Dubai to host Louis Vuitton regatta

DUBAI // The World Sailing Teams Association and Louis Vuitton will hold the Louis Vuitton Trophy Middle East, in Dubai in November. The event, a stand-alone regatta including four 85-foot long AC Class yachts that require a crew of 17, will take place at the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) next to the Palm Jumeirah for two weeks.   "This is a real coup for Dubai," Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, the chairman of DIMC and the chief executive of Emirates Airline said. "It is exciting to be strengthening our commitment to the sport further by supporting a race which will bring the world's finest sailors to Dubai."   The Emirates joins Auckland, Sardinia and Hong Kong as hosts for the 2010 events. "Louis Vuitton has been present in Dubai for more than 10 years," Yves Carcelle, the chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, said. "We are thrilled to maintain this relationship." The event will take place from November 13-28 and will mark the start of the Sea Dubai Watersports Festival. Organisers claim the festival injected $12 million (Dh44m) into the local economy, when held in Auckland, New Zealand in 2009.