As the sleek black yacht Azzam made its way back to port in Spain's Alicante after blowing away its five rivals, Khalid energetically waved a huge United Arab Emirates (UAE) flag before spraying champagne off the side of the boat as he beamed at the cameras.

The first sailor from UAE to take part in the Olympic Games in 2008, Khalid beat around 120 other applicants to win a place on Azzam, which means "determined,” and is the first Emirati to compete in the eight-month, 39,000 nautical mile Volvo Ocean Race.

"I loved it," Dubai-born Khalid told Reuters in an interview on Sunday as Azzam and the five other 70-foot yachts bobbed gently up and down in the harbor nearby and crew members chatted in the warm sunshine.

"Winning is always the best moment in every sailor's life but this is only the first step and there is a long way to go," he added.

"The guys were so happy and we have the confidence now and we think we are going to do so well going around the world representing UAE." As organizers acknowledge, Khalid's presence on the boat has less to do with his sailing skills, which were honed in much smaller dinghies a world away from the Ocean Race vessels, and a lot to do with raising the event's profile in UAE.

As well as entering the first Middle Eastern-backed team, Abu Dhabi is one of the host ports, a key attraction for some of the race's corporate sponsors keen to push their business in the region.

Azzam skipper Ian Walker, a double Olympic silver medalist competing in his second Ocean Race, said having Khalid on board was crucial to building the event's profile in UAE and had the added benefit of taking some of the attention away from him and the rest of the 11-man crew.

"The whole thing is new for him as he has obviously come from a dinghy background," Walker told Reuters on Sunday.

"So although he's a good sailor and he's sailed in the Olympics he was really starting from scratch in terms of sailing on big boats.

"He has a lot more to learn but he's coming on very well and the good thing about Adil is that he is pretty comfortable on the boat so we don't have to keep an eye on him too much.

"The important thing is to get him to a stage where he can contribute to the team and hold down his watch. Without that he would just be slowing us down." Khalid's job is to help the bow man and complete physically challenging tasks such as grinding and trimming.

He said he applied for the job after deciding he was not well-enough prepared to compete at the Olympic Games in London next year.

There is something of a maritime tradition in his family as his grandfather used to sail dhows, the Arab vessels used in trading along the Arabian Peninsula.

Chatting in the bright morning sunshine and still flush with victory, he said he was looking forward to the race's first ocean leg, which starts from Alicante on Nov. 5 and ends in Cape Town, South Africa 6,500 nautical miles later.

His enthusiasm was undimmed despite the knowledge of what awaits him.

The race is considered one of the toughest sporting events on the planet. Sleep depravation is common and teams can face temperatures between -12C in the Southern Ocean and 50C near the Equator. The wind can reach 70 knots, hurricane force.

"It's a great moment and you want to carry the flag in every port and back home in my country they are proud," he said, adding that he is doing 90 minutes of gym work every day to stay in shape.

"Everyone was watching the race and people are understanding more and more about sailing," he said.

"I got many text messages and until now my phone has not stopped ringing. Everyone is happy and excited." A big concern for Khalid is the food.

Race crew eat mainly freeze-dried rations as they struggle to take on the 6,000 to 6,500 calories they need per day compared with around 2,500 for a normal diet. Getting used to the change is not always easy.

"It's very hard for me to eat this kind of food," Khalid said with a smile.

"It's my first time around the world and maybe I'll get sick of it after four or five days."