Ras al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates has been selected by America's Cup holder Alinghi to host the head to head against BMW Oracle next February.
After months of speculation where various ports around the Mediterranean and Middle East were considered, the Societe Nautique de Geneve finally unveiled the venue today saying the Persian Gulf port offered "perfect weather and great sailing conditions for a match in February".
A purpose-built island will be made available at the Al Hamra Village in Ras al-Khaimah, which covers an area of 656 square miles and is in the southern part of the Persian Gulf next to Oman.
"Our absolute priorities in making this decision are the prevailing weather conditions and the resulting safety that they bring to both teams," said Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth.
"We looked everywhere for a venue that suited having good racing for the match dates in February.
"We had trained in the UAE in the winter with Alinghi before and in the end we settled on Ras al-Khaimah in particular because of the infrastructure in Al Hamra Village and because it has a great building sea breeze during the day, similar to Mediterranean conditions in the summer, making it good for these boats and safe for all concerned."
The launch of Alinghi V, the 90 foot catamaran that will race in the best of three event against Larry Ellison's American trimaran BMW Oracle in February 2010, pointed to a venue that was likely to be light airs and flat seas due to its fragile structure.
Ras al-Khaimah has a population of approx 300,000 and is ruled by HH Sheikh Saqr bin Mohammad Al Qasimi.
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