The PUMA 2010 International Moth Class World Championships pre race days kicked off with big winds and even bigger waves!  The first 2 days of racing are the UAE National Championships for this high performance class.

32 International Moths are currently dominating the scenery at Dubai Offshore Sailing Club with a total number of 46 due to grace the Dubai waters at the start of the week, when the World Championships kick off.

Friday’s racing saw a westerly 15 – 20 knots blow across the shores of Jumeirah, with choppy waves adding to the excitement of the first day of official racing.

Just 15 starters took to the water for race 1, while many of the international sailors took the time to fine tune their boats and acclimatize themselves to the balmy conditions of the UAE.

Current World Number 3; Arnaud Psarofaghis took line honors is race 1 with locally based sailor Chris Graham following in second and Rob Gough from Australia in third.

The second race hosted only 9 starters.  Many pulling out due to kick failure or after a high speed crash.  Again Arnaud Psarofaghis of Switzerland took first place, second place was taken by Scott Babbage of Australia and World Number 7; Rob Gough took third.

The standings after day 1 of the UAE National Championships are;

First Place –          Arnaud Psarofaghis         SUI 3

Second Place –     Chris Graham                  UAE 3679

Third Place -         Rob Gough                     AUS 9

The Puma 2010 Moth International World Championships kicks off on 8^th March. “The Moth Class is delighted to have PUMA sponsoring the 2010 Moth International World Championships in Dubai,” said event organizer and Moth sailor Chris Graham.  “The Moth class is growing so fast, attracting the best dinghy sailors in the world and putting them in one boat against each other. Along with PUMA’s entry into the world of sailing, we feel that the synergy between Moth sailors and PUMA is a perfect fit.   Both PUMA and Moths share a love for fast, exciting and very high caliber sailing matched with a sense of fun an friendliness off the water.” 

To watch the racing come down to the beach at Jumeirah … and sit back and enjoy this fast paced, exciting innovative sport.

For more information log on www.dosc.ae