#VOR – Galway's hurling royalty, the Connolly brothers, swapped their sticks for dock shoes today as they joined Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, the Abu Dhabi-backed team in the gruelling round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, for a sail onboard its Azzam yacht, which means determination in Arabic.
The famous brothers, Joe, John, Padraic and Murth, who – with three other brothers - all won the 1980 All-Ireland Club Championship with Castlegar, also traded team tactics with Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing's Irish bowman, Justin Slattery, a three time veteran of the race, and got up close to the outfit's mascot, the majestic Arabian falcon.
Sailing in the Pro-Am precursor to the final points scoring Galway In-Port Race tomorrow, the hurling legends were quick to praise the impressive team work onboard Azzam and wished the sailors luck.
"We know a lot about what it means to be a team, and how you rely on others to find that winning formula, and these guys have that. To sail these boats is incredibly tough and you need everyone at their best, it is great to see. Good luck to the guys tomorrow, we will be cheering Abu Dhabi on," said John Connolly, who led his brothers to a second place finish in the Pro-Am.
The Volvo Ocean Race is in Galway, Ireland for its final stopover after completing 39,000 nautical miles of sailing across five oceans in nine months. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, which hopes to clinch the In-Port Race series with a win tomorrow, is the first Arabian team to compete in the Everest of Sailing since it began in 1973.
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi), which backs the team, is rolling out the red carpet to woo Irish visitors to the emirate.
Two traditional Arabian sailing dhows were flown into Galway to take part in the celebrations. Travelling with them were 10 Emirati sailors as part of the UAE-Ireland Maritime Heritage Cultural Exchange to highlight social and cultural ties between the destinations. The project was a joint venture by the Galway Hooker Association, which promotes the use of Ireland's traditional 'Hooker' fishing boat and the Emirates Heritage Club.
