The 119-berth marina at Triple Bay can receive yachts up to 130 metres and will anchor AMAALA’s sailing programme ahead of The Ocean Race Grand Finale in July 2027.
AMAALA Yacht Club has begun operations at Triple Bay, adding a 119-berth marina and 7,900-square-metre clubhouse to the growing Saudi Red Sea destination.
- AMAALA Yacht Club has begun operations at Triple Bay with 119 berths and capacity for sailing and motor yachts up to 130 metres.
- The 7,900-square-metre clubhouse combines dining, social spaces, a rooftop pool and member facilities, while the AYC Academy offers sailing and watersports programmes.
- AMAALA will host the Grand Finale of The Ocean Race 2027 from 1 to 5 July, giving the new club an immediate international sailing showcase.
- Red Sea Global is positioning the marina as a year-round and winter yachting base between the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.
(NEWS) RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, 2026-Sep-14 — /Travel PR News/ — The Saudi Red Sea has gained a new operating base for international yachts with the opening of AMAALA Yacht Club, bringing a 119-berth marina, members’ clubhouse and sailing academy into service at Triple Bay as the wider AMAALA destination continues its 2026 rollout.
Red Sea Global (RSG) said the club is now welcoming founding members and visiting yachts, positioning the northern Red Sea as a potential winter alternative for vessels that typically leave the Mediterranean for the Caribbean or Indian Ocean after the European summer season.
The marina sits within AMAALA Marina Village and can accommodate sailing and motor yachts up to 130 metres, according to the club’s current operating information. Dock services include bunkerage, power and water supply, with high-speed fibre connectivity available on request and international entry and exit formalities supported through the marina team.
A winter base between the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean
RSG is making geography central to the club’s proposition. AMAALA lies roughly 200 nautical miles south of the Suez Canal and around 2,000 nautical miles from Monaco, giving yachts moving out of the Mediterranean a Red Sea stop that is substantially closer than traditional winter bases farther west or east.
The developer is also promoting the destination’s climate, with average seasonal temperatures around 26°C and average lows near 23°C. That creates a year-round sailing proposition rather than a short peak-season marina, with the Saudi Red Sea acting as both a destination in its own right and a gateway toward the Indian Ocean.
John Pagano, Group CEO of Red Sea Global, described the opening as part of the company’s effort to establish the Saudi Red Sea as an international yachting destination that connects luxury hospitality with wellness and regenerative tourism.
Clubhouse, marina and academy form one yachting campus
The centrepiece is a 7,900-square-metre clubhouse designed by HKS Architects. Its architecture takes cues from the rock formations and maritime heritage of the Red Sea coast, using cantilevered terraces and contemporary interpretations of Arabian forms.
Inside, members and guests have access to several dining and social spaces, including AMAALA Lounge, ANQA, 27°C and The Deck, as well as a rooftop pool, private meeting suites and event areas. Permanent berth holders are also being offered selected privileges with resort partners across AMAALA.
The AYC Academy extends the offer beyond yacht owners, with sailing and watersports programmes for different ages and ability levels. The club’s current programme also includes Coral Cadets, which links youth sailing with marine education and sustainability through collaboration with Corallium, AMAALA’s marine life institute.
That education component gives the club a broader role than a conventional luxury marina. RSG is attempting to combine elite sailing, leisure use and destination tourism with pathways for new sailors and younger participants.
The Ocean Race gives AMAALA an immediate global stage
The most visible test of the club’s event ambitions will come in 2027. The Ocean Race has selected AMAALA as the Grand Finale of its next round-the-world edition, the first time the race will finish in the Red Sea.
The official AMAALA race schedule places the final Ocean Live Park at the destination from 1 to 5 July 2027, after a route that begins in Alicante and includes Auckland, Itajaí, St. Pete-Clearwater and Cascais before the fleet returns through the Mediterranean and Suez Canal.
The club will therefore move quickly from opening into international event hosting. RSG says additional yachting events will also be staged during the year, using the marina and clubhouse as a base for both competitive sailing and social programming.
Years of marina positioning move into operation
The opening follows several years of preparation aimed at giving AMAALA international yachting credibility before the first boats arrived. In 2023, RSG signed a partnership with Monaco Marina Management to develop the yacht club against the standards associated with La Belle Classe Destinations, the marina quality framework operated by Yacht Club de Monaco.
That earlier programme focused on operational standards, training and knowledge transfer as well as the physical marina. The start of operations now shifts the project from development and positioning into the practical challenge of attracting visiting yachts, permanent berths and international events.
Yachting joins AMAALA’s growing resort cluster
The yacht club is opening as the hospitality side of AMAALA reaches critical mass. Four Seasons Resort and Residences AMAALA, Six Senses AMAALA, Rosewood AMAALA, Equinox Resort AMAALA and Nammos Resort AMAALA are among the properties now welcoming guests, with further resorts scheduled to join the destination.
For yacht owners and crew, that creates access to accommodation, restaurants, wellness facilities, watersports and cultural programming within the same destination. AMAALA is also around 45 minutes by road from Al Wajh International Airport, which RSG upgraded and reopened in 2026.
The club and wider destination are powered by renewable energy, in line with RSG’s sustainability framework for AMAALA. For the travel industry, however, the immediate significance is commercial as much as environmental: Saudi Arabia now has a purpose-built luxury marina seeking to divert part of the seasonal yacht flow that has traditionally bypassed the Red Sea.
