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Sailing in Dubai
A hyper-modern city rising from the Arabian desert and the Gulf coast, home to the Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeirah, the old Deira and Bur Dubai souks and a skyline that did not exist forty years ago. The UAE's gateway city and its base for desert, water and cultural experiences.
Why here
Dubai runs an inverted sailing season. Summer on the Gulf is unsailable for anything resembling pleasure, with air over 40C and water near body temperature, so the year runs backward from what a European expects: the season opens in October and the good months are November through March. Dubai Offshore Sailing Club is the only place in the country teaching the RYA cruising ladder on keelboats, from Start Yachting through Competent Crew to Day Skipper and Coastal Skipper practical, on a small fleet of simple cruising yachts. For anyone based in the Gulf or transiting through, it is the certification route that does not require a flight to Europe.
Best months
Wind is the honest weak point. The Gulf in winter is often light, with a sea breeze that fills in during the afternoon and dies in the evening, so courses can run on marginal air. The exception is the shamal, a northwesterly that blows through in winter and builds steep short-period chop across shallow water, which is when the sailing gets interesting and also when it gets uncomfortable. November and December are warm and dry with almost no rain. Do not book expecting trade-wind consistency. Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club is also RYA affiliated but teaches dinghy and powerboat only, so it is not an alternative for cruising courses.
Getting there & around
The club is at Jumeirah on the coast southwest of the center, reachable from either Dubai International or Al Maktoum. It runs as a members and visitors operation, so visitor pricing applies and booking goes through the club rather than a commercial school. Instruction is in English. This is a day-course club, not a liveaboard school, so accommodation is on you and you commute from the city. Dubai is expensive to sleep in and cheap to move around. There is one credible cruising school in the country, so if the course calendar does not line up with your dates there is no local alternative.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (1)
Dubai Offshore Sailing Club
ClubRYA training center at Jumeirah and the only operation in the UAE teaching the RYA cruising ladder on keelboats. Runs Start Yachting, Competent Crew, Day Skipper practical and Coastal Skipper practical on a fleet of three cruising yachts chosen for simple layouts, alongside junior dinghy stages, powerboat and shorebased theory. Members and visitors pricing.
Also good for sailing in November:
Torn between Dubai and Aswan for November?
A plan settles it for your skill and budget, same-day.