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The search for the UAE national who will join the Volvo Ocean Race 2011/12 title-chasing outfit, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, is down to the last three, after months of rigorous mental, physical and sea trial testing.
The final candidates, who beat off more than 120 hopefuls, are 22-year-old Adil Khalid, 27-year-old Abdul Aziz Abdulla and 26-year-old Butti Al Muhairi. The determined trio, fighting to become the first Arab sailors in history to compete in this gruelling event, will find out who made the final cut this Thursday 27th January at a high-profile event at the opulent Emirates Palace hotel in the UAE capital.
To get to the final three, the candidates had to go through a battery of psychometric examinations, core strength tests, demanding sailing reviews and endurance threshold assessment.
“It has already been a remarkable journey and, for one of these three very talented and dynamic young sailors, it is an adventure which has only just begun. All eyes in Abu Dhabi will be on these three this week, as we find out which will serve as part of the on-board crew,” said HE Mubarak Al Muhairi, Director General, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) – which lead-manages Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing.
“It is has always been our ambition to include a UAE national in the crew who will be our ocean ambassador representing the emirate’s long seafaring heritage. I believe we are close to fulfilling that commitment.”
The youngest of the trio, Adil, from Dubai, perhaps boasts the most amount of raw experience, having flown his country’s flag at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He has also successfully contested numerous Asian and Middle East regattas.
Already an accomplished solo-sailor, the recently married Adil believes that being selected for the 39,000 nautical mile, nine-month round-the-world endurance race would be a life and career defining experience.
“It is my dream. I want to compete, win and hoist my country’s flag up for everyone to see. It would make me very proud. I know I have the sailing skills but need to work on my physical strength. Sailing a Volvo Open 70 is very demanding and requires a different type of strength than say solo competitive sailing, but I want it. I am ready,” said Adil, who has been sailing for 10 years and was until recently a coach at the Emirates Sailing School (ESS) in Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, Abdul Aziz, who hails from the UAE capital, has been an assistant coach at ESS since 2005 and teaches aspiring youngsters Laser, Topper, Optimus and Catamaran sailing as well as kiteboarding in his spare time, comes from a long-line of traditional sailors – something he hopes will give him the edge in the final selection.
“For generations, my family have been sailors, plying their trade in fishing and pearling. This is something I have grown up with and I want to carry on the tradition. It would be an amazing honour to be able to represent Abu Dhabi, and spread my culture so it is heard around the world,” said Abu Dhabi-based Abdul Aziz, who recently returned from Malaysia, where he led a young sailing expedition and met with Volvo Ocean Race representatives.
And, Butti – an Abu Dhabi national and well-head platform operator in the Umm Al Dhalakh Field for Abu Dhabi’s Zakum Development Company (ZADCO) – believes his experience working in a high-pressure, safety-conscience environment, will give him the upper hand as he is already used to extreme operating conditions.
“I first found about the Volvo Ocean Race in 2008, when I was following it on the internet. From then I knew I wanted to be a part of it someday. I am a hard worker, and understand the importance of safety, which I know is the most important thing when on the rough seas. Working in a team is also something I’m used to, so hopefully that is in my favour too,” said Butti, who lives in Al Rahba City, Abu Dhabi.
“My family has sailed for more than 60 years, travelling on dhows between here and India. I know and love the sea. For me, the biggest challenge will be how I can best represent Abu Dhabi globally.”
And the team’s skipper, Ian Walker, himself a double Olympic medallist and Volvo Ocean Race veteran, is upbeat about the selection outcome.
"It’s been a testing few months as we’ve put the candidates through their paces and gradually whittled down the field to the final three. It has been a demanding assessment of both physical and mental strength as well as their ability to be part of a team. Hopefully in these three we have found both a sailor and an ambassador for Abu Dhabi," said Walker.
The successful candidate will soon join what should be one of the most competitive and decorated Volvo Ocean Race 2011/12 crews being assembled ahead of the October start.
In addition to Walker, Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing has already signed up 2008/2009 Volvo Ocean Race winning navigator, Jules Salter from the United Kingdom; Volvo Ocean Race 2005/06 winner, Justin Slattery of Ireland; New Zealand’s Craig Satterthwaite, a 2007 America’s Cup winner; and Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup veteran, Simon Fisher from the UK.
Development of a brand-new Volvo Open 70 for Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing is currently well-progressed. Designed by Farr Yacht Design from the US and being built in Northern Italy by Persico SPA, the team is expecting delivery of the state-of-the-art yacht this June.
In addition to boasting one of the most competitive crews lined-up for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011/12 – widely regarded as the Everest of Sailing – Abu Dhabi is also fully committed to its New Year 2012 hosting of the Volvo Ocean Race prior to the yachting fleet embarking on its third leg to Sanya, China. The emirate will be the first Middle East stopover in the event’s 37-year history.
ADTA, which was behind the emirate’s successful bid to become a 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race home port and the event’s first Official Destination Partner, believes the Abu Dhabi stop-over will be a race highlight and will give visitors a unique opportunity to connect with its centuries-old maritime heritage – a sentiment further enhanced with the addition of the UAE national crew member.
The 2011/2012 race begins in Alicante, Spain, in October 2011 and ends in Galway, Ireland, in the summer of 2012. ADTA believes its involvement will help position the emirate, which boasts a 400 kilometre coastline and over 200 natural islands, as a preferred winter sailing destination.
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