Dubai Destinations: The electric catamaran service operates from The Pointe.
With the blissful winter weather upon us, UAE residents cannot get a better time than now to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy an idyllic sea trip across Palm Jumeirah in an electric Catamaran.
To access the vessel, visitors have to park their cars in the east part of The Pointe and walk towards the beach where you can rent a catamaran from Costa Azzura (‘Blue Coast’ in Italian).
Once you've done the booking, you will be given life jackets and shown how to operate a walkie-talkie which will connect visitors to attendants on the shore.
They are also shown how to link up with the onboard Bluetooth speaker so that they could listen to their own music while sailing. Alternatively, one can always enjoy the blissful sound of the gentle splashing of the waves.
No previous sailing experience needed
The two-seat catamaran has a luxurious wooden finish, minimalist and elegant interiors and is covered by a canopy. ‘No experience in sailing is needed’ are the six words every sailing novice wants to hear and sure enough, one of the assistants assured us while headed to our catamaran that:
“It’s really easy to operate, just like Playstation.”
We weren’t quite sure what he meant but one look at the joystick situated between the two seats explained it all.
“Just press up to go forward, down to go back, and left and right, see? Very easy!”
We were told – and it was though manoeuvering the joy stick and understanding the speed of the catamaran with respect to the wind takes a few minutes.
The journey on the sea
For the next 15 minutes or 30 minutes (our recommendation), enjoy the scenic serene atmosphere across the coastline and take photos from the sea of some of the iconic buildings on The Palm such as Atlantis The Palm, Royal Atlantis, Aquaventure, among other majestic structures. The Palm monorail also passes over the sea, above the catamaran.
“For now, we have two catamarans but later this month we are receiving four new catamarans from Italy,”
said Sachin Konga, supervisor for Costa Azzura, adding that they will be even more luxurious. Since they are powered by electricity – with no motors – the catamarans are also eco-friendly, he explained.
Costa Azzura is popular amongst tourists and residents alike. The have been operating for around a year. The service was earlier located on the west beach before moving to The Pointe. It operates all year round, but sailing is more popular during the cooler months.
“On busy days, we operate up to 20 to 30 trips per day,”
he said.
Visitors always give great feedback after their trip, added Sachin.
“They say it was very relaxing and enjoyable.”
Cost of trips
For two people, the trip costs Dh200 for 15 min and Dh350 for 30 minutes. If one decides to sail solo, the prices are Dh100 for 15 minutes and Dh175 for 30 minutes. The operating hours from 9am to 11pm.
For those who fancy the shimmering lights on the water, a night trip is also possible as the catamarans are equipped with in-built lighting
News Source: Khaleej Times
