The Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge
The Kiwis Maintain their Lead
Anne-Marie Dunhill / 05.12.2009
The remaining teams left according to who punched out first and a colorful melee ensued as teams fought to be amongst the first out. Abu Dhabi Falcons left late and were the last into the water, Adrien Hayes sarcastically calling out in exasperation that it was “All tactical�.
Team Qasr Al Sarab were the first to launch their boats into the water and the four paddled in unison throughout, strokes perfectly coordinated so that from a distance they merged into one. The fifty kilometer kayak section was technically more difficult then yesterday, calling into play their navigational skills if they hope to pick up all of the checkpoints.
It was easy to miss them if they weren’t careful as the race route took them through the mangroves. Rob Willings from Catalyst X3M enthusiastically called out to the press boat that the course was a “Navigational gem!�
Upon arrival, Richard Ussher confided that the section had held some difficulties for them. As they were first out they initially headed 200m in one direction and had to quickly change course to another channel as they came upon hidden sand bars. Teams following close behind took advantage and wasted no time changing direction to benefit from their experience.
He added that the heavy kayaks made it hard to Elina with her slight frame, whereas brick houses Marcel and Nathan powered through. None of these difficulties stopped the kiwis from arriving at the end of the section well ahead of their opponents at 11:43, increasing their lead.
When Faris Al-Sultan from Abu Dhabi Triathlon complimented Richard on his teams’ performance, saying “You’re super fast man�, Richard laughed and said that while they may be “super fast�, that didn’t stop them from being glad that the race was over as the kayak section had wrecked havoc on his hands. He proceeded to display what he called “gnarly� blisters on both hands.
ADCO from Australia came in next, closely followed by Vibram Sport 2000.
The general consensus amongst teams was that it was a long hard section but the Arabian Gulf provided a stunning backdrop for their agony. There is a team of adventure journalists that decided to race here and have written a very entertaining blog about their race preparation but they had to be rescued just 8km into this kayak section; they simply didn’t do the section. The French team Raid In had similar difficulties further into the race and they were collected by the organization as they weren’t able to fight the rising swells to get back into the sea after CP B2.
When the racers had completed the section they were treated to a buffet of fresh fruit, coffee tea and pastries, as well as fresh fruit juices such as strawberry, mango and kiwi. A racer from Buff said that it was the best medicine possible but the feast did nothing to temper the irritation of his team mate Benjamin Midena when he learned that his team had received a five minute penalty for not having their sails deployed at the start of the section.
The press boat had a run in with the authorities as the coast guard, sirens blaring, stopped us and asked for an explanation of our presence as the Formula 1 speed boat competition was taking place in the zone in which we found ourselves frantically chasing teams; diplomacy was de rigeur.
Racers then boarded buses for a three hour ride into the desert and their second bivouac where we now find ourselves; a moveable feast. Scottish bag pipes are playing “Amazing Grace� and the atmosphere is surreal. Teams will be embarking on this grueling section at 07:00 tomorrow but for now they are exchanging experiences around a large bonfire. This report is necessarily short as we only have a satellite link for internet connection, the speed of which forbids us to upload pictures.
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