125 ships painting the past from Sir Bu Nair to Burj Al Arab today

AED 12M and 5 luxury cars 32nd Al Gaffal Race Prizes

125 ships sail in Dubai from Sir Bu Nair Island in search of the 32nd Al Gaffal Race. From the source

The 32nd Al Gaffal Long-Distance Race, dedicated to local 60ft dhows, kicks off today from Sir Bu Nair Island, held under the patronage and support of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, with the participation of 125 ships.

Organized by the Dubai International Marine Club in conjunction with its celebration of the Coral Jubilee and the 35th anniversary of the club's founding (1988-2023), the race comes as a conclusion to the activities and races of the marine sports season 2022-2023, embodying an image of loyalty to the past of parents and grandparents, and a message to generations established by the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The ships participating in the race will compete for a total prize pool of AED 12 million, in addition to five SUVs that will be presented to the top five finishers, in addition to gold, silver, bronze and colourful medals for the top finishers.

The race starts today in the morning according to the state and data of the sea, based on meteorological reports, where the Supreme Organizing Committee follows up on all the details related to the subject, and will assess whether it is suitable for the atmosphere of the competition and raise the green flag to mark the start of the race.

The race starts as usual off Sir Bu Nair Island deep in the Arabian Gulf, towards the finish line of the first stage near Moon Island (26 nautical miles), and from there towards the finish line in front of the great cultural landmark Burj Al Arab Hotel (27 nautical miles), where the participating ships are expected to sail for a total distance of 53 nautical miles.

Most appearances on the podium

Many 30 (10 times) 4 gold, 4 silver and <> bronze

Ghazi 103 (9 times) 5 gold, two silver and two bronze

Al Zeer 16 (7 times) 4 gold, silver and two bronze

Race distance

Sir Bu Nair - Moon Island: 26 nautical miles

Moon Island - Burj Al Arab: 27 nautical miles

Total distance: 53 nautical miles

Record of Winners

1991: Al Aweer 47 (43ft)

1992: Knight 46 (43 ft)

1993: Mansour 36 (43 feet)

1993: Azib 22 (60 ft)

1994: Buraq 30 (60 ft)

1995: Buraq 30 (60 ft)

1996: Serdal 83 (60 ft)

1997: Serdal 83 (60 ft)

1998: G-17 (60 ft)

1999: Das 45 (60ft)

2000: Major 92 (60 feet)

2001: Buraq 30 (60 ft)

2002: Buraq 30 (60 ft)

2003: Alzeer 16 (60ft)

2004: Gazi 103 (60 ft)

2005: Alzeer 16 (60ft)

2006: Gazi 103 (60 ft)

2007: Atlas 12 (60 ft)

2008: Alzeer 16 (60ft)

2009: Rhymes 4 (60 feet)

2010: Earthquake 25 (60 feet)

2011: Delma Marine 16 (60 feet)

2012: Coast 31 (60 ft)

2013: Gazi 103 (60 ft)

2014: Buraq 33 (60 ft)

2015: Gazi 103 (60 ft)

2016: Earthquake 25 (60 feet)

2017: Earthquake 25 (60 feet)

2018: Gazi 103 (60 ft)

2019: Naughty 96 (60 feet)

2021: Nimran 211 (60 feet)

2022: Hasheem 199 (60ft)

2023: To be determined today