Destination Jeddah
Red Sea sailing is the new new...
By a distance, the highlight for me of the America’s Cup cycle was the utter otherworldiness of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the second Preliminary Regatta on the road to Barcelona. Saying that out loud brings trouble but I’ve never been that shy from a controversial stand-point and whilst every sport on the planet makes a beeline to the Kingdom, sailing wraps itself up in knots and, in parts, finds the highest horse to sit on. I don’t subscribe to the patter, what the Saudis put on was next-level and from a pure sporting and event level, the Red Sea was just about as close to perfect as you can get.
The temperate north-westerly winds came in from Egypt and Sudan more regularly than the Ora in Lake Garda or the Doctor in Fremantle and we saw quite simply the very best racing of the entire cycle in the AC40s. I would contend that only the Louis Vuitton Cup Final between INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli was better but put those boats on the Red Sea and it’s a recipe for taking the America’s Cup to Perth-esque levels - something that the older amongst us would love to see again.
However much Auckland - oh Auckland - remains my preferred destination for AC38, if the necessary figures can’t be reached and the politicians do what politicians do (yawn) then the Middle East works just fine and, if it is to go to that part of the world, Jeddah sits in pole position. Interesting to see the unfolding battle in World Sailing’s Youth Match Racing World Championships that have been taking place in the city this weekend and conclude today, where the best of the new generation are coming through fast. The sailing is brilliant and the photos and videos coming back are like something from Disneyland for sailing. It’s the new new and we, as a sport have to get used to it.
Looking at the schedule of events in Saudi Arabia in the coming year and it’s hard to find a sport that isn’t going there. Athletics, Formula 1, E-prix, soccer, superbikes, boxing, tennis, darts (yes darts), rugby, snooker, rally cars, table tennis, badminton…the list just goes on and on and whilst the prigs point to the inevitable arguments about human rights and all other manner of issues and practices that are a feature at state level, things are changing and sport is a vital component of that change. Sailing must be a part of it and as a sport we mustn’t hamstrung ourselves, as we are so good at doing. Good for World Sailing for taking the vital generation there - they will be better for the experience.
Saudi Arabia has a young demographic seeking entertainment and the Saudis that I met were open, intelligent, absolutely aware of the issues and determined to re-profile their country. I found a tolerant place and genuine warmth from 100% of the people that I met who simply couldn’t do enough to welcome us. What gave me huge hope was talking to random strangers in the Race Village whose eyes lit up at any interaction. Eyes don’t lie. It was an experience. When I bought a ‘ghutra’ at the local market (not easy with the size of my head) and wore it downtown as we toured the beautiful Old Town of Jeddah, the locals found it hilarious and their humorous side was shown. It was an experience I won’t forget in a hurry.
Furthermore, I felt safe in Saudi Arabia. Walking around late at night or in the Red Sea Mall (that’s an experience), was wonderful whilst the facilities that were created for us were simply outrageously brilliant. In my lifetime I doubt whether I will see another media centre of the calibre that was laid on - literally we were a few hundred yards from the leeward mark. It was sensational. And no graffiti anywhere - amazing how the scourge of modern cities is so prevalent to be almost invisible but in Jeddah there was starkly nothing and it took me to point it out for others to really see it. Interesting.
A six hour direct flight from London is the preferred route although we went via Dubai which in itself was a heck of a place with a pace that felt almost New York in the 1990’s. The weekend I travelled, the plane was full of Formula 1 fans off to the Abu Dhabi grand prix and let’s just say that plenty on that flight were partaking eagerly in liquid refreshment. The flight from Dubai to Jeddah however was a very different affair, full of the Mecca pilgrims that adorned themselves in the traditional ‘Ihram’ dress of white, unstitched cloth as we came in to land at the King Abdulaziz International Airport. There was something almost spiritual in the buildings of the airport cased in a bronze finishing with minarets and domes, possibly the cleanest and most efficient airport on the planet.
Walking out, the heat hit. A dry heat that actually felt more than bearable and something that you quickly become acclimatised to. The pace of Jeddah is fast but not supersonic. Buildings are being erected to the scale of the economy - growing but not turbo-charged like Dubai, however it’s a place that I’m sure when I next visit will be one of those where change happens. I always love looking at the before and after shots of desert cities from say 30 years ago to today. The Middle East is very much on the up and pushing forward - can we say the same elsewhere?
What also encouraged was the sight of the young kids in the Jeddah Marina every morning playing about on dinghies and paddle boards, enjoying the water and having the time of their lives. The slightly older kids took every opportunity to race keelboats and Lasers in the morning before the ‘Jeddah Doctor’ came to call and the Jeddah Yacht Club was overall a very busy, thriving place, thrusted forward by first-class professionals who are on a mission to push sailing forward and get as many people on the water, enjoying our sport as possible. That should be encouraged and having top class events in Jeddah lights an exciting pathway for these kids to take the sport forward and perhaps yield an Olympian or two or maybe even a Saudi-backed America’s Cup challenge - that would really be something. They’ve got the money.
I’m a fan of the desert and I’m not going to shy away from that view despite the rocks that the high-horse brigade throw. The world is changing, our sport is changing and the new new will have to be embraced, like it or lump it. Jeddah is now a destination for world-class international sailing and that’s an immutable fact.
Magnus Wheatley