All-Emirati crew on Abu Dhabi boat set for capital welcome

Abu Dhabi sailing fans will have the chance to indulge their passion from the comfort of the capital as the EFG Bank Sailing Arabia - The Tour 2013 rolls into town.
And local people will have extra motivation to become involved with the region's only long-distance sailing race, with the entry of an Abu Dhabi crew and their boat Al Yasat, says sailingarabiathetour.com.
Team Abu Dhabi represents the host port Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club (ADSYC). The boat is due to sail into its home port on Friday and take part in an in-port short course racing there the next day.
"EFG Bank Sailing Arabia - The Tour is a great challenge for the sailors of the [Arabian] Gulf, and we believe it can only help us with our mission to reinvigorate the proud traditions of sailing in Abu Dhabi," says Ahmed Thani Al Romaithi, the chairman of ADSYC.
"After hosting the event since the beginning, we are proud to enter our Abu Dhabi team for the first time this year."
The Abu Dhabi team will consist of an all-Emirati crew.
"Young Emiratis are becoming more interested in yachting as demonstrated by our Emirati crew. We hope they will achieve a good result and gain a lot of experience, allowing them to participate in international yachting events in the future," says Mr Al Romaithi.
"We thank our leaders and the Abu Dhabi Government, who have since many years supported the development of sports in our emirate. Following their vision, we hope that our long heritage in sailing will continue for many years."
The Abu Dhabi team will be skippered by the Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing sailor Adil Khalid with the support of Yousef bin Lahej as navigator.
"We are very proud to represent Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club with an all-Emirati crew. Abu Dhabi is at the heart of the region and sailing has a long heritage here in the Emirates, as demonstrated by the many amazing dhow races," says Khalid.
Ahmed Al Hammadi, Ayub Al Balooshi, Ahmed Al Qubaisi, Yousef Al Qubaisi and Ahmed Al Marzooqi make up the rest of Team Abu Dhabi.
"Though we have a young crew, we are confident that we will be able to sail at the front of the fleet," says Khalid. "However, our main goal is to develop young talented Emirati sailors and increase their experience in offshore sailing."
The crowds will be out in force to cheer on Khalid and the crew over the weekend - and a blast or two of their combined lung power should help the team as it sails for glory.
chnelson@thenational.ae