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
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US Industrial Market figures, Q1 2017
Vacancy Rate 5.4%
Markets With Positive Absorption 85.7 per cent
New Supply 55 million sq ft
New Supply to Inventory 0.4 per cent
Under Construction 198.2 million sq ft
(Source: Colliers)
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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RESULTS
6.30pm: Handicap (rated 95-108) US$125,000 2000m (Dirt).
Winner: Don’t Give Up, Gerald Mosse (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (95 ) $160,000 2810m (Turf).
Winner: Los Barbados, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.40pm: Handicap (80-89) $60,000 1600m (D).
Winner: Claim The Roses, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (Div-1) Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D)
Winner: Gold Town, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Cape Verdi Group 2 $200,000 1600m (T).
Winner: Promising Run, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.25pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D).
Winner: El Chapo, Luke Morris, Fawzi Nass.
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If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
Sleep Well Beast
The National
4AD
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
