YM was also a keen water skier
He and others set up Dubai Water Ski Club
Water Ski Club was located in the upper reaches of Dubai Creek
He was new to Dubai, young, brash and he owned a Paraglider - Dubai's first! Paragliders need to be towed into the air.
The Young Man found a new friend with an old Landrover.
He offered to tow the YM's Paraglider into the air.
Soon YM was soaring high above Dubai's desert dunes towed by his new friend's Landrover.
Word soon spread about YM's Paraglider.
Manager of newly built Costay Club on Jumeirah Beach heard about the YM and his parascending.
He thought it would be a spectacular way to open his new Club. YM could parascend along Jumeirah Beach then land in Costay Club's new Pool.
YM was asked. He agreed!
Following Friday morning YM made a test run before the official Costay Club 3pm opening. YM was well prepared. Both YM and his friend had Walkie Talkie Radios.
Landrover started its run along Jumeirah Beach starting from Sheikh Rashid's Beach Palace. YM was soon soaring high above Jumeirah Beach getting ready to descend into Costay Club's swimming pool. He did so to perfection. Everyone was happy. YM was confident.
Image by George Ranson
YM was confident but he was also new to Dubai. He didn't know Dubai's wind changed direction from offshore to onshore after 1pm or Dubai's population headed for Jumeirah Beach around 3pm each Friday.
That Friday afternoon the Landrover was hooked up for the tow. As soon as his watch read 3pm, the driver started the tow and YM was again soaring high above Jumeirah Beach - except instead of looking down on the beach, YM was looking down on Jumeirah's Villas.
Jumeirah's afternoon wind had blown YM inland. YM knew how to deal with that.
But t Then Dubai's expatriate workers started to arrive at Jumeirah Beach. One arrival always rode his motorcycle onto Jumeirah Beach. This time he didn't see the tow rope behind the Landrover. He collided with the rope.
He became firmly entangled in the toe rope. Motorcycle and Landrover came to an immediate halt.
YM didn't! He continued to make progress but now it was downwards towards Jumeirah's Beach Villas. YM called the Landrover to get moving! answer came back that it couldn't!
YM received the bad news over his Walkie Talkie.
The Descent
I could see the Villas coming towards me.
At the first Villa I was like Superman - I bounded across its roof in two huge leaps but I lost momentum by the time I hit the next Villa.
I demolished part of its roof, removed a water storage tank and collected two TV Aerials.
It didn't hurt. I was like a knife going through butter!
I slammed into the side of the third villa, sliding to the ground landing next to the Villa's Resident.
She was quietly reading her library book, relaxing in her garden chair.
It must have been a shock for her to see this body wrapped in TV Aerials fall from the sky!YM later explained (from his hospital bed)....
This lady's husband was Duty Doctor at nearby Iranian Hospital. She called her husband.
Within minutes an ambulance arrived to take YM to hospital.
Barely a half hour after his fall from the sky, YM was being treated for multiple fractures in an Iranian Hospital Operating Theatre.
YM was taken to London for treatment and took a year and a half recovering from his injuries before returning to work.
There was no Court Case or Prosecution! Dubai Police did not get involved.
Imagine trying to explain the circumstances to a Dubai Court!
Costay Club was built by a Joint Venture of Costains and Taylor Woodrow Construction Companies for their Employees.
JV was building the Port Rashid Extension.
Costay Club has long disappeared from Jumeirah Beach - probably demolished to make way for someone's beach house!