The first Duboats Beneteau Regatta in the Middle East took place on Friday the 12th May 2006 at the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC), bringing together owners of Beneteau sailing boats from throughout the Gulf to participate in a friendly, but passionate, race. 22 Beneteau sailing boats participated in the Duboats Beneteau Regatta, and approximately 250 people attended. The race started at 12 pm from the DOSC. The sailors shared their passion of sailing in a very pleasant, yet enthusiastic atmosphere. The weather conditions were at their best making the race most enjoyable.
Pal Zileri, skippered by Kristian Tsanov, came first out of thirteen in the spinnaker category. Bulgarian born Kristian Tsanov, renown in the world of motocross, is now excelling in the sailing world racing a Beneteau 44.7ft yacht voted “Boat of the Year” at the AMIF Australian Marine Awards last year. In the no spinnaker category, Goodrich Serdal, skippered by Paul Dilworth stole the first position. Paul Dilworth has been sailing for almost 40 years and re-named his 44.7ft boat after acquiring it before the Maktoum Sailing Trophy.
Many companies sponsored the event: Lancel, Evian, Bin Zayed Group, DOSC, Jotun, Lamborghini, Boursin, UAE IRC Association and UAE Sailing Association providing numerous prizes for the winners. The winners received their prizes at the prize giving ceremony which took place at 6pm followed by a buffet dinner and music played by a notorious jazz band.
Duboats, specialized in trading long-haul luxury yachts, catamarans, power boats, sailboats and marine accessories, was launched in January 2003 by Sheikh Khalid Bin Zayed Al Nahyan driven by his passion for sailing. Ever since Duboats has been devoted to encouraging people from all walks of life, backgrounds and interests to join in the pleasure of sailing or power boating.
Led by Christophe Vanek, one of the most experienced sailors and racers in the UAE with several years of marine practice and sailing stature behind him, Duboats’ team thoroughly understands the boating world and is driven by winning spirit. To prove, Christophe Vanek has not only three America’s Cup campaigns under his belt , he was also the skipper on the yacht horizon which won the inaugural Maktoum Trophy last April. The French yachtsman brings also eight years of experience as manager of the Australian branch of France’s leading boat builder Beneteau Group. Undoubtedly, through their dedication, pride and skill, Christophe and his team serves the sailing passion with expertise.
With five leading brands – Beneteau, Lagoon, Ferretti, Pershing, Bertram - Duboats offers the essence of advanced high technology and design to the Middle East. Whether it be to cruise around watching the world go by or to be the fastest to sail around the world, each brand draws its strength from its specific desire to provide elegance, luxury and performance to meet every sailor’s expectations.
Furthermore, Duboats extends its passion by participating actively in the international boating scene, entering a variety of boating sports activities, providing sponsorships and encouraging the youth of the UAE to join in the pleasures of sailing.
