Abu Dhabi Racing complete training run

Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing (ADOR) — the Abu Dhabi backed entry in the Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 — has left Newport, Rhode Island, and embarked on its second transatlantic crossing in less than three weeks.

Ador’s Volvo Ocean 65 –— Azzam, which is the Arabic for determination — completed the 3,116 nautical mile first transatlantic training run from Portugal to the United States with honours, despite some harsh weather conditions along the way. “The first crossing went extremely well and even the adverse conditions we came across were helpful because they gave us valuable data on how Azzam performs in the open ocean. There were very few breakages and the job list was not a long one by the time we got to Newport”, said skipper Ian Walker, the British double Olympic silver medalist.

The crossing threw up some unique moments, including an unexpected three-blast salute from the iconic ocean liner RMS Queen Mary 2 — the flagship of the Cunard Line — which overhauled Azzam as both vessels navigated the southerly edge of a self-imposed exclusion zone to avoid icebergs. “We had just sailed five days without seeing another boat and suddenly the RMS Queen Mary 2 comes within 250 yards. I spoke to the captain on the radio; he came in close and gave us three very loud blasts. All the guests were on deck waving and taking photos of us as we were waving back and taking photos of them. Unbelievable moment,” explained Walker. The encounter has proved popular on social media. The video posted on ADOR’s Facebook page was viewed more than 26,000 times in under two weeks and reached around 400,000 people.