The Shifting Sands

The mast shrouds on the right and the sail on the left It all needs to be reversed as you Khaiyoor (gybe) Dan, an old friend from the Army, has a 26 foot Jalboot, the Zou Zou. It is a local, wooden sailboat traditionally used for fishing and pearling.  The boat had been conveniently moored for free at a great little Marina at Umm Al Qwain where Dan lives.  Unfortunately,  there was a change in policy and only local fishermen were now permitted to use the Marina.   Dan discovered this when he saw a large sticker plastered onto the Zou Zou telling him, in no uncertain terms, that he had to move it or be subject to a large fine. Dan was still a member of the Ras Al Khaimah Sailing Club where he was previously the Commodore so he had organised to moor the boat at the Club.  Dan’s car had died and could no longer tow the boat on a trailer, so I committed to help sail the boat the 60 km from Umm Al Quain to Ras Al Kaimah. ...

The drive through Al Ain with Jebel Harfeet in the background The next of the big UAE bike climbs is Jebel Harfeet.  It also located next to the the Oman border at   Al Ain and is is shorter and steeper than Jebel Jais.  It is a 767 metre climb up to a height of 1033 metres over 12.5 km at an average grade of 6.1% but with with a steepest 1km section of 11.3 %. The climb flattens a little at the top, past a hotel, then you ride along the ridge before the final viewing car park at the end of the road The start point with Green Mubazzarah, a hot spring and park, in the foreground Some of the switchbacks leading uphill The start is a 90 minute drive from Dubai and it has the added benefit of being adjacent to Wadi Adventures, the white water kayaking/rafting and surf pool operation.  This means I can get in an early ride then head to the Wadi Adventures to cool off in my kayak Looking back along the summi...

Have I caught the bug?  A few weeks after Wadi Bih 50km run, I noticed that there was a half-marathon in the hills around Hatta, a town in a UAE enclave to the east of Dubai which is surrounded by Oman on three sides. I suddenly keen but would doing this mean that I would be drifting into the darks side of concentrating on running to the exclusion of all else? Did it mean more early morning starts with thousands of others only to pound my way along some mind numbing road/ The run was on the roads through the town with some stiff climbing past two dam walls (25% max garde and about 360m of climbing overall) and some running on trails in the hills behind the town.  I hadn't been to Hatta since we did a visa run for Kate and the girls just after we arrived and it was an area that I was keen to revisit. Paddy, my neighbour and running partner from Wadi Bih, was out of town but Ana was keen to do the half-marathon.  Ana is from Kazakhstan and gave me some great advice befo...

I don’t like organised running events and it had been eight years since my last one, a 100km group run through the hills and forests to the north of Melbourne.   I don’t like the cost, the crowds, the overflowing portable toilets at the start and the T shirt that they give you that you don’t want and you will never wear again. My thoughts are that if you want to go for a run then just put on your shoes, grab a water bottle and go. I surprised myself when I felt some interest in doing the Wadi Bih run in the Musandam Governate in Oman.   In my defence there were a few extenuating circumstances that helped to spark my interest.   The first is that I like Oman and in particular Musandam as result of my sea kayak trip around the north of the peninsula. The second is that this part of Oman is normally difficult to reach as the border at Dibba is closed for foreigners (i.e. not Omanis or Emiraties) which means a long drive via Khasab.   The other alternative to cross a...

Ada has had a couple of surfing lessons at Wadi Adventure, the white water and surfing facility at Al Ain.  It is an easy place to spend the day and keep everyone occupied. Here is a couple of clips of her surfing and body surfing.