Pure inspiration

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The spectacular start of the Sir Bu Naair sees 100 dhows charge off the starting line. (Georg Egger and Gerhard Schmid)

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Crews work in time to the rhythmic chanting of sea shanties. (Georg Egger and Gerhard Schmid)

Breathing life back into the UAE’s heritage, the Sir Bu Naair Dhow race is more than just an event: it's an inspiration.

As orange smoke drifts lazily across the calm surface of the Arabian Gulf, the cool blue horizon line shatters into hundred angular pieces. Rolling through the calm morning air like a tsunami, the urgent chanting of the crew voices roll through the calm morning air like a tsunami.

Sheets crack, sails blossom and with the acceleration of thoroughbred mares, the 100 dhows in the 18th running of the Sir Bu Naair leave behind the small island's shores.

The sheer beauty of this traditional dhow race is unsurpassed by any modern sailing event and, as the fleet glides gracefully forward, spectators are transported back in time.

Being the largest ‘single class' sailing race on the calendar, anywhere in the world, only adds to the sensation that one is witnessing something epic.

Of the 300+ events the Mina Seyahi DIMC runs each year, the Sir Bu Naair Traditional Dhow race must represent the jewel in the crown. Treasured not only for its valuable prize fund, the race itself is steeped in an equally rich history.

The first Sir Bu Naair Island race was held in 1991 under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, whose aim was to revive the traditions of the pearl traders.

Whilst ivory towers of soulless financial institutions have changed the city's skyline, it was the local people, the sea, pearls and dhows that the Sheikh recognised would bring the heritage of the nation to life in a unique way.

For centuries the ancient pearling industry provided one of the few incomes for inhabitants of the Gulf shores. While other countries developed commerce from an agricultural base, this was not possible in the barren deserts.

So, a number of the nomadic families settled on the coast to ‘farm' the sea. Discovering the pearls in the warm shallow waters provided valuable currency with which to barter, a local industry was born.

Gathering the pearls didn't come without its dangers however, the crews were required to venture to distant shores to find high quality oyster beds. The divers had the most dangerous of roles, plummeting to lung bursting depths of around 40 meters, with no supplementary breathing equipment.

As India became increasingly prosperous in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the demand for pearls grew and what started as small pockets of endeavour, became an established industry in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Pearling offered considerable wealth if one was fortunate enough to be on a boat that discovered a top quality pearl or two.

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