A famed Russian voyager and explorer is set to spend six months alone at sea in a solar-powered boat currently being built in the UAE.
Fedor Konyukhov, 71, will sail across three oceans on the Nova catamaran to help raise awareness about sustainable travel and to conduct research on plastic pollution.
The vessel, painted in a striking green colour and with solar panels along its hulls and deck, was one of the star attractions at the Dubai International Boat Show, which concluded on Sunday.
“He will be travelling from Chile towards the end of this year all the way to Australia,” said his son Oscar, who was representing him at the boat show.
It’s not cheap to change to electric-powered boats but there are savings to be made in the long term when you factor in maintenance
Keith Oliver,
Trident Engineering and Marine
“Then he will sail up towards Antigua and into the Canary Islands.
“We are planning on covering all three of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.”
Mr Konyukhov is no stranger to adventure, having circumnavigated the globe five times, including in an aerostat balloon.
He has also crossed the Atlantic Ocean 15 times in total, one of which was in a rowing boat in 2002.
If that was not enough, the Russian explorer has also conquered the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, on two separate occasions.
That said, the journey on the Nova will be unique, as the vessel is completely solar powered with no back-up generators in case anything should go awry.
“The boat will have an automatic identification system, which is like a radar, so others can see where you are and keep tabs on it,” Oscar Konyukhov said.
Most of the journey will be spent inside one of two berths in the hulls on either side of the boat — one to sleep in and the other acting as a pantry and storage.
“Most of the time he won’t be on deck because it will get wet and slippy when you are in the ocean so he will largely be below deck,” the explorer's son added.
“He will have an emergency sail to use if he needs it and a phone to reach others, as well as the AIS.”
Green mission
Mr Konyukhov's voyage is not only about adventure: During its round-the-world trip, the vessel, which measures 11.25 metres by 8 metres, will also be carrying out an important scientific role.
Each day, a sample of water from the ocean will be taken and sent to an oceanographic institute to study microplastic levels.
The boat, which will cost in the region of $700,000, is being built in Dubai by Trident Engineering and Marine. Before it sets sail on its six-month mission, it will be tested in a series of speed trials in Dubai waters.
A key part of the project is showcasing the viability of sustainable travel in the boating industry, which is one of the key themes of this year’s boat show in Dubai.
“It’s as much a commercial showcase as it is carrying out scientific research,” said Keith Oliver, director of Trident.
“We brought it here to the show because we wanted to show people this is what can be done when you convert to more sustainable means of travel.
“The initiatives are going to come to ensure the industry changes but you still have an awful lot of diesel and petrol-powered boats right now.”
The Nova is designed to be completely sustainable and, with a keen eye towards reducing carbon footprints, the vessel will leave no trace of having been on the ocean at all, he said.
“One of the issues when it comes to converting is that is still seen as extremely expensive,” said Mr Olivier.
“It’s not cheap to change to electric-powered boats but there are savings to be made in the long term when you factor in maintenance.
“A lot of the charter companies don’t have the capital at the moment to go all green but change is coming.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE SPECS
Aston Martin Rapide AMR
Engine: 6.0-litre V12
Transmission: Touchtronic III eight-speed automatic
Power: 595bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh999,563
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Napoleon
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Ridley%20Scott%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Joaquin%20Phoenix%2C%20Vanessa%20Kirby%2C%20Tahar%20Rahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
MATCH INFO
Schalke 0
Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The%20Mother%20
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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.
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
Day 1, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Sadeera Samarawickrama set pulses racing with his strokeplay on his introduction to Test cricket. It reached a feverish peak when he stepped down the wicket and launched Yasir Shah, who many regard as the world’s leading spinner, back over his head for six. No matter that he was out soon after: it felt as though the future had arrived.
Stat of the day - 5 The last time Sri Lanka played a Test in Dubai – they won here in 2013 – they had four players in their XI who were known as wicketkeepers. This time they have gone one better. Each of Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva, Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, and Niroshan Dickwella – the nominated gloveman here – can keep wicket.
The verdict Sri Lanka want to make history by becoming the first team to beat Pakistan in a full Test series in the UAE. They could not have made a better start, first by winning the toss, then by scoring freely on an easy-paced pitch. The fact Yasir Shah found some turn on Day 1, too, will have interested their own spin bowlers.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
