Spain win head-to-head in BMW Sailing Cup final

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The BMW Sailing Cup World Finals mixed fleet and match racing. (Christophe Vanek)

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Team boats are allocated after each round. (Christophe Vanek)

All men are created equal; some are more equal than others. Match racing sorts the men from the boys.

For those who follow the local sailing regattas avidly, or spend far too many afternoons on the Barasti terrace, the concept of match racing is not one that often crops up on the Arabian Gulf waters.

This situation will hopefully change as near-perfect conditions for boat-on-boat racing exist here and it is very accessible to spectators.

Perhaps best demonstrated by the America's Cup, match racing in its most popular guise, this format is essentially the Rugby 7s of yacht racing, sailing's equivalent to cricket's Twenty20.

Basically, two identical boats race each other under an adapted version of the ISAF rules of sailing. Using identical boats allows for the most skilful, knowledgeable and fastest captain and crew to use the rules to out-manoeuvre their competitor.

Unlike fleet racing, match racing is very much along the lines of 'it's not what you've got, it's how you use it.'

Using his sponsor connections at AGMC/BMW and the platform of Beneteau First 7.5s as a fleet, Christophe Vanek, General Manager of Duboats, worked with DIMC to secure the rights to hold the World Final of the 2008 BMW Sailing Cup in Dubai at the end of April.

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