Left & above: the sport of sailing is in its infancy in Saudi Arabia but the wind and sea conditions along much of its coast are ideal for both racing and cruising. Jeddah has a reliable afternoon sea breeze almost every day of the year
Kingdom is a fast-developing nation and embracing technological change as quickly as anywhere in the world.’ As for the AC40 event, Bagdady
believes it will help establish the Red Sea as one of the most desirable destinations for racing and cruising. ‘We have fantastic sailing conditions, as I know from my own kiteboarding in Jeddah. We have perfect, warm- weather sailing conditions all year round with a very reliable sea breeze almost every afternoon. For those who want to explore further afield in the region, our coastline is beautiful and relatively undeveloped, although marina developments have started to really take off in the past few years.’ The host venue for the event,
each other for the business of delivering pilgrims as quickly and as efficiently as possible. The dhows were, and are, quick vessels. I’ve even heard that a dhow beat an RC44 a few years ago in a downwind race in Dubai!’ While the local dhows might be
more challenged to take on a foiling AC40 in a speed contest, both share a heritage of high technology for their time. Dhows were the cutting- edge boats of their day. ‘Bringing the AC40s to Jeddah is a way to re- establish our lost heritage, to remind people of our lost seamanship skills and hopefully to help re-ignite those skills for the 21st century.’ While Saudi Arabia is embracing
change at a phenomenal rate, the kingdom doesn’t want to lose sight of its culture and traditions. Bagdady sees the America’s Cup as the perfect brand to embody that seeming contradiction in terms. ‘It’s a very old sporting event steeped in long tradition, yet part of that tradition is to always pursue the latest opportunities in technology,’ she says. ‘You see where the foiling AC40s and AC75s are taking the sport of sailing today, and it couldn’t be more cutting edge. We want to showcase that technology in Jeddah because it also helps to show that the
Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina, The host marina for the event, provides 95 berths for yachts and boats from 10 metres up to 120 metres, and has already proven itself as the perfect operating base for luxury berthing during the Formula One events of the past two years. As former CEO of Oman Sail,
David Graham is well acquainted with the region and the challenges of establishing the sport of sailing from scratch. Now CEO of World Sailing, Graham is keen to support the Saudi Sailing Federation, a World Sailing Member National Authority. ‘Our objective is to grow our great sport globally,’ he says. ‘Saudi Arabia is ready and willing to embrace sailing and develop the sport through their sailing federation. They have a number of sailing events on the horizon, the pinnacle of which will be the 37th America's Cup Second Preliminary Regatta from 30 November, which we support and look forward to the exciting prospect of the AC40s being raced in Jeddah.’ Head of Emirates Team New
Zealand, Grant Dalton believes the competition in Jeddah will be red hot. ‘This will be the last significant act of 2023,’ says Dalton. ‘It may not seem like much but no team will want to be going into 2024, the year of the America’s Cup, at the bottom
of the leaderboard or having shown vulnerability in their sailing team less than a year out from the start of the America’s Cup. It will be pressure no one needs, especially as the next time the teams race each other will be just prior to the Challenger Selection Series, in the final preliminary regatta in Barcelona raced in the AC75s.’ Hassan Kabbani, chairman of
the Saudi Sailing Federation, says: ‘We welcome the America's Cup organisation and sailors from around the world to Saudi Arabia and to Jeddah. It is an honour to be selected to host an America's Cup Preliminary Regatta and to be able to showcase to the sailing community the wonderful conditions we have. I can assure everyone of a warm welcome. ‘The America's Cup Preliminary
Regatta will help us to accelerate the growth of sailing in Saudi Arabia. We are using the event to kick-start a number of new initiatives including a Discover Sailing programme to encourage people on to the water, and a Performance Pathway for talented sailors to train to compete at the top level.’ The ability to inspire the Saudi
people would be the greatest possible legacy for the regatta, according to Bagdady. ‘Sailing is in its infancy at the moment, but the potential is huge, with nine million people living on the Red Sea coast and fantastic sailing conditions all year round. I think when people see what these AC40s can do, it will change their perception of sailing. ‘If it inspires people, young or old,
female or male, to get involved in one of our grassroots programmes, that would be an incredibly rewarding legacy. We want to bring the joy and excitement of sailing to Saudis of all ages, young and old, and one day see an Olympic, Ocean Race or America’s Cup champion representing our country.’
www.instagram.com/sailsaudi americascupheddah/
❑ SEAHORSE 83
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