Today's Edition
BATOOL GHAITH (ABU DHABI)
Emirati adventurer Hamad Al Mutawa is advancing through his historic journey in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race — now sailing deep into the South Atlantic Ocean, making his way toward South America.
Having sailed thousands of nautical miles, the UAE national continues to demonstrate exceptional endurance and determination in one of the world's most gruelling challenges at sea.
Since departing Cádiz, Spain, Al Mutawa's team has covered over 4,000 nautical miles, sailing past the Canary Islands and through the Cape Verde archipelago. Along with the 1,500 nautical miles sailed earlier from the UK to Cádiz, this brings their total journey to an impressive 5,500 nautical miles so far.
The feat, however, has not been without challenges. In an interview with Aletihad, Al Mutawa said that after passing Cape Verde, the team encountered the notorious doldrums - a windless band near the equator that has tested sailors for centuries.
"The area is hot with little prevailing wind. The main source of wind is using the regular squalls that generate short but strong wind bursts," Al Mutawa said.
The team crossed the equator just after 1am on the morning of October 1 and has since been making steady progress southwest towards South America.
Now roughly 200 nautical miles off the coast of Brazil, approximately in line with Rio de Janeiro, the Emirati sailor said they are still about 1,000 nautical miles away from their next major destination, Uruguay.
"There is a low-pressure system developing, expected to bring around 40 knots of wind. We will prepare and adjust sail plans accordingly to punch through the weather and not lose too much time," Al Mutawa said.
Ocean currents are another factor demanding constant vigilance. "We do not want to sail against a 1-to-3-knot current, as this dictates some of our course strategy to try and place the boat in a better position to either mitigate the current conditions or use them to an advantage," he explained.
Such planning is essential in long-distance ocean racing, Al Mutawa added, where every nautical mile counts.
As the fleet approaches the storm system, teams must decide on their strategy: they can either take the west side — where there is a favourable ocean current but also a restricted zone — or choose the east side, which offers room to avoid the worst of the system but adds extra mileage, Al Mutawa said. The team is still weighing its options and will decide as they get closer.
Al Mutawa is the first Emirati to ever compete in the Clipper Race, a prestigious eight-leg global sailing challenge spanning more than 40,000 nautical miles and touching six continents.
In earlier interviews with Aletihad, he described his participation as a chance to raise the UAE flag around the world and serve as an inspiration to others.
