Aramex Dubai to Muscat Offshore Race

360 Miles Between Flat Calms and the Strait of Hormuz: D2M 2026 Makes History

Thirty-three boats, eight nations, an Irish Farr 30 repeating its success, and a trimaran opening a new era: the 2026 edition of the Aramex Dubai to Muscat Offshore Race delivered on all its promises — plus a few surprises.

A Race Born in 1992, Ever More Ambitious

Held annually (or nearly so) since 1992 by the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club (DOSC), in partnership with the UAE Sailing & Rowing Federation (UAE SARF) and the Oman Sailing Committee, the D2M remains the longest keelboat race in the region. Recognized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), it has earned reference offshore status in the Gulf over its 33 editions.

The record to beat? Douglas Hassell's on Diablo in 2014: 1 day, 19 hours, 52 minutes, and 41 seconds. No one came close this year.

A Treacherous 360-Nautical-Mile Course

The route connects the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean via the Strait of Hormuz, followed by a long southeast descent through the Gulf of Oman to Marina Bandar Al Rowdha in Muscat. On paper, 360 miles. In reality, a succession of traps:

• The Iranian exclusion zone — an impassable maritime boundary, with immediate disqualification as penalty. The catamaran Longreach learned this the hard way, carried by drift during a flat calm. Others, like Maysan, had to circle at the zone's edge, fighting the current to avoid straying to the wrong side.
• Commercial traffic — some of the world's busiest shipping lanes cross the course. Vigilance never lets up.
• Coastal hazards — rocks, islands in the strait, fishing nets, and local craft dot the route, especially in the final stretch.

January, Meteorological Roulette

The race takes place during the Gulf's "rainy season." You can go from champagne sailing with steady breeze to being glued in a mirror-flat calm for hours, boats stacked on top of each other, current working against you. The 2026 edition delivered exactly this scenario — fast, exhilarating phases followed by punishing calms that reshuffled the deck.

Three Victories, Three Stories

Nagini: Irish Mastery, Act II

Second consecutive IRC Overall win for Lee Brown's little Farr 30, skippered once again by Ronan Considine. The crew — entirely Irish, most having traveled across Europe especially for the occasion — knew what defending a title means in terms of pressure.

The key moment? The penultimate night. Wind nearly zero. Most competitors stalled. Aboard Nagini, Ruairc O'Tuairisg kept the boat moving for four hours in conditions where every breath counts. On corrected time, the final margin came down to minutes. Patience and light-air expertise made the difference.

Heaven Can Wait: French Flair

First start, first Line Honours — the dream scenario for Julien Monié's Beneteau First 53. Yet nothing was guaranteed. On day one, a moment's inattention cost them their spinnaker, torn. The crew found themselves without their downwind sail for the rest of the race.

The wind, however, chose their side. On day two, it shifted and imposed a long upwind leg — precisely the configuration where a spinnaker is useless. Heaven Can Wait took advantage to build their lead and cross the line first in Muscat.

Khaleesi: The Multihull Enters the Scene

Historic moment for the D2M: Jan Felton and his Dragonfly 40C Khaleesi became the first multihull to cross the finish line in Muscat. Behind them, Layla 22 (Dragonfly 32) and B Nirvana (Gunboat 48) completed a multihull podium that could well encourage the organizers to strengthen this category in future editions.

33 Boats, 8 Nations: D2M Goes International

The participation record — 33 boats starting on January 31st from the DOSC — says something about the event's growing appeal. Eight nationalities represented on the water, tracked in real time thanks to onboard trackers.

Beyond the rankings, it's the spirit of the race that resonates. During the flat calms, clustered boats chat via VHF. Stories from the night are shared, dinner invitations exchanged from cockpit to cockpit. Crews at the back of the fleet describe these days as "the adventure of a lifetime" — fishing nets, fatigue, and camaraderie included. The collective return to Dubai, carried by easterly winds, extends this special moment even further.

Stakes That Go Beyond the Finish Mark

Arrival at Marina Bandar Al Rowdha isn't just a sporting formality. Saud Al Subhi, the marina's director, is pushing to involve ministries and the Omani government more deeply to maximize the event's tourism impact. The D2M serves as a showcase for Dubai and Muscat, and both cities understand this well.

On the sponsor side, title sponsor Aramex and DP World — which directly supports Nagini — illustrate an economic model that allows teams to focus on performance. A virtuous circle for a race now aiming for expansion in 2027.

Lessons Learned

The disqualification of Longreach underscores a brutal reality: without wind, a sailboat drifts, and the Iranian exclusion zone shows no mercy. Enhanced navigation protocols, dedicated warning systems — future teams will need to factor in this risk from the preparation phase.

The arrival of multihulls opens a new chapter. And the depth of the IRC fleet, from Farr 30 to First 53, proves that the D2M speaks to all racer profiles — from corrected-time hunters to blue-water adventurers.

Compare the competing boats and follow the complete offshore racing calendar on spencer.club.