Back to London from FLIBS, with barely enough time for my feet to touch the ground, I made an an hour-long stop at Heathrow to connect to Qatar to check out a new boatshow.
There has been a Boatshow in Qatar for a number of years, but this year the Official State had taken to running a show. It was a pleasure to visit and they had put together an excellent show.
We're always on the lookout for good partners to work with in regions around the world and Qatar Boatshow made for a good opportunity to open up some new relationships.
I took the opportunity whilst in the Middle East to catch the 4am flight from Doha to Abu Dhabi to catch up with our friend there Abdulaziz who I had missed two weeks previously when in Dubai.
Coffee & catchup done, and I hop in the rental to do the 4-hour drive across the desert to Fujairah, where the pastoral farming is a little different...
| The Camel farms of the UAE on the rod from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah
A new customer was visiting Fujairah to go fishing. He is from Mauritius and hadn't yet seen an Invincible.
That morning the Mahi had been biting well, they took their fresh catch to The Sailors at The International Marine Club, who kindly prepared the fish. As I took a seat with the crew, they brought out a platter of the day's fresh Mahi - delicious, 10/10.
Our friend Mr. Abu Dhabi has a 43' Open Fisherman in Fujairah that I show our Mauritian friends around. It was a great opportunity to discuss the options and layouts on the order for their new 46' Pilot House which will be starting in the new year. These guys are serious fishermen and are looking to get across the open ocean in heavy seas to the Soudan Banks to take advantage of the exceptional fishing there.
It has barely been two hours since I got into Fujairah, we wrap up the 43', say our goodbyes and I hop in the rental car on the way back to Abu Dhabi.
From lunch in Fujairah I make it back to the new terminal in Abu Dhabi after getting lost at the old one, catch my flight back to Doha, connect to London and make it to mum's sofa for a quick nap at 5am the next day before heading home - what a whirlwind 24 hours!
Make sure to reach out if you're heading to Miami Boatshow 2025.
Until then, see you on the water...