Samira Sheth is thrilled to board Hispania – the sleek racing boat that once belonged to the King of Spain

It’s not often one gets to experience a slice of Spanish royalty. And that too in Fujairah! For some months now, the racing boat, Hispania, built specially for the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, has been lying at the Fujairah International Marine Club. She was supposed to have been brought here by a British sailor who wanted to renovate her but abandoned the project after a while and put her up for sale.
German paraglider, Siegfried Fischer was in Fujairah scouting for suitable gliding locations when he came across the 20-year-old racing boat at the Marina. Immediately interested, Fischer bought the boat and is currently hard at work revamping it and making it sea and race worthy again.
Fischer says he’s worked hard all his life in Germany and is now free to spend his retirement as he pleases. And nothing would please him more than taking Hispania out to sea again. He says, “When I saw the boat, I was like “wow” and I had to buy it. Hispania was built in 1989. The King of Spain wanted a racer for long distances and Hispania was custom-built for him. She won many races in Europe between 1990-1996.”
Despite being built as a pure racing machine, the 80-foot sloop is a real beauty with her clean lines and elegant bearing. Her 600 sq metre spinnaker towers above her simple yet stylish frame. Fischer has given himself a month to refit the boat, repair the damaged parts, paint her and get her ready for sailing again. He plans to sail to Europe and charter her out for sailing and racing trips.
The boat is steeped in history and that is obviously its huge draw. Sailing the Hispania would be a rare opportunity for sailors to share in the classic boat’s extraordinary history. Says Fischer, “A normal sailor would not have the opportunity to sail on a race boat like the Hispania. So my idea is to allow normal sailors to sail with me. They can rent it for the day or for a week and we can even participate in racing. Normally, the boat needs about 6 crew to sail but for racing it needs between 19-20 crew.”

Ship brings 2,500 international and regional guests to
Fujairah on its inaugural sailing

Royal Caribbean International’s 'Brilliance of the Seas’ made her maiden call into Fujairah on 21st January 2010 as part of the company’s newly-launched five stop, seven-day winter cruise programme in the Arabian Gulf. The new route homeport is Dubai and the cruise ship will visit Muscat, Fujairah, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. The weekly programme will run from January to April 2010.
Agents Wilhelmsen Ships Service is responsible for bringing the biggest cruise ship ever to have entered the Port of Fujairah. With an overall length of 293 metres, and a breadth of 40 meters, 'Brilliance of the Seas' (built in Papenburg, north-west Germany, and registered in the Bahamas) weighs a massive 90,090 tons and can travel at a speed of 24 knots. It has two anchors each weighing 12 tons and it even generates its own fresh water.

2,500 guests and more than 900 crew were warmly welcomed portside in traditional Arabic style with dates and Arabic coffee. To add to the occasion, an Emirati folk group sang Bedouin songs, while representatives from the Fujairah Tourism Board were on hand to distribute brochures and maps containing information about Fujairah’s cultural history and tourist attractions.
The majority of guests milling around the souk looking for a bargain were from the UK but I was later informed that on this particular trip there was around 45 different nationalities. Many of which had flown into Dubai and boarded the vessel there.

The majority of cruise guests then took to exploring Fujairah.
On board I met the affable Captain Hernan Zini from Argentina who despite looking a relatively young 42-year-old captain, has in fact sailed on every class of ship in his years at sea. At the age of 35, he was actually the youngest Captain in the RCI fleet. He has been with RCI for 19 years.
When asked about the Port of Fujairah facilities and agents Wilhelmsen Ships Service, the captain spoke of the efficient way they were handling the 'Brilliance of the Seas' inaugural visit and the easy turnaround within the port for such a large vessel.
Saeed Abdulla Al Samahi, GM, Fujairah Tourism & Antiquities Authority, and Mr. John Mittelstein together with Mr. Tariq Ali, Port of Fujairah, exchanged ‘Plaques’ a traditional ceremony between ships and the city to remember ports visited.
Captain John Melaa and K P Ravi Shankar from Wilhelmsen Ships Service presented Captain Zini with a beautiful gold Oryx. The UAE has the largest single collection of scimitar-horned Oryx, thanks to its breeding programme.
Brilliance of the Seas really is one of the most elegant cruise ships in the world, featuring an open Centrum with 10-deck high windows and ocean-facing glass elevators, both of which will offer spectacular views of the passing shoreline and sea. It boasts one of the highest space-per-guest ratios in the industry, and will add more than 32,000 guests in her first four-month season to the region’s burgeoning cruise sector.
Royal Caribbean International’s Regional Sales Director, International Representatives, EMEA, Helen Beck, says the arrival of 'Brilliance of the Seas' is an important catalyst in driving forward regional cruise tourism growth and announced Brilliance of the Seas’ 2011 will return to the region following this year’s inaugural season. “The Middle East’s prospective growth figures for luxury cruising are remarkable and we expect 'Brilliance of the Seas' to establish itself as the leading cruise option for years to come,” she said.

Cruises are more popular than ever with all ages, from families with children to the older generation looking to relax and enjoy the scenery. There are all sorts of people from all walks of life found on voyages thesedays.
The cost for the Gulf cruise starts from $750 per person and main meals and entertainment shows are included.

The Club at the Fujairah Free Zone offers a range of budget-friendly dining options, with Nalukettu coming out on top
The Club made a fairly discreet entry into Fujairah’s growing restaurant scene. Located at the Fujairah Free Zone, the Club hosts a couple of bars, a conference room and the restaurant, Nalukettu. This is Nalukettu’s second branch in Fujairah, the first being at the City Plaza hotel. While it is undoubtedly a Keralite themed restaurant, the Club’s Nalukettu does offer a wider range of cuisine than available at its other branch. For starters, it does a buffet lunch, available on weekdays, and priced at (hold your breath) Dhs 15! Food just doesn’t get any cheaper than this- especially food that tastes this good. The buffet might seem a little too jumbled for purists with its mix of Indo-Chinese and southern coastal regional fare with some pasta thrown in for good measure. But, the upside is that most of it is healthy and seems like home cooking. Part of its charm is also not knowing what is going to be served on which day. You might have little fried anchovies and chicken curry one day as part of the buffet and chicken manchurian and chinese sweet corn soup another. At the price the buffet is at, you really can’t complain.
The buffet is quite sumptuous in its choice of dishes and offers a couple of non-veg mains as well as a few vegetable dishes, lentils, rice, parathas, maybe pasta or noodles depending on the day, and a dessert. Soup, salad, pickles, yoghurt and the perennially popular little fried pappadums are other staples. Around 2 pm, the restaurant tends to pick up and get busy as the nearby Freezone crowd starts dropping by. So, go early and get a headstart.
Apart from the buffet, there is an interesting ala-carte menu which offers regional Kerala cuisine like appams, fish curry and the like. You can also order from the adjoining bar, called Tulip, which serves an extensive list of beverages as well as a more European menu including pizzas, pastas, soups, salads and some Oriental mezze.
Portions are filling and inexpensive. The highest price on the menu was for a steak filet which weighed in at Dhs 38! Clean and decently done with inviting interiors and friendly staff – this budget eatery offers an attractive lunch option for bachelors looking for a tasty almost home-cooked meal. All the Club’s outlets are open for lunch and dinner.