CAPE TOWN // Six boats that figured to be intimate rivals by now will compete Saturday as near-strangers.
"Everybody was expecting this ball of six boats to travel around the world together," said Ken Read, the Puma skipper, "and quite frankly, we know nothing."
They know nothing because Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race, from the Spanish Mediterranean coast to Cape Town, half-collapsed.
Three boats retired and the other three varied their routes and arrived at staggered times.
That makes the second In-Port Race, starting Saturday at 3pm (5pm UAE time), rife with doubt.
"I think we're in good shape," said skipper Ian Walker, whose Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing yacht Azzam had its mast break shockingly on November 5, the first night at sea.
"We made some pretty bold decisions after the mishap."
Those included a comprehensive redesign of rigging and "a reasonable amount of risk", Walker said.
Given that and four days of preparations, including a "thoroughly enjoyable" Friday, he said, "I don't think we could have hoped to be in better position from where we were three or four weeks ago."
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing won the first In-Port Race in Alicante, Spain, on October 29. There it gained the lead with six points, where it remains - now in fourth place - after getting zero points from Leg 1.
The Spanish entry, Telefonica, finished last that day but won Leg 1 for 30 points to reach a front-running 31. The In-Port Races award points on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, and with the second-place. Emirates Team New Zealand's Camper, holding 29 points, leadership could shift by this late afternoon.
Confidence could shift even more given the three boats that beat a demanding clock on repairs.
Read, whose Puma entry broke a mast on November 21 and wound up marooned on the world's most remote inhabited island, Tristan da Cunha, said, "We're a little relieved that the forecast for tomorrow isn't really, really windy," a change from previous forecasts. That is because he and crew have been out in Table Bay doing things they normally would be doing months before a race, tuning their backup mast.
"If I ever have a more amazing leg, shoot me," Read said. "Ian was much smarter than us: If you're going to break your mast, do it within eyesight of the opening port."
Sixth-place Team Sanya, meanwhile, would exhale with merely getting to the Leg 2 start here on Sunday.
Skipper Mike Sanderson reported "a couple of pretty sleepless nights" and said, "Our boat only came off the ship last Wednesday. To get it sailing [Thursday] was unbelievable, really."
The Telefonica skipper, Iker Martinez, shared the disbelief, having seen the rebuilt Sanya with its new chunk for its stricken hull.
"I'm very inspired, especially how the guys who have their problems, how they react to this," Martinez said. "I couldn't believe yesterday when I saw [Sanya] sailing after I saw what happened to the boat. I really couldn't believe. It was like something magic happened."
In all the talk of old woes and new starts, Read said Puma had learnt its mast broke because of "a small stainless-steel piece" in the D-1 diagonal of the rigging, which "was actually made out of the wrong material."
Even so, Puma did flirt with Telefonica for 16 days, the kind of tightness long forecast for this race.
"It was pretty amazing, how close we were," Martinez said.
He thought it boded well for the remainder of the race, at this juncture of strangers, he said, "The only thing we know today is that at least with Puma we're very close."
UAE TV: Cape Town in-port race, 5pm, OSN Sports 1
@ For more on the VOLVO OCEAN RACE, visit thenational.ae
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Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
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Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
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Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
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Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
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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
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
