Having lived in the Middle East as well, I would not expect to see many sailboat makers at the
boat show. After all, isn't Dubai home to Lamborghini world?! Despite the importance of sailing dhows in world
trade, it's a part of the culture that I fear has faded. I'm not sure what the local sailing scene is, but the Bahrain sailing club was very nice and will rent small boats to you. It's an easy hop from Dubai if you need a fix. You may be able to contact them and get on a member's crew list as well, though I never tried that. If you want to buy something small now, that would also be an option. It's the only place I've seen sailboats above a sunfish in the Middle East, besides Lebanon. When
diesel is about 50 cents a gallon, the cost/benefit of sailing falls tremendously
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