Abu Dhabi: Despite the fact that routes had to be redrawn for the Volvo Ocean Race boats to reach Abu Dhabi, the skippers were unanimous in expressing their delight at the UAE capital becoming the latest port for the 39,000-nautical mile around the globe race.
The boats, which were to sail through an East African corridor in the Indian Ocean on the second leg from Cape Town to Abu Dhabi, in fact raced to an undisclosed safe haven port and were then transported to Sharjah for the second part of Leg ,2 which was a sprint up to Abu Dhabi.
The process will be now reversed for the third leg before the race continues on to Sanya in China starting on January 14.
But despite the changes to the route, the boats received a warm welcome. Commenting on the inclusion of Abu Dhabi as a new port on the race destinations, Camper skipper Chris Nicholson said: "We have always said that this race is a race of extremes. Right from day one when Abu Dhabi was named as a port we have wanted to sail to this part of the world.
"The welcoming we had on the night and level of organisation and how vibrant the city and its people are is really nice to come and see. We could have done our traditional rounds where we know what we get. But here, it is a fantastic surprise and as a team we are very thankful to be able to come to Abu Dhabi," NIcholson said.
PUMA Ocean Racing boat's skipper Ken Read said: "I get a kick every time I hear or read why the Volvo race doesn't still do the traditional route. The fact is we are in a new world. The commercialisation of every sport is real."
"I know for a fact that Puma would have never gone into the last race if we were not going to China. So with that we are in the Middle East, we go to China, we go to these different places around the world.," Read said.
"I'm in the business of winning several races and selling clothes and sneakers and propellers. And the best way to do that is to do well in this race. Its real, the old days are gone and new days are here. As sailors we have to adapt and the race itself has adapted well," he added.
Iker Martínez, skipper of Team Telefonica, which is currently leading the fleet, touched on the challenges every time a new port is named. "It is easier to go to places where you know exactly what is happening. This leg two has been more unpredictable. We had no knowledge at all about how to sail here. How to arrive to Abu Dhabi, it was pretty much a straight line," he said.
"Things like this make new legs very interesting. It makes everything more new for everyone. I think it is more interesting and makes everything more difficult."
Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing skipper Ian Walker, who has seen more of Abu Dhabi over the past year, said: "The biggest satisfaction right now is meeting friends from other teams and I've seen how they like Abu Dhabi. Every single person has a smile on their face, they are enjoying themselves and they all appreciate it and I think the stop-over team is doing a great job."
