A four-man Dubai team attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean in a rowing boat have faced 10 days of bad weather that jeopardised their bid to complete one of the toughest races on the planet.
Paris Norriss, Barney Lewis, and Oliver and Harry Amos embarked on the world's toughest rowing challenge on June 11.
But the British endurance team – called Brothers 'n Oars – have had to contend with 10 days of stormy weather, 12-metre waves, scorching temperatures and gale-force winds that battered their small boat.
They have also come across a number of huge blue whales.
The four-man, self-sufficient team set off from Monterey in California and headed for Kauai in Hawaii.
They are aiming to raise more than Dh650,000 ($177,000) for marine conservation and military veteran charities.
On Monday the team confirmed they had reached the halfway point of their challenge and were looking forward to completing the 4,500km across the Pacific.
"It has been a journey of highs and lows so far," Mr Norriss, who fronts the Guy in Dubai online travel show, told The National from his tiny 7.5-metre rowing boat on Monday evening.
"We started in very difficult conditions. It was very cold, with big waves and strong winds against us, so we had to battle against them."
Mr Norriss said they expected the bad weather to continue for three to four days. However, it lasted for 10 gruelling days.
"The conditions were so bad we were forced to lock ourselves inside the cabin as it was too dangerous to row through the night, so that was pretty scary."
Despite the challenges, Mr Norriss said the team managed to see five blue whales, as well as dolphins and sea lions when they were leaving Monterey.
"That has been amazing," he said.
The crew are among about 20 others attempting the crossing and Brothers 'n Oars were hoping to beat the record of 34 days,14 hours set by the female crew of Latitude 35, before the stormy weather hampered their bid to set a fastest time.
The Dubai team's boat is fitted with a solar-powered machine that produces freshwater, and is designed to self-correct in the event of capsizing.
Conditions on board are basic, with two cabins for rest, meaning those not grabbing well-earned sleep must row in continuous shifts for the duration of the challenge.
Fatigue
Teams are monitored around the clock throughout the race, with organisers stepping in to assist in weather routing and to offer rescue only in an emergency.
Despite battling extreme mental and physical fatigue, as well as sores caused by sitting for hours at a time in wet, salty clothes, the team are confident of completing the crossing unaided.
“After we got through the tough spell, we hit crystal clear waters and beautiful skies that gave us the chance to wash our clothes and clean ourselves properly and dry everything,” said Mr Norriss.
“It had been a horrible situation of changing into wet clothes. Now we have some tailwinds and have some decent speeds towards Hawaii, which is fantastic."
Mr Norriss said due to an "excellent" team spirit they have been getting along well despite the difficulties. However, he said the hardest part is waking up after only 90 minutes of sleep, having been rowing for 12 hours straight.
"It is hard to jump out of that when you need to rest," he said. "Otherwise we are still gunning to get to the other side and looking to be in Hawaii within the 40 days we are aiming for.
“Halfway seems great, but it is still daunting as it took a long time to get here and it will take the same effort to reach the end.”
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JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
The%20specs
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Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
RESULTS
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The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
