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PRODUCTSTO CHECK OUT

Plenty of

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March 201

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BLOOMIN’

LOVELY!

Close encounter with pirates!

Extrm ailing Sri undrway

First ever BloombergSquare Mile Relay

The magic of fishing luresLure them out!

A closer look:

All you need to know about DIBS 2016

E x c lusi v e:E X T R E M E S AI L IN G S E R I E S ’ S AR AH AY T O N , O B E

LADIE S O N T HE T R AC K

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M o t h e r s , Le g e n d s , Ic o n s , E n t h u s ias t s H er e’s to the G ir ls!

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE MARCH 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

The information contained is for general use only.We have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has beenobtained from reliable sources. The publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information inthis magazine is provided without a full guarantee of completeness, accuracy and chronology. Inno event will the publisher and/or any of our affiliates be held responsible for decisions made oraction taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

All contents are copyrighted and may not bereproduced in any form without prior writtenpermission.

© 2015 Outdoor UAE FZEReg. at Creative City FujairahP.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

WHEN YOU’REDONE READING,

PLEASE RECYCLE!

EditorFor editorial content and press releasesTel: 04-447 2030Mobile: 055 [email protected]

Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries)Tel: 04-447 2030Mobile: 055 [email protected]

Mobile: 055 [email protected]

Published byOutdoor UAE FZEIn cooperation with A2Z EVENTSP.O. Box 215062Dubai, U.A.E.

OutdoorUAE Team

Kit Belen Our fishing pro

Nico de Corato

Diver and heli rescue swimmerwith Bergamo Scuba Angels

Ivana Chiles Health coach and outdoor enthusiast

Get to us on Facebook!

Marina Bruce The Desert Diva andoff-road expert

EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS

Tel. 04-447 [email protected]

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Dar Al Hikma LLCP.O. Box 2007, Dubai, UAETel. 04-266 5394

Printed atGN PrintingP.O. Box 6519, Dubai, UAE

© 2016 Outdoor UAE FZE

Vol. 6, No. 3, March 2016

www.OutdoorUAE.com

Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE

Twitter.com/OutdoorUAE

Instagram.com/OutdoorUAEDan Wright

Freelance wilderness guide in the UA

Jake Lyle Diving and Watersport Expert

Ian [email protected]

Margo CiruelosSales and [email protected]

Katherine Cañedo Patangui

[email protected]

Eulogy van DykEditor Qatar

[email protected]

Ireneo ‘Jung’ FranciscoDesigner and Photographer [email protected]

Keith PereñaJunior Editor & Social [email protected]

Rachael BrufordTravel [email protected]

Daniel BirkhoferFounder andGeneral [email protected]

Helle Bachofen Von EchtElite Women Cyclist

What is it that attracts us humans so much to water? Is it the fact that ourbody is 90% made of it? Is it that we cannot survive without it?

Cover photo by: Will Pardoe

Our acination with watr

Nela MacoveiSales and [email protected]

Is it just historically rooted in us since trade routes were popular on water and we set-tle here? Or are there some other spiritual reasons? I guess the more people you willask the more answers you will get. But one thing is for certain, here in the UAE the seais a great playground for outdoor activities. No matter if you are bound to the beach orhave access to the infinite horizon, the sea has something to offer for everyone. And thebest thing about it, despite the mountains and the desert, we can enjoy the sea all yearround. In the past years, not only the outdoor community grew offering easier access toactivities through, clubs, events and related businesses. Also the emirates developedthe cost in many places with great new facilities to enjoy the beach and the sea in thecity. Yet the public beaches are limited and might get busy from time to time, so if youare look for some solitude, you might sail away, dive into the deep blue or go on your

own journey to find the last lonely beach in the UAE.

If you need inspiration, what you could to on the waters, read ourexciting stories or just get down to the beach and have look around,you see people fishing, kite or wave surfing, SUPing, kayaking,dragon boating, snorkeling, swimming, sailing and so much more. You can also visit us at the Dubai Boat Show or the Abu DhabiEmirates Palace SUP Race this March and try out some newactivities and don’t forget to share your stories or photos with usand the community.

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CONTENTS

34 OUTDOOR FLICKS: POINT BREAK

35 HABITUALLY HEALTHY: THE HUMBLE SWEET POTATO

36 NATURAL HISTORY: MANGROVE FORESTS

EVERY ISSUE

LIFESTYLE

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

14 SAILING ARABIA: THE TOUR

20 WADI BIH 72KM SOLO

06 EVENTS CALENDAR

08 BEST SHOTS

09 OFF-ROADER’S CORNER: GOING XTREME WITH AJAY’S FJ

40 PRODUCTS

62 DIRECTORY

EVENT & ACTIVITY REPORTS

24 ACROSS ARABIAN SEAS: SWARMED

BY PIRATES, SHOT AT BY REBELS

28 THINGVALLAVATN: JURASSIC LAKE WITH BROWN TROUT

32 NOMAD’S ROAD: INTO THE ARABIC PENINSULA

32 NOMAD’S ROAD

10 EXTREME SAILING SERIES

12 OOREDOO MARATHON

13 PREVIEW: CUSTOM SHOW EMIRATES

14 SAILING ARABIA: THE TOUR

16 DUBAI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW GUIDE

18 BLOOMBERG SQUARE MILE RELAY

20 WADI BIH 72KM SOLO

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OUR EXPERTS

TRIED + TESTED PEOPLE

TIPS + TRICKS

59 FIT AND FAST BY FITNESS FIRST

60 THE NEED FOR SPEED

61 CLEANING YOUR RIDE BY REVOLUTION CYCLES

58 JEFF MCBRIDE – SCUBA DIVER50 DUBAI TOUR

48 FINDING SUCCESS IN LURES - KIT

50 DUBAI TOUR - NICO

52 DIVING HOTSPOT: OMAN - JAKE

54 WOMEN ON WHEELS:

WHEN LADIES IN QATAR GATHER... – HELLE

56 STUCK! - MARINA

58 JEFF MCBRIDE – SCUBA DIVER

38 TRIED AND TESTED: 2016 SUZUKI VITARA

38 2016 SUZUKI VITARA

41 2XU COMPRESSION RECOVERY TIGHTS

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EVENTS CALENDAR STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST EVENTS

MARCH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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ITU WORLD TRIATHLON ABU DHABIThe pinnacle of world triathlon racing is coming to theUAE capital

When: March 5Where: Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht ClubContact: www.abudhabi.triathlon.org

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2016 EMIRATES PALACE SUP FESTIVALThe third annual Emirates Palace SUP festival is here for thelargest SUP event on the UAE calendar!

When: March 12Where: Emirates PalaceContact: www.abudhabisup.com

DESERT ROAD RUNNERS –

DUBAI AUTODROME 10K 2016Lace up your trainers and join the Desert Road Run-ners as they tackle the Grand Prix Circuit of the DubaiAutodrome.

When: March 12Where: Dubai AutodromeContact: www.hopasports.com

HATTA HILLS RUNNING FESTIVAL Mixed distance running event for the whole family.

When: March 11Where: Hatta Fort HotelContact: www.premieronline.com

MARCH

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FINA/NVC DIVING WORLD SERIESA high profile diving competition which offers thechance to see the world’s brightest diving starscoming together.

When: March 17-19Where: Hamdan Sports ComplexContact: www.fina.org

DUBAI INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW 2016The finest collection of yachts, marine lifestyle and watersports.

When: March 1-5Where: Dubai International Marine Club, Mina SeyahiContact: www.boatshowdubai.com

GO SPORT MINA MILE

OPEN WATER SERIESTest your swim skills in this multi-distance raceoff Barasti Beach.

When: March 12Where: Le Meridien Mina SeyahiContact: www.supersportsdubai.com

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CUSTOM SHOW EMIRATES 2016In its second year, Custom Show Emirates is the largest custom cars and bike show in the entire Middle East.

When: March 31-April 2Where: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition CentreContact: www.customshowemirates.com

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H26URBAN-ULTRA X-TRITake part in the only off-road triathlon challenge in the region!

When: March 26Where: Kalba, SharjahContact: www.urbanultra.com

ADNOC CYCLE CHALLENGE 2016The prestigious 85km city cycle race is back!

When: March 18Where: Abu Dhabi CornicheContact: www.premieronline.com

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DUBAI WORLD CUP 2016Once again, the region’s premier equestrian event is set toexcite audiences

When: March 26Where: Meydan Grandstand and RacecourseContact: www.dubaiworldcup.com

ABU DHABI CYCLE RACE 2The second of four Abu Dhabi Sports Councilhosted races held on closed tracks

When: March 26

Where: Abu DhabiContact: www.premieronline.com

ZAYED MARATHON 2016All proceeds go to health charities on theday the UAE runs!

When: March 19

Where: Yas Marina Circuit Grand Prix CircuitContact: www.premieronline.com

UAE WOODEN POWERBOAT

CHAMPIONSHIPSpeed and tradition at the helm, the WoodenPowerboat Championship is a long standingUAE tradition founded in 1987.

When: March 25Where: Dubai International Marine Club, Mina SeyahContact: www.dimc.ae

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BEST SHOTS

Here are the best shots sent in by you for our monthly photography competition! Thank you for all your entries, they were all great and itwas hard selecting the best photos this month. Congratulations to the top three winners, who will each receive Buff headwear, five free copies

of the magazine and the Advance Off-road Guidebook: Madhubabu Singadi, Abdulqader Al Ani and Wilander Xavier. Well done!To submit your entries, simply email us at [email protected] with the subject “Best Shots.”

Madhubabu SingadiDawn at Dubai Al Qudra Lakes

Abdulqader Al AniA camel walking alone in Liwa dunes

Wilander XavierSilhouettes of Dubai’s iconic skyline

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O F F - R O A D E R STHE

c o r n e r

Going Xtrmwith Ajay’ FJ

Want your 4X4 to be the next feature?It’s all simple! Just send us an emailat [email protected] with thesubject “Off-Roaders Corner” and youand your car might just be the next oneon this page!

Name: Ajay SikriNationality: IndianOccupation: Vice President at DamacRide: 2016 Toyota FJ Cruiser Xtreme

Tell us a little background

story about the car.The FJ Cruiser Xtreme is an upgrade on thestock FJ, undertaken jointly by Al FuttaimMotors and Arctic Trucks. The upgradesfocus on enhancing the off-road capabilitiesof the car. Having driven long wheelbasemodels, I had been hearing about the Xtremeversion for the past two to three years andhave received good feedback from fellowoff-roaders about it. While I had modified myearlier off-road rides, namely a Nissan Patroland Toyota Land Cruiser, this time I decidedto take the basic modifications as a packagethat comes out of the Al Futtaim and ArcticTrucks duo after a prototype testing.

Could you tell us all about themodifications that were made?Performance and cosmetic-wise?There are a couple of modifications that

Extreme could mean a lot of

different things but one thing is forsure. It crosses the line of comfortand heads on to face any challengewith pride. Such is the story ofAjay Sikri and his Toyota FJ Cruiser“Xtreme”. A little bit unassumingon the looks department, this beastcan fend for itself in the middle ofthe desert. And in Ajay’s masterfulhands, the extreme has reachedanother level of extreme.

came with the package but I plan on givingit my own personal touches by adding moreparts that fit my preferences. Modificationsinclude:

Performance: Heavy-duty Fox suspension,Catback exhaust, Hood Scoop, smaller (16”)heavy-duty rims, BFGoodrich off-road tyres,

heavy-duty skid-plate, rear hitch receiver/recovery pointSafety/Driving comfort: LED Driving lights,off-road flag, blind spot and cross trafficdetector Cosmetic: Matt black package, BushwackerFender Flares

Do you have something that youwould consider to be a “specialfeature” of your car?A-Trac and Crawl Control. The A-Trac hasbeen an established feature of the FJ eversince its launch in 2007, the Crawl Controlhas been a recent addition to this car and itenhances the effectiveness of the recovery

effort. I distinctively remember the first timewhen I used it. I was in the middle of the Liwadesert and got caught at a very soft patch ina shallow bowl of sand. The sand was so soft

that the FJ was down to its chassis. That’swhere, I thought of testing this feature, andactivated it. With the crawl control working,I could guide the car out of the soft patchwithin a few minutes. If I didn’t have this fea-ture onboard, I guess I would have required astrong snatch or a winch recovery.

What were your other options beforeyou bought this car?The Jeep Wrangler and Nissan Xterra - sinceall three are very decent small/mid-sized off-roaders, It wasn’t an easy choice, especiallywith a wide price-differential between thethree. After a careful analysis, I settled downfor the FJ over the Wrangler due to betterride comfort; more boot space; superiorengine and overall Toyota assurance of reli-ability. The Nissan Xterra would also havegiven me these to an extent, but even its“off-road” version is no match to what an FJXtreme offers.

How do you spend time with the car?We are good company for each other oncewe get off the road. I have had this car onlyfor three months now, so on most weekends,I have taken it to the sands in the UAE andOman. As the weather turns warmer, the FJwill take me to cooler wadis and the Jebelsof Oman for wadi bashing, hiking and similaradventures.

How often do you use your car?This is my regular ride to work these days,but it’s put to quality use over the weekends.

Any future modifications

that you are planning?No mechanical modifications planned imme-diately, but I plan to add a few comfort andconveniences like a rear storage locker; moredriving lights and probably a winch.

What 4x4 do you dream of owning?Mercedes Benz G Class AMG 6x6

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As the event heads into its tenth year,a selection of the world’s top sailors havebeen trained and hosted at Dubai Interna-tional Marine Club. Expectations are high asthe teams prepare to set sail on a new fleetof GC32 catamarans and a new generation

Photos By: Keith Perenaand Lloyd Images

The 2016 Extreme Sailing Serieswas officially launched at the DubaiInternational Marine Club last 10February with a full line-up of eightworld-class teams, from eight

nations confirmed.

EVENT REPORT

The Extreme Sailing Seriesis Back for its 10th Season!

of foiling boats which are partly manufac-tured in the UAE.

Following on from the launch in Dubai, theseries will touch down in an additional seveniconic urban city centres, including the Por-tuguese capital Lisbon which will makes itsdebut as a new stadium sailing racecourse.In previous years host cities have attractedmore than one million spectators and haveproved popular with residents and visitorsalike.

Andy Tourell, Event Director for theExtreme Sailing Series commented on thelandmark year: “2016 marks the tenth yearof this elite competition a milestone yearfor us in more ways than one, not least thechange of racing platform to the GC32which brings with it a whole new dimensionto the racing and public experience.TheDubai International Marine Club is the per-fect venue to commence the season and weare grateful for their support and for helpingmake the event a success.”

The competition on the water promises tobe fierce and action-packed with America’sCup legends, Olympic heroes and worldchampions preparing to do battle at closequarters. Among the crews will be veterans

of 13 Olympic campaigns and 22 America’sCup campaigns. Between them they alsohold 27 World Championship titles, 27European Championships and 106 NationalTitle Holders.

On the grid for the new season are 2015runners-up SAP Extreme Sailing Teamco-skippered for a fifth year by Jes Gram-Hansen and Rasmus Køstner from Denmark,who have boosted their on-board talent withItalian Pierluigi De Felice, a multiple WorldChampion and three-times America’s Cupsailor.

SAP’s 2015 sparring partners, Red BullSailing Team, skippered by Austrian doubleOlympic gold medallist Roman Hagara withHans-Peter Steinacher calling the tactics willalso return to the starting blocks.

2014 Extreme Sailing Series championsfrom Switzerland and two-time winners ofthe America’s Cup Alinghi will return to thecircuit armed with foiling expertise aftercoming second in the 2015 GC32 GreatCup. Team principal Ernesto Bertarelli willbe sharing helming duties throughout theseason with Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI).

“Using the GC32 this season will be agreat change to the circuit,” commented

From left: Alinghi skipper (SUI) - Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI), Land Rover BAR Academy skipper (GBR), BleddynMôn Skipper (GBR), Oman Air Skipper (OMA)- Morgan Larson (USA), Portuguese Team skipper, (name TBC) -Diogo Cayolla (POR), Red Bull Sailing Team skipper (AUT) - Roman Hagara (AUT), SAP Extreme Sailing TeamSkipper (DEN) - Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN) , Team Turx skipper (TUR) - Edhem Dirvana (TUR)

Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT)

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EVENT REPORT

Photos By: Ooredoo QatarWords By: Eulogy van Dyk

Now in its fourth year running, this isQatar’s most prestigious marathon and hasseen its number rising year after year!

Their slogan says it all, “Whatever youare running for… bring it on!” And like so,

almost 2,000 runners woke up early morningon the 8th of January 2016 to take to thestarting line to run for charity, socializing,health, to win or just for the FUN!

The marathon featured four courses for allabilities of runners including a full marathon,half-marathon, 10km, 5km and a specialchildren’s 3km fun run. Having this variety

The coolest months of the yearhere in the Middle East arebetween December to February aswe know it (or feel it) and this is theideal time to explore some of theoutdoor attractions on the beaches,sand dunes and parks – or to runthe Ooredoo Marathon!

Whatever you are running for… bring it on!of distances made it possible for the wholefamily to come out for the morning andenjoy the event together.

The event was hosted at the Museum ofIslamic Art, an iconic building and monu-ment located on the port side of the DohaCorniche in Qatar. The big green park, withwalking paths, playground for kids and fan-tastic view of the Doha skyline made this anideal location to start off an event like this.

The route went all along the DohaCorniche, which stretches around five tosix kilometres along the coastline and eachdistance has a different turn point. The10km runners did one full lap of running upand down the Corniche whereas the halfmarathon runners did two laps and then fullmarathon runners did four laps. The routewas also closed for traffic, which was

fantastic to ensure a safe run for all!This year’s marathon really saw runners

from all over the world, jogging, sprintingor walking. Several teams from business,schools and athletic clubs participated,which aimed to help people become moreactive and healthy.

But in the end it was the Kenyans that

dominated the competitive races winningmen’s and women’s full marathon. With 2hours 21 minutes, Amos Maindi finished firstplace in men’s full marathon category andcompatriot Pamela Chepkoech Bundotichtook the title in the female division with 2hours 58 minutes.

All finishers were awarded with a veryspecial finisher’s medal as well as anawesome event t-shirt and lunch pack! Soeveryone truly felt like a winner on the day!

The event has really grown into a highly-anticipated event for experienced marathon

runners, health-conscious people andnovices and it is expected that people will

jump to get entries for next year!The Minister of Youth and Sports H.E.

Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser Al Ali andOoredoo Chairman Sheikh Abdullah binMohammed bin Saud Al Thani also attendedthe event. The Minister expressed delightand support to the event and said it is in linewith the ministry’s vision of promoting thewellbeing of people in Qatar.

For 2016, the total prize purse was worth1,000,000 QAR (worth flying over for theweekend don’t you think?)

Funds raised by entry fees of theOoredoo Marathon were donated to a

range of worthy charities in Qatar.A highly recommended event, with

great views of Doha city and skyline,awesome atmosphere, loads of friendlypeople and definitely an event to puton your “run-it-list”!

Ooredoo Chairman and Minister of sports and Youth

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EVENT PREVIEW

Held alongside the biggest automotiveawards in the Middle East (MECOTY)and the 1st Abu Dhabi InternationalMotorshow – this grand event is a motoring

Need to KnowWhen: 31 March - 2 April, 2016

31 March - 10 am to 10 pm 01 April - 3 pm to 10 pm 02 April - 10 am to 10 pm

Where: ADNEC (Abu Dhabi NationalExhibition Centre), Halls 9, 10, 11 andCapital plaza

Visit: Tickets are priced at 50 AEDavailable at the show or atwww.abu-dhabi.platinumlist.net

CustomShow

Emirates is Back on the Track!Now in its second year,

Custom Show Emirates is thebiggest custom cars and bikesshow in the Middle East.

extravaganza you just cannot miss.The show not only provides premium

automotive entertainment to its visitors butalso serves as a B2B and B2C platform thatconnects suppliers and retailers of tuningand aftermarket products, directly with

buyers and end consumers. The show is alsoa strategic partner of SEMA Show in theUnited States.

The show will highlight the latest in autocustomization products and services, featureinternational pavilions and showcase severalnew and exciting activities such as; 4x4drifting, saloon drifting, stunt driving, cars& bikes parade, live customisation, battleof the engines, bikers build-off, car audiocompetitions, RC arena, motorsports hall,performance zone, dyno zone, SEMAgarage and much more to keep the adrena-line pumping for the visitors.

With multiple new pavilions and exhibitorsfrom all over the world including, USA,

Australia, Japan, Russia, China, NewZealand, India and of course UAE’s veryown, the second edition of Custom ShowEmirates will drive forward the regional mo-tor tuning industry and establish its positionas the main platform for exchanging ideas,presenting new products and providingopportunities for customers to choose thebest products and services.

Words + Photos Supplied By: Custom Show Emirates

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EVENT REPORT

Third Time’s a CharmerEFG Bank Monaco on the way

for third Sailing Arabia victoryPhotos By: Mark Lloyd

Defending champions, EFGBank Monaco are on course fora third consecutive EFG SailingArabia – The Tour title after winningleg three of the epic 730 nauticalmile race. The team sailed to gloryin the 280nm stage from Doha inQatar to Khasab on Oman’s Mu-sandam peninsula, their secondoffshore victory in three legs.

The team, who lifted the EFG SailingArabia – The Tour trophy in 2014 and 2015,now sits comfortably at the top of the over-all leaderboard with just two more legs tosail. They have proved almost unbeatable inupwind conditions but with a following windforecast for Thursday’s 140nm leg southto Sohar, skipper Sidney Gavignet said histeam must now outperform their challengerswith their spinnakers hoisted if they are toseal overall victory.

Omani crews Al Mouj, Muscat and Re-naissance Services came second and thirdrespectively as the battle for an overallpodium position heats up. British titlecontenders Team Averda had hoped to clawback some points on EFG Bank Monacoduring the stage, the longest of the event,but finished a disappointing fifth. Round

the world yachtswoman Dee Caffari’s OmanAirports-Al Thuraya Women’s Team finishedthe leg in sixth place.

The fleet departed Doha’s The Pearl-Qataron Monday in a fresh 10-15 knot wind thatsaw them make good headway towardsKhasab over the first 24 hours. EFG BankMonaco took an early lead before com-mencing a clever tactical strategy that sawthem cover every move of their closestrivals in order to defend their advantage.

But when the breeze vanished after some150nm of intense racing, race director GillesChiorri took the decision to shorten the legand take the results from a scoring gate justover halfway along the course. The movehanded the win to EFG Bank Monaco – andnow gives them the upper hand going intothe last two legs of EFG Sailing Arabia theTour.

Stepping off the dock in Khasab, Gavi-gnet said: “It was another great win for us– it seems we are unbeatable upwind. Weare quite confident at this point of SailingArabia – The Tour that we can win it. Ourconfidence has been growing throughoutthe event and it is high going into the fourthand fifth legs. But in order to win we nowhave to prove that we can be downwindchampions too.”

Renaissance Services skipper Fahad AlHasni, who has spent five years as Gavig-net’s protege, said his crew were now moredetermined than ever to beat local rivalsAl Mouj, Muscat. “It feels great to be back

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Ocean Sports FZE: [email protected] | +971 (0) 55 935 2

in Oman - I really missed my home countryand now we are back, it gives the team extraenergy. We had a really close race with AlMouj, Muscat and we now have a fight onour hands to beat them in legs four and five.We will try our hardest to beat them andhopefully we will succeed.”

Leg 3 results:1. EFG Bank Monaco(MON/Sidney Gavignet)

2. Al Mouj, Muscat (OMA/Nico Lunven)3. Renaissance Services(OMA/Fahad Al Hasni)4. Team Zain (KWT/Cedric Pouligny)5. Team Averda (GBR/Marcel Herrera)6. Oman Airports-Al Thuraya Women’s Team(OMA/Dee Caffari)7. TU Delft Challenge(NED/Wouter Sonnema)8. Team Bienne Voile (SUI/Lorenz Mueller)9. Team Mangold (GER/Martin Felgenhauer)

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The 24th running of the DubaiInternational Boat Show, March 1-5 2016,showcases new visitor experiences to includenot only the most spectacular superyachtsbut to now also include a host of active

offerings – from sailing and fishing trips towatersport stunts, taster sessions of stand-uppaddle boarding and windsurfing, as well asfirst-time-ever beach access and even on-yacht dining experiences.

In line with Dubai’s global reputation as

Your Ultimat Guid to th 2016 Dubai International Boat ShowNew Activity-Based Features, Water Sports, First-Time Ever Beach Access and On-Yacht Dining ExperiencesPhotos By: Jung Francisco and Supplied

Welcome to the 2016 editionof Dubai International Boat Show.Upon reading this we are sure thatyou have already seen some of thefeatures of the Boat Show. Thisyear, you may notice some newactivities and we are encourag-ing you to please, try them out foryourselves. As such, old favourites

are still present so not only can youexperience the Boat Show you’vecome to know and love, you canalso experience it in a different way.This year, we are expanding into anexperiential lifestyle event which isset to delight not only sailors butalso watersport fans as well.

EVENT REPORT

a destination for world-class events andentertainment, the show’s new activity-basedofferings will move the region’s leading eventfor the marine leisure industry to an all-newlevel.

“Great events become truly exceptionalwhen they become experiential in nature.Dubai, as an emirate, has long spearheadedthis trend and has developed an internationalreputation for being a must-visit global life-style destination, and the Dubai InternationalBoat Show aims to embody this reputationas we continue to expand on our world class

features,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, DWTC, organiser of DubaiInternational Boat Show.

“In our almost two and a half decades ofhistory, the show has clearly witnessed a shiftin the way visitors want to participate and

how exhibitors want to showcase their prod-ucts. Increasingly, marine enthusiasts whoattend our show are looking for an on-waterexperience which encourages more buyersof boats, marine accessories and watersportsequipment – which further boosts the re-gional industry,” LohMirmand added.

With more than 30,000 visitors from 120countries, 430 boats on land and water, aswell as products from over 800 exhibitorsand brands from 51 countries, this year’s BoatShow is comprehensive as it is expansive.We believe that our goal to make the Boat

Show as an experiential event is a successbecause of you – the reader’s presence here.“More and more, the region’s residents are

becoming maritime leisure enthusiasts. Theyseek more than just yachts and boats, but a“360 degree” experience encompassing all

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aspects of a luxury lifestyle. The full scale ma-rine sector offering targeting those that wantto bring their own lifestyle to the water is anarea that the industry must tap into, and thisis where the Dubai International Boat Showshines. There is no better way to reach thisunique market segment than by being at thebest lifestyle event on the maritime calen-dar,” said Gregor Stinner, CEO of Art Marine.

2015 Show Sectorsand New FeaturesNew to this edition of the Dubai InternationalBoat Show are a host of interactive and freeactivities to ensure that you and your familyor friends will have a wonderful time. Theseinclude daily daredevil jetpack, flyboard andfly bike stunts in association with yacht andwatersports provider Day & Night Dubai.Also new this year is a thrice-daily Hands-onBoating Experience in conjunction with Ma-rine Concept Sea School and Yacht Charterwhere participants can learn the basics ofowning and driving a boat, while a uniqueFishing Trip Experience – also taking place

three times a day – will give participants achance to learn quick fishing and trollingactivities in partnership with Boat Pilot UAE.

For the first time ever, organisers haveopened up the beach for visitors to takepart in even more activities. In associationwith watersports centre Watercooled UAE,catamaran taster sessions, stand-up paddleboarding sessions, windsurfing manoeuvresand kayaking adventures are all on offer onthe water, giving enthusiasts and newcom-ers a taste of the marine leisure lifestyle. Kitesurfing kit displays and technique discussionswill also be available for viewing.

“We know how keen both residents andinternational visitors alike are to get out on

the water here because it’s what we do everysingle day. Bringing this experiential ele-ment to the Dubai International Boat Showwill definitely attract more crowds and bringa new energy to the show. This is a fantasticshowcase for the range of activities availablehere, really highlighting the growing leisuremarine community. This is a reflection ofhow much is on offer here, not just in termsof activities but also certified training anddevelopment,” said Barry Conlon, GeneralManager of Watercooled UAE.

Show sectors for this year include: MarinaDisplay, Outdoor Display, Luxury and Lifestyle(LSS), Equipment Services and Supplies (ESS),and Diving. Returning again this year is the

Superyacht Life area, bringing together the

world’s leading Superyacht builders underthe banner of the Superyacht Builders As-sociation (SYBAss), as well as show favourites- Supercar Promenade, Dive Middle EastExhibition (DMEX) and the Retail Village,rounding out an even more expanded showlineup – including the arrival of Sahtein, agourmet food event from the Dubai FoodCarnival.

Following their successful launch in 2015,returning this year are the much heraldedDIBS Sailing, DIBS Fishing, and DIBS Water-sports sectors. The 2015 DIBS Visitor Surveynoted that 28%, 50% and 41% of visitorsregularly participated in watersports, sailingand fishing respectively, and so these dedi-cated sectors have been further developedfor this year’s show as enthusiasts continue toenter, and grow within, the marine lifestyle atall entry points.

Education plays a key focus at DubaiInternational Boat show with a collection oftalks, conferences and seminars catering to acommunity hungry for knowledge. Supportedby OutdoorUAE, the Marine Talks feature

experts in the field of fishing, diving, sailingand watersports in interactive sessions. TheMiddle East Yachting Conference will againbring together global experts and industryauthorities, as well as boating enthusiasts, toaddress the latest trends, technologies, plansand regulations affecting the marine leisuresector in Dubai and beyond.

The 24th Dubai International Boat Showat Dubai International Marine Club - MinaSeyahi is open to trade visitors and the gen-

eral public from 3pm – 9.30pm dailyfrom 1 – 5 March 2016, with a single entryticket cost of 60 AED. For more informationand updates as they happen check outboatshowdubai.com or follow us on thefollowing channels:

DubaiBoatShow @dibshow @dubaiboa

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Photos By: Keith Pereña and Supplied

There was a throng of peoplestanding avidly on one side of thearea and it was such a curioussight as they were all looking totheir left — anticipating somethingor someone to come along. It wasthe latter as we saw firsthand as acouple of runners came and passedon a baton to the next person, thisperson then blitz his/her way downthe track as the one who passedthe baton slowed down, took a deepbreath and went to the side of thetrack to take the exit.

EVENT REPORT

The First Ever Bloomberg Square Mile Relay

Ties for Trainers? They looked exhausted – the ones who

finished, but despite that, there was stilltime for them to smile and even take a selfiewith their colleagues who were stillwaiting on their turn. This was the sortof vibe that we saw during the first everBloomberg Square Mile Relay held lastFebruary 3 at the DIFC. More than 500city workers swapped their ties for runningtrainers to compete in the race touted as theultimate corporate relay race.

The race saw 50 of Dubai’s biggest firmsincluding Emirates NBD, Dubai Airports,HSBC, J.P. Morgan, Standard Chartered andmore battle it out over a one-mile (1.6km)

route through the streets and pathwaysof Dubai International Financial Centre.Complete with a mix of stairs, straightawaysand tight turns. Thus proving that this event— with the help of the venue proved to bea challenge especially to those runners whoare more accustomed to walking their wayto the same paths on their way to work. Butthis time, they’re running it.

We got up close with a couple of runnerson the field discussing their group’s strategyor simply just enjoying the music andfollowing the constant race updates onthe screen. We got in touch with teamFitness First who is also the fitness partnerof the event right in the middle of their

conversation about team strategy. Theywere pretty hyped to run and extremelyeager as they waited for their colleague tocome around and pass the baton to the nextperson.

Also present was the team of Mitsui andCo. With ultra-athlete and cyclist OlgaZolotova (OutdoorUAE, January 2016)participating with her colleagues as well.

She informed us that this was her team’s firstever experience in a relay race and it waspretty great for them to take part! After thisshort conversation, pictures ensued in frontof the backdrop that Bloomberg arranged asa great way for runners to have a memory ofthe event.

Crossing the line first, after completingten laps of the one-mile (1.6km) course,was team RPM with a time of 53:31 closelyfollowed by GO FAST! with a time of 54:11.Bond Consulting secured the third andfinal place on the podium with a time of57:58. As RPM crossed the line, the rest ofthe team suddenly awoke to jovial screamsknowing that they have taken the win on

Atoussa on her final stretch

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the debut event of the Square Mile Relayhere in Dubai. The finishers were lifted up bytheir comrades and the onlookers and otherparticipants clapped their hands in joy as thewinners have finally emerged. An hour or solater the race came to a close with AtoussaMahmoudpour being the last finisher ofthe race. What was worthy of note is thatAtoussa finished the race with the cheers of

not only her colleagues but also of the otherparticipants welcoming her in the finish line.As she reached the last turn, her colleaguesran towards her and proceed to follow hercrossing the line amidst the cheers of theother participants including the podiumfinishers. When asked about her reaction tothis warm welcome at the end of the raceshe had this to say: “It was overwhelming, itwas amazing, and it was actually helping meto run faster.”

Right after the race, the awarding ceremo-ny came with all the participants enjoyingthe food and beverage at the Race Villagewhere the awarding was also held. Takingthe podium for being the Fastest Runner

was Ismail Kelkharchi from team RPM witha record time of 4:42. He received variousprizes from the sponsors such as a brandnew TAG Heuer Formula 1 Automatic GMT,a weekend break Ritz-Carlton and 1 yearsubscription at Fitness First. Team RPMalso won at the team level and receivedthe winner’s trophy on stage and also acheque for 30,000 AED to donate to their

nominated charity. RPM Team Captain of thenight, Abdullah Hassan said: “I would liketo thank all of our team members, our teamcaptain Mubarak, and a specia l thank youmust go to the event organisers, we reallyenjoyed this amazing race, which was verywell organised, and once again thank youMubarak.”

Headline sponsor Bloomberg hassupported the event since the first race inLondon in 2007. Also supporting the racein Dubai were official fitness partner, FitnessFirst Middle East; official radio partner DubaiEye; official time-keeping partner TAGHeuer and official venue partner, Dubai In-ternational Financial Centre (DIFC) who also

participated in the race with with two teamsfrom DIFC Authority – including membersof the Senior Management. The Centreprovided a spectacular location for the race,right in the heart of the Financial District ofDubai.

Raja Al Mazrouei, Senior Vice President –Marketing & Corporate Communications atDIFC Authority, commented: “Hosting theBloomberg Square Mile Relay has reinforcedDIFC as a destination for the community tonot only advance their business objectivesand engage with other professionals, butalso to enjoy the fantastic infrastructure thatthe Centre has to offer. The race inspiredstrong teamwork and good natured

competition among some of Dubai’s largestcorporations and financial institutions andwe are proud to be the venue partner forsuch a highly regarded international event.”

After the Bloomberg Square Mile Relayrace had finished, guests were then invitedto join the official after-race party in theOlive Garden at The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, withcomplimentary beverages and live music.

The Bloomberg Square Mile Relay baton

will now pass to Sydney where participantswill weave their way through the spectacularone-mile (1.6km) route around DarlingHarbour. Seven cities across the world arenow hosting this global race series, withSydney being the most recent addition andmore to be announced in the coming year.

Team RPM - the winners of the race

Fitness First Dubai Financial Gate

Elevision

Mitsui & Co. Ltd.

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I had run the Dubai Marathon two yearspreviously to tick a marathon off my bucketlist. I didn’t run it in a great time or anything,but I had really enjoyed training for it and en-

joyed running it, so my husband suggestedthat I start running again.

The first time I went out running again, Imanaged about 600m before I had to stopto take a breath, but I persevered with a mixof running and walking and managed around

2.5km. I continued to go out around threetimes a week for a while, and then I enteredthe 2015 Dubai Marathon. I bought a bookon marathon running and followed a sched-ule that was in there in preparation. Then Igot a phone call from Ruanda - an old friend.She had heard I was running the DubaiMarathon and she encouraged me to join theAbu Dhabi Striders for a training run. I keptputting it off, thinking I wasn’t good enoughor fast enough to join. I finally relented and

joined one of their Saturday Yas Island runsas part of my preparation for the Abu DhabiStriders Half Marathon and, ultimately, theDubai Marathon. It was great fun, everyonewas so friendly and even though I was trailing

EVENT REPORT

Starting Line First of all, a little bit about me,and how my running journey began.I am a stay-at-home mum and havethree young children. After havingmy third child, my weight balloonedand I felt that I really needed todo something about it as it wasaffecting my life; I would getexhausted just jumping around thepool with my children and I knewthings needed to change.

behind at the back, I was never left on myown. I actually ended up running the Dubaimarathon with a group of the Abu DhabiStriders and ran an amazing and unexpect-edly fast time of 3 hours and 48 minutes. Itwas then that I decided that it was time totake things to the next level, and I found thecourage to sign up with a fantastic on-linerunning coach, Mile27.

Ready…Fast forward one year, and running is now amassive part of my life. I have made so manyamazing friends, and had so many fantastic

experiences, and I have now delved into thedark world of ultra-marathon running; I wouldnever have expected this! I completed myfirst ultra in the Lake District in the UnitedKingdom in December 2015, and it was anamazing adventure shared with a couple ofmy close Strider friends, Kevin and Chris. Thisbrings me to the Wadi Bih Solo 72km lastFebruary, my first competitive ultra.

The Wadi Bih Solo 72 km is a wadi runwhich starts at the Golden Tulip Resort inDibba, Oman and runs 36km through WadiKhab Shamsi, climbing over 1,000m. Theroute then turns around and returns the sameway all the way back completing 72km. Ientered the Wadi Bih Solo 72 km with many

of my Abu Dhabi Striders friends, and haddecided that this was going to be the firstultra-marathon race that I would give mycomplete best to, after my first year of fo-cused training.

A mixture of excitement and nerves hadme awake at 2:00 a.m., lying in silence, notwanting to wake my two friends with whomI was sharing the room. One of my room-mates was also running the Solo 72km, andthe other had come along to pace me thefinal 15km. My wakeup alarm went off at3:45 a.m. and I was relieved to finally be ableto get myself sorted and talk to my friends

about my worries and excitement about whatwe were about to undertake. Whilst dressing,my mind was still racing. Should I wear thistop? No stick to the original choice. ShouldI add more energy gels to my pack? Will Iregret not wearing trail shoes? Okay, timeto leave at last. As we stepped outside, theair was crisp and still and the lights from thepool gave a cool blue glow to the darkness.I could hear the chatter of the other runnersin the distance, and I could feel their nervousanticipation.

Set…I made my way to the gathering of fellow run-ners, most with the same look of excitement

and nerves on their faces. The Race Direc-tor called for our attention and he began toexplain the route and where the check pointswere located. I was trying to concentrate on

Words By: Toni MetcalfePhotos Supplied By: Toni Metcalfe and Wouter Kingma

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what he was saying but his words were justa blur as my mind was still racing and mytummy doing somersaults. The Race Directorfinished his briefing and it was time to makeour way to the start line. We all excitedlywalked across the sand and then on to thered carpeted starting area, wishing eachother luck and making encouraging com-ments to each other; it was a lovely friendlyatmosphere.

Go!I can’t remember anyone calling the race tostart, but the sound of shuffling feet acrossthe carpet confirmed that the race hadstarted. I was absolutely determined not toget caught up in the adrenaline-fuelled faststart group, and kept my head down anddidn’t pay any attention to who was aheadof me. The dim street lights lining the sleepytown of Dibba created a very atmosphericstart with no more chatter, just the sound ofrace packs rubbing, water bottles sloshingand the rhythmic sound of feet hitting thetarmac. As we ran on, the street lighting andthe road disappeared, and head torches wereturned on, creating lots of little moving

spotlights lining the road. As we reachedaround 5km, I could see the outline of therocks rising above either side forming thewadi. As we ran on, at around 7:00 a.m., thesun came up behind the mountain and thewadi views looked amazing; a surge of excite-ment hit me… wow.

As I continued, I was constantly worryingif my pace was too fast. Was I just runningat this pace to stay with the other runnersaround me? To ease my anxiety, I popped

my earphones in to listen to music anddecided to run by feel; to run at a pace thatfelt comfortable. So, I stuck with this thoughtand spent the next 25km just flitting to andfro in a pack of about six runners, whilst chat-ting and just having a nice time.

At 30km we hit the steep part of thecourse. I knew before I hit this leg-burnerthat there was no way I was going to even at-tempt to run it. As I approached the bottom,the two lead guys were running down makingtheir way on the return journey, one of whom,Chad, is a friend of mine, so seeing him do-

ing so well spurred me on. I power-hiked upthe hill, arms swinging for momentum, forabout 2km. I was making good progress, Ifelt strong and I was really enjoying the climb.This was when I broke away from the packthat I had run with so far.

As I ran a little further the first femaleran towards me and we shouted words ofencouragement at each other. She told methat I was the third female; which was anincredible boost as I had no idea I was doingso well. As I kept running I saw other runnersand friends and then the second female wasapproaching, we smiled at each other andhigh-fived as we passed. There was a fun

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little descent to the turnaround checkpointand I was greeted by the friendly marshalswho kindly took my water bottles and refilledthem while I took a stone out of my shoe andgrabbed some more energy gels.

After the turn around there was a bit of agradual climb before I reached the summitagain and the views were amazing. It waspretty much downhill from there, but I triedto keep a level head and not let the amaz-ing beauty of the mountains and the factthat I now had gravity on my side allow me

become over-excited because I knew I wouldstart running down too fast, and there wasstill a long way to go. I just kept repeating my“light on my feet, light on my feet” downhillmantra to myself, so that I wouldn’t burn mylegs out on the steep descent. The wholeway down was incredible. Other runners stillon the ascent cheered and clapped, andseeing familiar faces and my good friendsRuanda and Kevin looking so strong wasfantastic, and really kept my feet moving. I

really could not believe how strong I felt,even on the uphill undulations my legs feltso powerful and I kept my pace. This part ofthe race just flew past, I felt I had only beenrunning for a short while, when in fact almostthree hours had passed.

As the wadi opened out 14 km from thefinish, the shade disappeared and the heathit. That’s when I started to feel a little tired,and I had passed the checkpoint that myfriend Helen was meant to be pacing mefrom. She wasn’t there yet, so I kept run-

ning knowing that I would surely see hersoon. Further down the track there was agroup of supporters who had a plate full ofwatermelon. This was just what I needed, itwas sweet and juicy and cold… mmmmm…yum. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed a sliceof watermelon quite so much! By the time Ifinished eating it (while still running) my pacerHelen was stood by the road side with a lookof astonishment and stated “No offence, butI was not expecting you yet!” I had not yet

really looked at my watch, as I really wantedto run by feel. I had the time and distancedisplayed on my watch, but my maths isso terrible, especially while running; I reallydidn’t know what sort of time I would be pre-dicted to finish in. So, finding out I would beback close to seven hours was another boostwhich got me through the next 8km. The last4km was hard and I had to dig deep, usingcounting techniques and, my saviour, myiPod loaded with Eminem and Iggy Azalea(I am not usually a rap music kind of girl, but

there is something about it that keeps thefeet moving and the mind distracted). Thefear of the fourth female (also a friend, Julia)being on my tail and taking third place fromme certainly kept me going. I guess those arethe times being competitive is really help-ful. My biggest motivation in those last fewkilometres was my friend and pacer Helen.She was cooling me with water and encour-aging me with supportive words and kindcomments. I probably wasn’t the greatestcompany by this point, but knowing she wasthere kept me feeling happy and supported.

The last kilometre felt pretty great know-ing that I was definitely going to completethis race, and in a very respectable time too,

far better than I had expected. When myfeet finally touched that red carpet, I was soexcited that I even managed a little sprintacross the finish line. I was so filled with hap-piness and excitement to have felt so strongthroughout, and that all my hard work, disci-pline and training had paid off. It took me atotal of 7hours 10mins 23seconds, and wasplaced Third Female, and Seventh overall. Iwas so overjoyed with the result and I reallycouldn’t wait to tell my children and husbandwho are always so supportive and so proudof me.

What an adventure and what a great dayout. I cannot wait for my next ultra-marathonrace…

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The racing area inside Palm Jumeirah wasan amazing spot to host the race thanks toNakheel’s support. The race was launchedat 2:00 p.m. from Sofitel the Palm Resort &Spa’ s Beach in good wind conditions as itwas a great windy day with around 20knots,which is not usual on Palm Jumeirah! Par-ticipants were from nine different countries;all the results have been registered on the

Phantom 295 International rank system.Makram Daouk, Bruno El Adm and SamirTiriki were the first three to cross the linerespectively and were awarded with tro-phies and medals and gifts from StarboardApparel. An open buffet and drinks wasoffered for all the participants.

On the very same windy weekend, MikeWhite, a sailing instructor who is very activein the Middle East had also organized aMiddle East Windsurf and Kitesurf SpeedChallenge where all windsurfers and kitesurfers anywhere in the GCC could partici-

Photos Supplied By: Basheer Al SalabiWords By: Sterenn Bourges

SeaYou Watersport Series

The SeaYou WatersportSeries, an open Windsurf race,open to theRS 300 Class was heldby SeaYou. Phantom 295 boardsfully rigged were available on site.

pate from their place by recording theirGPS speed records on the Windsurf ArabiaFacebook group and he expanded this ideato the Middle East Windsurf Light WindFreestyle Competition which is open to alluntil April 10th 2016!

Windsurfing is becoming more andmore popular in the GCC.! Windsurfing kitis available through SeaYou who are theexclusive dealer for StarBoard Windsurfingand Severne sails.

Next SeaYou Watersport Challenge willbe back on April 29th 2016 at Palm Jebel

SaYou’ Non-Stop Action on th Watr!

DXBPaddlingOn the 5th of March, DXBPaddling in part-ner with the Dubai International Boat showand operated by SeaYou, will aim to host

the largest open paddle race.

The race consists of a 14km long distancearound the Palm Jumeirah which can bedone alone or as a relay with two people on

stand-up paddle boards, kayaks or surf skis.

The aim of the event is to unite all pad-dle sports in the UAE and rival the annualnautical SUP crossing in Paris, which is oneof the largest SUP events in Europe.

Registration is officially open andinterested participants can register atwww.dxbpaddling.com

Special thanks go out to Nakheel, ESSAand Dubai Sports Council for making thisevent a reality.

We also want to thank our sponsorsADNIC, COEGA, Natural Way Snacks,COYA Dubai, Wadi Adventure, Gold’s Gym,Palmers Middle East, OutdoorUAE andSofitel, the Palm Resort & Spa for all theirsupport.

Ali for SUP, windsurfing and dinghy races.Stay tuned for more information onwww.seayou.ae

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Part 2: Swarmed by

Pirates, and Shotat by Yemeni Rebels

The voyage toward the Gulf of Aden wasthe calm before the storm. We motoredthrough the warm and windless days, overa sea so still that the horizon was lost inreflection of the sky. At night, the MilkyWay blazed across the sky, so vividly I couldperceive the spiral arms and central clusters.Stars were reflected all around and joinedwith bioluminescence streaming from the

The Red Sea was calling.Awaiting us beyond the Gulf ofAden’s wicked waters lay anoasis of Arabian culture and divingfantasy. To reach the reward, wewould first have to sneak throughthe 800 miles of Pirate Alley. We

were up for an adventure, but theadventure soon became a whole lothairier than expected. It is one wewill never forget... bow. Three dolphins circled, their bodies

glimmering like angels and leaving us withtrails of fairy dust disappearing into thedeep. To fall into this magical fantasy andbe left behind in such bliss almost feltappealing. But there was greater fantasyahead.

Ten days out from the Maldives we werenearing Pirate Alley. And when the seasare calm, the pirates come out to play.

Words + Photos By: Will Pardoe On the morning of that tenth day, a coali-tion destroyer came over the horizon andshadowed us for two hours, then made offback towards where he came. We had givenour position to the UKMTO (Marine TradeOperations), who coordinate the anti-piracyactions of the coalition. “Just call us if yousee anything suspicious” they’d said. At theappearance of the destroyer, my Americancaptain turned to me, saying “How doesit feel to have the might of your countrywatching over you? A helicopter gunship is

just a phone-call away!”

Escort ServiceI was awoken the next morning by thesound of an approaching helicopter. I cameon deck to find a Black Hawk circling lowaround us. Amazing - we didn’t even haveto call!

“Sailing vessel, sailing vessel,” came theFrench accent over the radio. “Are youaware you are in a high-risk piracy area?”“We are well aware of that!” said captainZac.

They continued to take our details, then,with a “bon voyage”, they flew off towardsa navy ship sitting on the horizon. It wasn’t

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just the might of my country standing guard– we had all of NATO around us.

Later that day a long-range SAR aircraftflew overhead, circled, and flew on.

“I don’t know about you, but I’ve neverfelt safer!” said Zac, reclining in his chair.

He spoke too soon.

Surrounded by Skiffs!A couple of hours after the fly-over, I sawtwo dhows appear on the horizon. Two iscompany, but at this stage I just assumedthey were fishermen. After such a show offorce, any pirate out here would have to betruly crazy or totally cavalier. In hindsight,though; just the right characteristics to makea pirate! To be honest I was happy to seethese dhows – they remind me of home, andI was glad to be back in Arabia.

As we watched, however, there transpired

Pirates!

Battle stations!

a sight I wasn’t so fond of: skiffs. This wasquickly becoming a crowd, and one by one,the horizon showed its cards. I counted fiveskiffs through the binoculars, with three orfour men in each boat. Their behaviour wasweird and erratic, seeming to be playingthe rouse of fishermen, but with movementsthat would catch no fish. They’d shoot off atspeed, then stop, and be overtaken by thenext, all in a line. There was no mistakingit – we were their fish, and they were movingto intercept. As we drew closer, so did they.We called our buddies at UKMTO; backupwould be good right now.

We had company, so it was time to breakout the coffee. We stood on deck, brandish-ing AK-47s; we weren’t going to go quietly– especially with an American on board! Themain pack were within a mile now, racing tocut us off ahead, while two skiffs and a dhowhad broken away and were making straightfor our position.

The MTO had said they would call backfor an update in fifteen minutes, and,leaving Zac to hold the fort, I answeredthat call now. Three skiffs stopped beyondus, but we held our course. Twice we hadevaded, and they had adjusted. The dhow

was approaching fast from starboard, and askiff passed behind us. They were upon usnow, and Zac was aiming on them, ready tofire. One passed right in front of the bow,and the middle man held up his hands;luckily for them.

It was surreal to have this playing outaround us. We were being preyed on by aswarm of pirates, and it was no fantasy. I willsay that it was living! But there were at leasttwenty of them, and they could overcome usbefore the cavalry arrived. Soon it would betime to start shooting.

Then came the final attack. The dhowwas gunning for us at speed, T-bone style,with three men climbed out on the bow-sprit, ready to board. At fifty meters, theguys could clearly see our AKs, and theyretreated a little into the bows. At just a fewboat-lengths, the captain too saw the blackmetal in our hands, and veered off past ourstern.

We watched them steam off into the ship-ping lane, following the skiffs. Wow - didthat just happen? The pirates had passedus up. We shared a look of disbelief and

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Water cannons firing from SC

Mr. Rambo

Saudi Coalition

Yemeni RebelsAbout halfway down the island, we saw aflatbed truck following us along the beach.There’s something on the back, but I can’tmake out what. They pull parallel to us, andstop. A few moments later, we hear twogreat booms.

“Those were gun shots.”Really guys... there’s no need for that.

We hear another volley, and there’s agreat eruption of water as a round blastsinto the sea beyond the truck. That’s a 50calibre. Then we hear the tat-a-tat-tat of anAK-47, and a few more explosions from the50 calibre. The shore is half a mile off, anda burst of water erupts within 100 yards ofthe boat, in line with the truck. ****! Theseare not warning shots – they’re aiming tohit us. We point our bow to the open seaand throw out the headsail. More shots ring

out, but I don’t see them hit water – they’resomewhere in our airspace. The hair standsup on the back of my neck.

Getting shot at is very real. And they put ahole in my towel.

Saudi CoalitionWe make distance from that forsaken island,watching behind in case we’re pursued.Poseidon is with us again – these seas aretoo big for their boats. Before we’ve relaxedour guard, a navy ship appears on thehorizon in front of us.

“This is a Saudi Coalition warship. Youare in a prohibited military area. What isyour reason for being here?” comes theyoung captain’s voice, in perfect English. Zacexplains that we were seeking shelter fromthe storm, and need rest.

After a lengthy back-and-forth, discussingthe formalities of our details, Zac askspermission to stop at an island group furthernorth.

“Understand, captain, that this is anoperational war-zone. For your own safety,we cannot let you stop here. Good luckwith the seas.” says the Saudian, in allfriendliness.

While Zac was talking with the navy, ahelicopter gunship arrived and starteddoing circles around us - about as close ashe could without clipping the mast with hisrotors. After his screaming circles he comes

to a hover beside us, a few metres off thewater, creating a local hurricane. Spray iswhipped up and blown in our faces. I likethis guy.

I see the gunner sitting at his cannon,wearing green fatigues, a big helmet andaviators - of course. I give him a friendlysalute, and he returns it. The pilot has onehand hanging out of the window - andprobably his foot on the dashboard,balancing his dokha pipe and joystick in theother. He takes off for a few more loops,while the gunner films us with a videocamera, gesturing with his hand toapologise for the hurricane. No worries,my friend. We were basically in a hurricaneanyway.

So having escaped pirates, dodged Yemenibullets, and survived a brief stay in LittleSomalia, Sudan beckoned to us as an oasisof peace from all this madness!

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Thingvallavatn:

The Take Is Brutal and Reso-lute – like an unexpected punchin the stomach. I’ve sent anobstinate cast into the howlingonshore winds, and even thoughI haven’t quite stretched theleader, I’ve managed to reachthe drastic and alluring drop offthat runs along the lake’s volcanicshoreline – about 20 metres out.Before I even get around to set-ting the hook the fly rod goes intoa convulsive seizure and the flyline starts peeling off the reel.It slashes through the crystal-line water surface – through theagitated and foaming waves, andsoon after it is accompanied byalarming amounts of fluorescentyellow backing.

The fly reel’s tormented snarl won’t cometo an end…

Out of the corner of my eye I see thecontours of an ominous creature catapultingitself into the air approximately 60 metresout. It towers briefly above the roaringwaves and lands on its back in a collision-like crash that sends sparkling dropletsof water metre-high into the air - andshockwaves through my galloping heart.Afterwards, the backing continues to peelthough the guides of my dangerously arced9” 6-weight fly rod, while I try to calm mythinly worn nerves.

When The Fish Finally Slows Down and

comes to a halt, the fight enters a newphase. Instead of racing towards deeperwater, it now thrashes about in the surfacedoggedly trying to eliminate the inexpli-cable pressure and drag. I desperatelylean back on the fish until the cork handlecreaks and after a long stint of tug-of-war,I slowly start gaining the upper hand. Thefish comes closer to shore, I recover the flyline, and soon I get a short glimpse of thefish in the crashing waves – it’s a sight thatsends shivers down my spine. The fish is big— really big!

Now, it’s all about keeping a constantpressure on the fish and remaining calm.The fly seems to be lodged solidly in thefish’ jaws, but the razor-sharp volcaniccliffs and rocks along the shoreline aredisturbing. If the fish decides to seek cover

Photos By: Rasmus Ovesenand Martin Ejler Olsen

Words By: Rasmus Ovesen under them, there’s no doubt it’ll be morethan the cacophonically singing leader willendure. The fish isn’t tired out yet, but itdoesn’t seem fully aware of the severityof the situation. At any rate, I succeed inbringing the fish close to the small pointwhere our Icelandic guide has set up withthe landing net.

When The Fish Capsizes in the surf andglides over the frame of the landing net,we can beach an ancient-looking warrior ofa trout – a massive fish with a big cannibal-istic head, a mighty tail blade, incalculableink stain-like dots, golden flanks and big,

staring eyes in front of flamboyantly metal-lic blue gill plates. The fish measures closeto 93cm, and even though it isn’t quite asfat as most fish in the lake, it is probablyclose to 10 kilos. It is a veritable dream fish– one that makes my tense body bubblewith euphoria and excitement.

My fishing buddy, Martin Ejler Olsen,who has followed the fight at close range,shoots a quick series of pictures with asmouldering and lead-heavy sky as a back-drop, and I quickly proceed to immerse thefish into the lake’s freezing cold water. Here,it re-orients itself, slaps its tail defiantlyand disappears into the fading azure bluedepts.

We’re At Thingvallavatn; a massive lakeresting below towering snow-clad moun-tains, in an ancient bed of barren lavaplains and mossy meadows. It is earlyJune, but it is still bitterly cold. And sharp,howling Northern winds agitate the lake’smassive water surface sending chilly wavescrashing onto the rocky shores.

We have four days of fly fishing to lookforward to, and already now – after our firstexpectant day on the lake, we have landedfive incredibly beautiful brown trout morethan five kilos. We have hooked the fishclose to the shoreline, where deeper watermeets the shallows, and they have per-

plexed us with their elegant colourations,and compact builds. These are regular IceAge brown trout that can straighten outhooks, burst leaders and empty reels ofbacking with their sheer power and deter-mination. The fact that they can grow tostupendous sizes only ads to their legend- and making Thingvallavatn what it is: AJurassic Lake with brown trout.

The Thingvallavatn Brown Trout are some-thing truly unique. Their genetic makeupcan be traced all the way back to England.From here, sea-run brown trout from thelast Ice Age migrated to theIcelandic coasts and ventured into differentwatersheds and rivers. One of these water-ways led the fish into an area that later on –because of massive volcanic activity 12,000

years ago – became isolated from theocean. What is now Lake Thingvallavatn’ssouthern end rose and dammed what hadpreviously been a roaring river. The nowland-locked sea-run brown trout showed nosigns of unhappiness being isolated fromEngland and their home rivers, though.On the contrary, they quickly settled inthe lake, and they grew in both size andnumbers – even long after the first peoplefound their way to the lake during the Ageof the Vikings.

It wasn’t until a man-made dam in thelake’s southern end collapsed in 1959 thatthe unique brown trout stock suddenly

started suffering. The spawning grounds,which were situated above the dam itself,ended up being destroyed as all the gravelwas vacuumed and washed downstream.In the following decades, the trout stocksdeclined dramatically, and they ultimatelyended up being on the brink of extinction.

The unfortunate development wasn’treversed until the end of the last millen-nium. A group of passionate volunteerssystematically started to rehabilitate thelake’s brown trout stocks. They electro-fished brood stock, and they succeeded infacilitating spawning activity in a handful oftributaries where the brown trout had neverreally spawned before. In 2000 progress

was finally detected, and throughout thepast 15 years, the Thingvallavatn browntrout have re-established and grown intoa healthy population with strong geneticsand sublime growth conditions. And as aresult, the fishing in the lake is turning intoquite the phenomenon!

The Average Size of the Thingvallavatnbrown trout is around a solid 3.5 kilos, andfish in the vicinity of eight kilos are caughton a fairly regular basis. Fish of more than10 kilos are caught every year, and thestanding record so far is an impressive102cm fish that was estimated at 17 kilos.Lake Thingvallavatn’s brown trout are pure

eating machines; chrome in appearance,broad and compact – and with ravenousappetites. They are among the most beau-tiful, well fed, and powerful trout in theworld, and the key to understanding theirimpressive physique and growth rate is toexamine the lake’s biomass and geothermicconditions.

First of all, Lake Thingvallavatn’s browntrout are mainly piscivorous – somethingthat’s an obvious choice for them. Thereare four different sub-species of arctic charin the lake, all of which come in massivequantities, and together with the estimated85 million sticklebacks, which flutter andswarm along the lake’s shores; the browntrout have access to a rich and high-proteinfood source.

Secondly, there are several places in the

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lake, where the fish are capable of hyper-effectively digesting whatever prey itemsthey have just engulfed. Following theirfeeding sprees in the open water massesthey simply head into one of the manygeothermic areas, where tributaries and hotsprings provide them with temperate water.Here, their metabolism is way higher, andthey can digest their food up to ten timesfaster. With this routine in place, it rarelytakes very long before the fish are back onthe prowl. And since the process contin-ues throughout the year, the fish displayunprecedented growth rates.

One last key to understanding why LakeThingvallavatn’s brown trout grow so big is

that they can get quite old – up to 15 years,and that their spawning habits are some-what special. While brown trout elsewherein the world spawn every year, it’s not un-common for Thignvallavatn brown trout toget so preoccupied with feeding that theysimply “forget” to spawn. It’s rather normalfor Thingvallavatn brown trout to skipspawning every other year, and spawningpauses of up to three to four years aren’tunusual either. Furthermore, the spawningruns and breaks are relatively short, and thismeans that spawning doesn’t toll too badlyon the fish, and that the spawning-relatedbreak from the feeding-fest in the lake isshort-lived.

The Fishing In The Lake is very diverse. Oncalm days, for instance, you can experi-ence some incredibly exciting sight fishingwith nymphs and dry flies. In the mouths ofsome of the tributaries you can fish like in ariver using cross current presentation, linemends, and strike-indicators. And when thewind is howling – which is doesannoyingly often in Iceland – you can blindfish with streamers. It’s a rather arduous typeof fishing, where you systematically searchthe shoreline for schools of fish with small,rapidly retrieved stickleback - and arctic charimitations – but it can produce some realmonsters.

Access to the lake can be a little bit

Nils Jorgensen - 101cm browntrout from Thingvallavatn

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Thingvallavatn:Thingvallavatn is situated half an hour’s drivefrom Reykjavik, and it is Iceland’s largestlake in both size and volume - with an areaof 84km2 and water depths of up to 115metres. The Thingvellir National Park is situ-ated in the northern corner of the lake, andit encompasses the historic site, where the

Icelandic parliament, Altinget, was formedback in 1930. The National Park is also thehome of Silfra, a deep and fascinating faultline caused by tectonic plate movements,as well as Öxará, which is one of the mainspawning grounds for the Thingvallavatnbrown trout.

Thingvallavatn is somewhat of a geologi-cal phenomenon in that it is situated rightwhere the Eurasian and North Americantectonic plates meet. For this reason, therehas been a lot of tectonic and volcanic activ-ity in the area – something that has clearlymarked and shaped the lake’s chaotic to-pography and surroundings. The lake is fedby rainwater. This water is filtered through

the porous lava substratum and it slowlyseeps into the lake, nutrient-rich and crystalclear. 90% of the lake’s water reserves aresubaqueous, and as a result, the lake is fedby thousands of springs, which in turn causethe water temperatures to be quite stable –3-4 degrees throughout the year.

Transportation/Logistics/LodgingThe main airport in Iceland, Keflavik, iswell-connected to the rest of the world,and depending on the season and time ofdeparture, Icelandair (www.icelandair.com)offers plane tickets at around 150 – 300euros.

The transportation to the lake takes about

one hour from the airport, and a 4WD carisn’t necessary.There are several options when it comes

to accommodation, but if you’re planning

FACT FILE

to fish the ION beats, the comfortable IONHotel (http://ioniceland.is) is the most obvi-ous choice.

The Gear The gear that is typically used in LakeThingvallavatn is fairly stout - and with goodreason! First of all, the weather is usually

quite windy. Secondly, there’s quite a goodchance of running into fish of frighteningproportions, and thirdly the Thingvallavatnbrown trout fight as if they were on a cock-tail of steroids and speed.

When streamer fishing, a 9.6” #8 fly rodwith a floating - or intermediate fly lineand a 4-5 meter long 0.35mm fluorocar-bon leader is suitable. The flies, that aremost frequently used, are typically quitebulky, eye-catching weighted streamers indifferent sizes - from #4 – 2/0. The localfavourites are streamers such as Black GhostZonker, Super Tinsel, White Nobbler andBlack Brahan – and they are all flies that canimitate the sticklebacks and arctic char in

the lake.When it comes to the incredible dry fly-and nymph fishing on the lake’s ION Beats,a delicate and subtle presentation is oftencrucial. As a result the gear usually consistsof a fairly compliant 9” 5/6-weight rod, a flyreel with a minimum of 300 metres of back-ing, a floating WF fly line, a 5-6 metre longleader with a 0.16-0.22mm tippet and small#12-18 nymphs and dry flies. It goes withoutsaying that hooking into giant brown troutwith such delicate gear involves some seri-ous challenges. Oftentimes it simply resultsin spooled fly reels, straightened hooks,torn leaders, and broken hearts. The oc-casional lost fish, however, is a price a lot of

fly fishermen are willing to pay to be able tosight cast to wild brown trout ranging from5-10 kilos. Where else in the world is thateven possible?

tricky since most of the shoreline is privatelyowned and there’s a significant lack of publicroads. There is public access to the lake inthe northern end – in the Thingvellir NationalPark. Fishing licenses for the national parkcan be bought via the national fishing licenseprovider Veidikortid. (www.veidikotid.is), andespecially during spring and early summer,the fishing can be good.

The lake’s best fishing is without a doubtfound on two beats managed by ION Fish-ing. Þorsteinsvík and Ölfusvatnsárósare thebreakneck names of these two beats, andhere you can experience what is probablythe best brown trout fishing in the world.Because of stable water temperatures and

closeness to deep water, the fishing is superbhere - right from the seasonopening on the 20th of April until theseason closing on September 15th.In total, four rods are available per day on a“fly only” and catch and release basis, andthey are being sold for 300 Euros per rod(www.ionfishing.is).

Turbulent EndingsHoarse winds seem to be forever sweepingthe barren and twisted lava landscapes ofIceland. But as we round up the fishing atthe ION Beats, the winds have picked upimmensely – to the point of a raging storm.For the last two days massive, foaming waves

pound the gritty lava shores of ION Beat Iand II, and we struggle to even land a fly onthe water. The fish are out there – we cansee them boiling on the crashing waves, butthey’re too far out.

We’re close to giving up, but as fate willhave it, we’re lucky enough to be given onefinal window of opportunity. On our very lastday, the winds unexpectedly die down andshift direction. The small, secluded bay thatwe’ve been fishing at Beat I calms down tothe point that we can actually cast, and a gi-ant school of brown trout ranging from two to

eight kilos is suddenly within reach. A magi-cal hour later, we have hooked and landedmore fish than we can count. And while thereal monsters that we’ve seen boiling in thewaves earlier in the day elude us, we havecaught more than a handful of fish that wouldmake most brown trout fishermen anywheremorbidly jealous.

As we pack up and leave, I’m swamped byambiguous feelings. On the one hand, we’ve

just experienced the best brown trout fishingof our lives. On the other hand, there’s thisunlikely sense that we’ve only just scratchedthe surface: that Lake Thingvallavatn is capa-ble of so much more. One week after return-ing, my gut feeling is confirmed. An Icelandic

friend of mine has just experienced the IONBeats at their best – on a calm, ambient andtemperate evening. Having landed numer-ous three to eight kilo fish topped by threeincredibly well-built monster brown troutmeasuring 90, 95 and 101cm, he has

probably experienced the best brown troutfishing any fly fisher will ever experience.

I’m still a little shaken by my experiences atLake Thingvallavatn. And as I write this, I’mconfronted with a lot of the questions thatspun through my head as I boarded my planein Reykjavik, left Iceland behind, and flew

home. I particularly wondered if there wasanywhere to go as a brown trout fishermanafter having fished Iceland’s Jurassic Lake. AsI conclude my writings, I’m more and morecertain that the answer is “Yes, I can go backto Thingvallavatn!”

The ION Hotel

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OUTDOORUAE

Nomad’s Road:Ovrlandr or LiEpisode 2: First Step intothe Arabic Peninsula

After landing in Sharjah, we spotted somenice places on the beach not far from thecities to allow us to visit them; not manyare remaining, so every traveller like usmeet together in these rare places likePalace Beach in Dubai in front of the PalmJumeirah, Kitesurf Beach on Yas Island inAbu Dhabi and Al Khan Beach in Sharjahwhich was still public at the time we werethere. We have been really amazed bythe architecture of the buildings and the

After visiting Iran for a month,we have crossed the Strait ofHormuz from Bandar Abbas toSharjah. As every tourist andtraveller visiting the United ArabEmirates, we focused on hugemalls, extravagant buildings andnice cars but after a few weeks ofvisiting the city centres of Sharjah,Dubai and Abu Dhabi, we havedecided to follow the advices of

locals and expatriates and godeeper into the country to discoversome quiet and amazing placesmade by humans and nature.

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

luxuries all around the emirates. We havespent a few days to explore these cities andtheir huge malls and fantastic towers likethe Burj Khalifa and Burj Al-Arab as well asdozens of other buildings with eccentricshapes that sometimes defy the laws ofgravity. We have also visited the magnificentEmirates Palace, beautifully decorated forthe Christmas time as well as the sumptuousand unforgettable Sheikh Zayed GrandMosque.

These visits was nice but not really usualfor us as we normally live in nature, so wedecide to explore the wild parts of UAE

following the knowledge of the Emiratipeople and other adventurous expatriates.

We have started this nature tour of theUAE by the east coast from north to south.We followed the E99 road and seen a lot ofbeaches where local people love to picnicand camp; like the Al Fiquet Family Beachin Dibba or Al Aqah Beach. There was notmany to see except the coastline, but wehave done a few stops to see an old andinteresting mosque, the Al Badiyah Mosquebuilt around the 15th century. We spent afew days around Fujairah to bivouac andenjoy the beaches before going not far from

Photos By: Grég, Magali, Natasha and Anastasia TrastourWords By: Grég Trastour

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OUTDOORUAE

The Trastours is a family that has beenoverlanding the planet for as long as theycan remember! Made up of Greg andMagali as well as their daughters Natashaand Anastasia, The Trastours is a familyfilled to the brim with an unstoppablesense of adventure for the ultimategoal – to explore the world.

You can check out their next stop atwww.nomadsroad.com or look forNomads Road on Facebook and Twitter.

the border of Oman to discover the moreinteresting landscape of Hatta located in themiddle of the rugged landscape of HajarMountains.

On way back to the west coast, we joined a family to go wild with them anddiscovered Dalma Island which is locatedoffshore not far from Saudi Arabian border.After taking the ferry, we have found a niceplace to stay a few days and enjoy natureand camping. There was not so much todo except relaxing, swimming and fishing -exactly what you need when you travel fora long time like us, a nice break on a quiet

island. One night we were able to observestars and see the bright halo from Doha inQatar.

On our way back to Abu Dhabi, we madea stop to an amazing place where theelements has carved the sand and createdbeautiful sculptures on a huge area, thecolours and shapes are stunning. A reallynice spot and a must do in the UAE. Wehave also been to another interesting spotnamed Al Qudra Lakes, a place made andorganized by humans where everybodycan enjoy camping and picnic and wherewe were able to do some bird watching toobserve some nice species like flamingoes,ducks and avocets. At dusk we had the

chance to see few a Arabian gazellescoming to drink and on the way back toDubai we were really surprised to see threegiraffes along the highway!

One of the best moments we have spentin the UAE was the big meeting of travellerson Palace Beach in Dubai to celebratethe New Year’s Eve, enjoy and observewith hundreds of local peoples the mostspectacular fireworks we have ever seen inour life.

All along this journey in the UAE, we havebeen welcomed by a lot of Emiratis andexpatriates with whom we have shared a

few meals and tested different specialties ofArabic’s countries.

Unfortunately, because of some problemson our old Toyota Land Cruiser we have notbeen able to go for a ride in the huge andbeautiful dunes of Liwa. This place will beon ourprogramme for the next visit to the UAEif we come back to the Arabian Peninsula.

Our next destination on our 12 yearstrip by road around the world will be theSultanate of Oman to discover a totallydifferent landscape as well as wadis andforts. You can follow our everyday adventureon our Nomads Road Facebook page as weupdate on the way as often as we can.

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Film: Point Break (2015)Director: Ericson CoreStarring: Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey

and Teresa Palmer

Outdoor Flicks LIFESTYLE

Photos Supplied By: Warner Bros. PicturesWords By: Keith Pereña

Th Point o No Rturn

I say this because majority of the activitiesthat were shown in the film to be portrayedby Luke Bracey and Edgar Ramirez were infact executed by popular figures such asChris Sharma, Laird Hamilton, Xavier de laRue and many more of the world’s best rock

climbers, motocross riders, wing suit pilots,snowboarders and big wave surfers. Therate at which Core employed legends onthe field shows the film’s dedication towardsaccuracy.

The film doesn’t have much going toit storywise – the plot is a bit predictableand Edgar Ramirez’s appearance screams“bad guy” from a thousand miles away. Butdon’t get me wrong, the film is still a joy towatch and in order to fully enjoy it, one mustfirst disregard the entire plot of cops androbbers and instead focus on the sceneries

Despite its surreal portrayalof the outdoors, one cannot helpbut notice that the 2015 remakeof Point Break was in a way a goodshowcase of leaders in the field.

that Ericson and his crew has masterfullyshown. From the waves of Tahiti’s Teahupo’oto Angel Falls in Venezuela, the team didtheir homework when they did their research

on the most extreme outdoor locationson the planet. This visual glamour takesso much prominence that resonating withco-producer Andrew Kosove’s statementthat the movie “was more of an exp

#66 March 2016

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