Saleh Al Jabri
Saleh Al Jabri
18th October 2009
Saleh Al Jabri, Captain, Jewel of Muscat
For me the launch was like my baby being born, it was exciting but there were some bad minutes
There were some heart stopping moments when the boat suddenly shot forward from the cradle and the winching cables snapped. I thought we could be in real trouble – thanks be that no one was hurt.
In the end the Jewel went into the sea so quickly, I think she was tired of being on land – she wanted to be on the water. On the voyage round to the marina she handled fine – she’s such a beautiful ship. She’s taking a little bit of water, but that’s normal with a new ship like this. It feels great to be up on her deck. It’s an incredible feeling.
I think the whole team did so well to build this beautiful boat and the crew did just fine getting her into the marina. I’d like to thank the Royal Oman Navy and the team from Omansail – they all helped deliver the Jewel safely into the water.
Now I’m looking forward to sailing her for real and getting into the sea trials and crew training. We have great adventures ahead. My baby is born, my baby is born!