RAS AL KHAIMAH // A few kilometres off the coast, Phil Dodge's 14-metre yachtSea Runner traps the Gulf's wind in its sails.
Her crew of five sailors relaxes as the ship cuts through the water. Never mind that the temperature is more than 40°C.
Avid boat owners such as Mr Dodge, 56, and his crew will open the sails with only the slightest of excuses. For them, sailing is a passion that will not cool in such temperatures.
"It's not so bad once you are out in it," says Mr Dodge, the boat's captain, who has been sailing since he was 11. "The breeze makes it all that bit more bearable.
"If you look at all the British sailing magazines, they are full of photographs of guys covered up in wet gear with high seas behind them. This is slightly different."
The wind on the Gulf is consistent during the summer, he says, picking up most days at lunchtime.
"It can disappear twice as quick," Mr Dodge says.
Before the boat leaves the confines of the Royal Yacht Club of Ras Al Khaimah's walled harbour, Mr Dodge shows the crew the ropes - and the life jackets, fire extinguishers and an inflatable raft, just in case.
"Just because the sea is calm does not mean a man cannot fall overboard. It's good practice to do this every time we set sail," he says.
Once the boat sails further from the harbour, the breeze increases to 18 knots.
"It's quite noticeable in this heat," says Mr Dodge.
He instructs his crew to keep an eye out for fishing nets before they release the main sails. The crew pull on the winches and trim the sails, then it's full steam ahead.
"We usually get out before 10am and back in by midday to avoid the worst of the heat," Mr Dodge says.
He has sailed as far as Dubai and back to Ras Al Khaimah this summer, staying overnight in the three-cabin boat that sleeps six.
"Four crew is an ideal amount of people to have on board because it is more of a social event during the summer," Mr Dodge says.
"We would set sail with other boats and families, and drop anchor somewhere and go for a swim and have lunch. There is more to it than sailing."
Crew member Guy Odell says that after the respite from the midday sun, he and another member, Michael Hennigan, go out on other boats.
"It is more fun out there on the water," says Mr Hennigan, 43, a South African. "It is a really nice place to sail or even go wakeboarding. Once out on the water, the breeze created by the speed we do is very refreshing."
He started sailing just a year ago and didn't let the soaring summer temperatures put him off.
"I love it so much. It is the best thing I ever started to do," Mr Hennigan says.
He adds that he has two small sail boats moored at the yacht club in Al Hamra.
"Once you get out there on the water it is really good fun and there is nowhere else I'd rather be."
The sailors on board Mr Dodge's yacht say they are looking forward to next month when the racing season begins.
"Of course the weather is nicer, but there are a lot more boats out on the water and we get to race," Mr Odell says.
Those who sweat it out in the summer are fitter for the winter months, when sailors of all levels cram on to boats to crew in the races.
Yet by the middle of this summer day, the yacht has changed course for port and the bottles of water on board have run low.
"We can't be out in it too long," Mr Dodge says. "We'd fry."