Over 25 days and countless sleepless nights of intense sailing, and it came down to a dogfight at the very death.
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing’s Azzam negotiated some tricky wind patterns from behind Cape Town’s beautiful Table Mountain, but finally edged Chinese rival Dongfeng in a thrilling finish to the 6,487-nautical-mile first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) yesterday in South Africa.
The two boats had broken away from the rest of the fleet over the last couple of days, but some audacious sailing from Dongfeng meant that, despite leading, Azzam were never comfortable; their lead during the final stretch never went over three nautical miles.
Ultimately, they crossed the finish line 12 minutes ahead Dongfeng, in 25 days, 3 hours and 10 minutes. It was so close, the Azzam did not begin to relax until they were a mile from the finish line.
It was a particularly poignant moment for Adil Khalid, the Emirati sailor on board, who wasted little time in unfurling a UAE flag as teammate Justin Slattery confirmed to the crew from the bow that they had crossed the finish line.
"It's amazing, it was a great race," Khalid told The National. "It was really tough, a very long race and really, really close. We were next to each other for most of it.
“Just the last 10 days were so tough. At the equator we were so happy, and then we suddenly saw Dongfeng right behind us. Last night, they were only four miles behind us and that really pushed us all – we all just thought we had to do it.”
Though this is only the first of nine legs, the result – and race itself – confirmed the notion that Azzam are serious contenders for the overall title.
The duel with the Chinese boat heated up over the last 24 hours and skipper Ian Walker and his crew were all on board, without sleep, for the last 10-hour stretch. Walker looked weariest, having refused to sleep for much of the final three-day dash.
"It's quite emotional, which I didn't think it would be," Walker said to The National. "Those last couple of hours, Dongfeng threw everything at us. We've had people ride on our heels for the last 10 days or so.
“Then over the last 4-5 days, it got really intense. Despite getting the lead, we could never extend it.”
It marked Azzam’s second leg victory in two VOR competitions, and helped wipe away memories of their start in the 2011/12 event, when a broken mast six hours into the first leg ended their hopes.
“We’ve had a lot of fun through the leg,” said Walker, who also captained the boat three years ago.
“It is always easier when you’re winning, and you’re only really tested when things are not going well. It’s been incredibly hard and involved a lot of risk.”
It came down, ultimately, to exactly the kind of racing Walker loves. One observer, a former sailing partner of Walker’s, said the “cat-and-mouse” nature of match racing is what drives Walker best, holding his nerves and controlling the tension.
But they still could not shake off skipper Charles Caudrelier and the Dongfeng crew, who tried every move they could in a bid to chase down the leaders.
Dongfeng’s second-place finish is a remarkable story in itself, given that twice their progress was slowed through damage to the boat; first through a smashed rudder and then through a shattered padeye, which caused other damage, including a broken wheel.
“It’s impressive [what the crew has achieved],” said Caudrelier, a Frenchman. “It is a bit frustrating as well, but it is a fantastic result for us. Azzam were fantastic throughout. The one-design boat has changed the game and it was crazy to see a fight like this after 25 days of sailing.”
Walker and his crew now will receive two weeks of much-needed rest before the fleet sets sail on the second leg, to Abu Dhabi.
The second stage starts on November 19, with an in-port race four days earlier. Khalid flew home to Abu Dhabi for three days before heading back.
The remaining five boats in the fleet are expected to finish the first leg at intervals over the next three days.
The experienced Dutch boat, Brunel, are in third place, having built a considerable lead over Vestas Wind.
The all-women’s crew of SCA is at the back, over 400 nautical miles behind Azzam when they finished.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
The five pillars of Islam
Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
ICC Academy, November 22-28
UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal
ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan
UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
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Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National