CAPE TOWN // As the landscape of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront got a fresh dose of black yesterday in the form of a newly arrived and elevated Azzam, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing seemed to start afresh.
Note that "fresh" part, because if any advantages can stem from missing a leg and forgoing the points in the nine-leg Volvo Ocean Race, freshness makes the list.
Sailors would rather emerge from 20-day sails looking bearded and haggard, but looking like regular blokes will have to suffice.
“It does have some positives,” said the helmsman/trimmer Simon Fisher, in his third Volvo campaign. “The sails are in better condition. There’s less work to do on the boat. There was time off to take a rest, so everyone’s sort of fresh.
“All that sort of can work in your favour. You’re less likely to feel burnt-out. In that respect, it can be a good thing.”
Ian Walker, the skipper, said: “Everyone kept going to the gym.” A plus given the scarcity of full service gyms amid the Atlantic.
Abu Dhabi's US-designed, Italian-built boat broke its mast on November 5, then used a replacement mast to sail briefly in the Mediterranean Sea on November 10 and 11 before cautiously retiring from Leg 1 and sailing to Portugal for shipping.
During that unplanned stopover, the media crew member Nick Dana blogged about leisurely lunches and joked Abu Dhabi might bring the heaviest team.
The ship arrived to port yesterday morning, with Azzam in base camp just after midday and on her cradle by midafternoon while the sailors looked dissimilar to how they would had they sailed.
As opposed to “unrecognisable”, as Sarah Burney described the usual, Azzam’s sailors look as they did when they started. “I don’t mind a kilogram or two,” the physiotherapist said yesterday, “because they’re going to lose it” sailing.
“We don’t want them fat because then they’d lose all their fat straightaway [in the leg] and they’ll come back ridiculously skinny and unhealthy”.
Having arrived from their respite last weekend, the shore crew attended to the yacht yesterday, while the mast for Leg 2, originally the back-up, had gone into a tent for an “oven” effect, the team director Jamie Boag said.
That way, even in Cape Town’s hot-cold climate, technicians could go about curing the modifications to the rigging.
“We have to cook the rigging,” Boag said. Pointing to moderate structural changes, he said: “We think it might allow the diagonals [in the rigging] to move a little more so it just puts the diagonals under a bit less pressure.”
The original mast, meanwhile, has been rebuilt to become the back-up. All told, Boag and others felt happy just to see Azzam, which arrived before Team Sanya’s ship arrived with its stricken boat yesterday afternoon, even though the Sanya ship had a head start.
Said Burney: “It’s interesting talking to each guy. They’re all talking positively. It’s like they’ve moved on from what’s happened. You can see it in their eyes, they’re sort of keen to get out there. They’re hungry. And I think the in-port race is going to be cool.”
The in-port race is on December 10, one day before departure for Abu Dhabi, and after five days or so of curing, Walker hopes to get in some sailing next midweek.
cculpepper@thenational.ae
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Teaching in coronavirus times
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
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More on animal trafficking
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
