Kayaking to the Edge of the "World"




My morning paddle was not as exotic as the title sounds.  The "World" is a series of artificial islands created off the coast of Dubai, roughly in the shape of the World. Within the world there are groups of sand islands each shaped in such a way that they look like one of the continents. It seemed like a good destination for a morning training paddle.






Dubai skyscrapers obscrured by the mist


What had been interesting was the recent high levels of humidity which combined with no breeze which created a mist on the coast.  As a result, I headed out to the World on a compas bearing.  It is always pleasant paddling on a still morning without seeing land.





I must admit, the World was a bit of a dissapointment.  There has been almost no construction on any of the islands so there is not much to see.  The islands are surrounded by a break water and as soon as I paddled into the entry of the breakwater I was intercepted
by World Security in their large, dual engine, centre console boat.  They informed me that I
was not allowed to enter the World and I suggested that some signage to that effect might be a good idea before I exited to the other side of the breakwater. While it was a nice 21km paddle, Umm Al Quwain is a much better option.



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