| History of DIMC | ||||
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The following year in 1988 Dubai International Marine Club was established using a fairly basic military ‘portacabin’ camp on the beach at Mina Seyahi as control with Lieutenant General Saif Al Shafar and Colonel Saeed Harib in command.
Mina Seyahi had been designated, as a leisure area in the late ‘70’s by His Highness the late Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum due to its location and proximity to the industrial and residential centres of Dubai. A breakwater had been built to create a safe and sheltered harbour and in 1977 land was granted for Jebel Ali Sailing Club (JASC) a mainly expatriate members club, which became a flourishing sailing club and great logistical ally to DIMC.
A technical committee of powerboat professionals was formed in 1990, which included HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Lieutenant General Saif Al Shafar and Colonel Saeed Hareb and an application was made to join the Union International Motonautique (UIM).
In 1991 HH Shiekh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum asked the DIMC Committee to organise a long distance traditional dhow race in an effort to maintain the traditional culture of the Emirate. The first Al Gaffal Sur Bu Na’air long distance race was held, it was 49 nautical miles and raced by various types of dhows but the start of the traditional races.
The UAE received full membership of the UIM in March 1992 after proving eligibility and Saeed Harib was asked to organise the Class One World Powerboat Race final in Dubai later in the same year. The race started in the Creek at the Hyatt Hotel and turned near where the Jumeirah Beach Hotel is today. Emirates Airlines and Dubai Duty Free sponsored the race, as their first international sponsorship and the Victory Team were the winners for Dubai.
In 1995 Saeed Harib was appointed General Manager of DIMC and a formal decree was issued by HH the late Sheikh Maktoum Bin Saeed Al Maktoum to announce the official establishment of Dubai International Marine Club. In the same year the distinctive clubhouse and race department were commisioned at Mina Seyahi.
Later that year the original portacabins on the beach were turned in to the now world famous Barasti Bar for the members of the growing Marina. A swimming pool was added a year later and the Barasti Bar was extended to enable it to cater for up to 150 people. As DIMC developed and offered more racing its expenses also grew and in an effort to give stability to the club HH the late Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum wanted the club to be self-funding. Plans were drafted to add a hotel to the DIMC portfolio with the profits from the hotel used to develop and fund watersports, especially the traditional racing at DIMC.
In 1999 Le Meridien Mina Seyahi was opened and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum became the Chairman of the hotel and DIMC with Saeed Harib as overall General Manager of the properties. The land next to the hotel was transformed into a football pitch for local teams and Saeed Harib welcomed many great international players such as Zinedine Zidane to the field. The area was also used for concerts and fairs.
With ever increasing costs and activity on the water another hotel was planned and the football pitch was closed to make way for it and the Westin Hotel was opened in May 2008.
Conversely though, in December 2008 a government re-structure meant that both Le Meridien Mina Seyahi and the Westin hotels were removed from the DIMC portfolio to the control of Al Wasl management and DIMC became directly funded by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.
The DIMC Marina was founded in 1994 after the UIM World Class One Powerboat Race organised by DIMC. The race had become an annual event since 1992 and preparations for the 1994 Championships saw the introduction of permanent pontoons in the harbour. After the event the pontoons were utilised by the ruling family and dignitaries and then vacated during the next race. This pattern continued but gradually as demand grew more pontoons were added and now there is space for 300 boats between 8m– 49 m in length. In 2005 Nakheel reconstructed the harbour in consultation with Saeed Harib and the entrance was moved to the west side. This allowed room for more berths to be added to the marina, with further expansion in 2007. The History of Watersports Club In 1999 Dubai International Marine Club entered into a new and dedicated sailing project to develop a UAE National Sailing Team. Children from 7 years old learnt to sail in the Olympic Optimist and Laser classes. Summer training camps and partnerships with clubs in Europe were set up and the children travelled to Lake Garda in Italy to train when the Dubai summer became too hot. The success of the training project led to a new event in the worldwide youth calendar and the Dubai International Youth Regatta was launched in 2000. The regatta bought many of the words best young sailors to Dubai and introduced our young Dubai team to top class racing. In 2007 the watersports club expanded to include the expatriate watersports community. Development in the region had led to the closure of some clubs including JASC and DIMC opened membership to allow the active watersports enthusiasts to continue their sport.
Federations
1992 Full UIM membership 1996 International Sailing Federation membership. 1997 Creation of the UAE Marine Sports Federation, which included Dubai International Marine Club, Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club. 1998 Ras Al Khaimah Water Ski Club, the Emirates Heritage Club and Fujairah International Marine Club joined the UAE Marine Sports Federation with the headquarters at DIMC. 2006 The World Professional Powerboat Association (WPPA) was formed and is based in DIMC with Saeed Harib as President. 2008 UAE Sailing & Rowing Federation
1988 Wooden Powerboat Championships 1988 Class 3 Powerboat Series 1989 43ft Traditional Dhow Championships 1990 Jet Ski Championships 1991 Al Gaffal, Sur Bu Na’air Race 1992 Dubai Muscat Race 1992 UIM World Class One Powerboat Championships 1993 60ft Traditional Dhow Championships 1995 Jet Ski World Championships 1995 – 1999 Formula 4 Racing 1996 Topper World Championships 1996 Hobie Cat World Championships 1997 Traditional Rowing Race 1998 ISAF World Championships 1999 22ft Dhow Championships 1999 Dubai International J22 Sailing Regatta 2000 Dubai International Youth Regatta 2001 IODA Asian Sailing Championships 2002 Dubai Junior Regatta 2004 Maktoum Sailing Trophy 2006 ISAF Nations Cup 2006 Alinghi winter training camp 2007 Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup 2008 BMW Sailing Cup 2008 XCat World Powerboat Series 1990 The first official logo for DIMC was approved by the rulers’ court. image 2003 The official logo was modernised. image 2007 The Mina Seyahi logo was introduced to represent the image of the watersports club
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