At age 24, Adil Khalid already has a long list of achievements on his sailing CV.
He represented the UAE at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Asian Games and became the first Emirati sailor in the Volvo Ocean Race when he was picked from more than 120 hopefuls to be a member of the crew on the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing team.
He is by no means ready to call time on his sailing career. He hopes to participate in the Volvo Ocean Race again in 2014/15 and to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
His immediate task is to skipper the Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht Club (ADSYC) team in the Sailing Arabia - The Tour which starts from Manama, Bahrain, tomorrow and concludes at the Mussanah Marina in Muscat, Oman, on February 25.
The race is in its third year and has drawn nine teams, who will sail 760 nautical miles and stop in four countries.
Abu Dhabi is making its debut with a full Emirati crew skippered by Khalid.
"I had the dream when I did the Volvo Ocean Race to have a team of our own and going around the world. Now we have got this opportunity. I think this can be the start I was looking forward to," Khalid said.
He spends much of his free time passing on his experience to promising youngsters at the ADSYC which, he hopes, will one day represent the UAE at the highest level.
And he sees the tour as a perfect platform for Emirati sailors to prove themselves.
"This opportunity would certainly encourage the youth who want to pursue sailing careers," he said. "This is also an opportunity for them to go beyond the national and regional level, like in the Olympics.
This is the start for the crew on-board the Abu Dhabi team and, hopefully, more opportunities will follow. The Volvo Ocean Race is the ultimate dream and, who knows, there may be more than one Emirati sailor in this world race next time, and perhaps, an entire crew in years to come."
The decision to enter a team in Sailing Arabia was made at short notice.
"It all happened so suddenly," Khalid said. "The boat was ordered last December and it arrived last month.
"We started training as soon as we were told that we were taking part in the race. We even did a race from Dubai to Muscat and finished third. We have had very little time to prepare but we are ready."
Khalid is trying not to think about winning the event, but concedes that a podium finish would be a great achievement.
"We represent the country and the club, and a good result would be a good advertisement for the sport," he said.
Khalid and much of his crew - Ahmed Al Qubaisi, Ayub Al Balooshi, Ahmed Al Hammadi, Yousef Al Qubaisi and Ahmed Al Marzooqi - are long-time friends; Yousef bin Lahej, the navigator, was his coach when he was a child.
"He treats me more like a friend than a pupil and we get on well as teammates," Khalid said of Bin Lahej. "Ahmed [Al Qubaisi] and Ayub are my school friends for more than 10 years.
"We have spent a lot of time together and we understand each other like family members. They all want to win and this is the good thing. If we don't win [at least] we have done our best."
The first leg, from Bahrain to Qatar, includes 17 hours of non-stop sailing.
Khalid said it will be a learning experience for his crew. "You can just imagine how tough it is to be competing for that long on a single leg. As the skipper, it is also a new experience for me.
"This is the first time for me and my crew to be competing on a 15-day sailing competition. We want to share the moment, soak in the experience as much as possible.
"We know how to keep ourselves in good spirits like sharing the work, cracking jokes, singing and lot of other ways to keep ourselves busy and entertained.
"They are going to learn something new every two or five hours during this journey, being the first-time experience. There may be strong winds, storms and strong waves.
"They will learn a lot of things about the safety, to come out of difficult situations. And remember, this is not just sailing but it's a race and we have to compete against all odds that come our way.
"Winds can pick up speed and go up to 135 knots per kilometre. I have been in a lot of situations like this in the Volvo Ocean Race with waves of over 40 feet. Sometimes it is so frightening you think of your life."
Khalid is even adept at repairs.
"You need to have all this know-how as a sailor," he said. "I have sailed around the world and when it comes to the smaller boats it is much easier."
On being chosen to be part of the Volvo Ocean Race, he said: "You can say that I was lucky but at the same time I worked very hard to achieve that objective.
"My family supported me, the government, the club, they all contributed to what I have achieved up to now."
Thengumtharayil Padmanabhan, a sailing instructor at ADSYC, has known Khalid for nearly 20 years.
"I have seen him grow in front of my eyes and feel proud of his achievements," said Padmanabhan, who has been working as a sailing instructor in the UAE for nearly 30 years.
"He has the passion, ambition, good work ethic and the discipline to fulfil his goals. He is also very friendly and an obedient person. I am very confident they will return triumphant in the Sailing Arabia race."
Khalid's family has been involved in sailing since the days of his great grandfather.
"I use to join them to go to the sea with my brothers and cousins. We use to compete against each other. That's how it all started for me," he said.
Khalid is the third of four boys and he chose a career in sailing over academics, where his brothers excelled. "My parents were very supportive and they gave me the independence to select my own career. And I must say I was very lucky to make the grade. Now, sailing is everything in my life."
Khalid played a little football when he was younger but says that was just for fun.
His utmost ambition is to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil and to help younger sailors at his club achieve the same objective. "We have a brand new club that is only 18 months old and already there are more than 150 kids from different schools undergoing training.
"I am sure at least 10 per cent from this batch will have the potential to make the grade," he said.
apassela@thenational.ae
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder
Power: 70bhp
Torque: 66Nm
Transmission: four-speed manual
Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000
On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sav%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Purvi%20Munot%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24750%2C000%20as%20of%20March%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20EPD%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Friday’s fixture
6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta
6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman
9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas
9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah
.
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EMen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Saif%20Al%20Zaabi%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Marzooqi%2C%20Zayed%20Al%20Ansaari%2C%20Saud%20Abdulaziz%20Rahmatalla%2C%20Adel%20Shanbih%2C%20Ahmed%20Khamis%20Al%20Blooshi%2C%20Abdalla%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Khaled%20Al%20Hammadi%2C%20Mohammed%20Khamis%20Khalaf%2C%20Mohammad%20Fahad%2C%20Abdulla%20Al%20Arimi.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mozah%20Al%20Zeyoudi%2C%20Haifa%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Ayesha%20Al%20Mutaiwei.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
'Nope'
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The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More from Neighbourhood Watch
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Fixtures
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
