Dubai Offshore Sailing Club announces international youth regatta

DUBAI: Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, with the support of Dubai Sports Council, has announced the launch of the inaugural Kidzink Pearl Cup, one of the Middle East’s first major open youth sailing regattas.

The event takes place from Dec. 15-21 and will bring together more than 175 young sailors, aged 8 to 18, from around the world in the Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, and 29er sailing classes.

The event is presented in partnership with Kidzink, the UAE-based global leader in educational furniture manufacturing and environment design and the event’s title sponsor and strategic partner.

Created to fast-track talent in youth sailing, the Kidzink Pearl Cup will champion clean-water initiatives, inclusivity, and leadership through sport. The week-long event will feature three days of Olympic-level coaching and four days of competitive racing with sailors battling it out to become the first to raise the Kidzink Pearl Cup.

Among the international coaching team leading the event’s training clinic with GoldWinds Sailing Academy are Albert Torres, Jose Manuel Ruiz Ibanez, Vasileia Karachaliou, Matias Adaminas and Molly Hinsliff-Smith.

Charlotte Borghesi, founder and general manager of Kidzink, said: “The Kidzink Pearl Cup represents so much of what we believe in — curiosity, fun in learning, teamwork. As title sponsor and strategic partner, we are proud to support an event that not only celebrates sport but also champions learning and growth in all its forms. As a sailor myself, I know how profoundly sailing can shape communications and teamwork.”

Borghesi brings a unique perspective to the partnership. In addition to her role leading Kidzink, she is a world champion sailor, having made history in 2023 as the first helmswoman to