed to facilitating logistics, so that as many nations as possible could attend the event in February 2024. For those who will not be able to ship their boats to Dubai, the Club will offer charter opportunities. The details will follow in due time from SB20 UAE as well as from the SB20 Class.
The SB20 UAE is committed to start preparations for the 2024 World Championships early and have already secured a number of exciting events that will lead to February 2024. The sailing season in Dubai lasts from October to April, which gives perfect opportunity for the sailors of the northern countries to extend their sailing practice.
“This is the first time that the SB20 World Championships will be held in the Middle East, providing a good opportunity to attract existing and new SB20 teams from this region,“ – said Simon Reeves, the Commodore of DOSC. “Dubai offers reliable winds, low tidal flows and calm seas, providing optimal racing conditions.”
SB20 World Championships 2024 will join a list of successful sailing events, that Dubai has hosted in the past along with future ones, such as the SailGP in November 2022. The UAE is also famous as a Volvo Ocean Race stopover in 2014-2015 with the UAE team Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing led by Ian Walker becoming the winner of the race.