How to make Forties for 40 famous or renowned? How to establish its significance and symbolism and my commitment to it?
I’ve produced t-shirts and have considered selling merchandise. I’m in discussions about television and radio appearances but as yet I’m keen to keep my head down, working away to define and complete the challenges.
‘Putting it on the map’ is often used in the idiomatic sense and I wondered if it could be done in a literal sense…. well it can!
Thanks to Garmin and my amazing Sister once again!
Note temperature of 44 degrees Celsius!
Note average moving pace of 4:40!
Of course, I did something like this before to raise awareness of the situation in Beirut following the terrible blast at the port…
…and it amuses me no end when I see similarly creative ‘Radar Art’ on Flight Radar or other such platforms:
As a final point, a friend of mine recently educated me on the symbolic meaning of numbers. This is something I had not been aware of at the inception of 40s 4 40 but that now seems may have more relevance that I was conscious of or gave credence to.
To that end, my efforts should be considered a message to the heavens, to God and my Angels (4) to express my earth-bound sincere gratitude, awe and infinite (0) commitment.
Arb, short for arbitrage, is the system of hand signals used to communicate buy and sell information in an open-outcry trading environment.
Traders usually flash the signals quickly across a room to make a sale or a purchase. Signals that occur with palms facing out and hands away from the body are an indication the gesturer wishes to sell. When traders face their palms in and hold their hands up, they are gesturing to buy.
When you touch the forehead, digits equal multiples of ten so below I’m indicating that I intend to sell 40 shares!
Making money hand over fist
The use of hand signals on the trading floor began around the middle of the 19th century. Brokers and traders were trying to get in the best position to see the trading boards and access the brokerage service windows, from which information could be retrieved, interpreted, and acted upon. As you can imagine, it got quite heated at times!
Brokers needed to be able to pass information quickly and directly to a trader on the floor without revealing it to anyone else and this is where arbitrage came in.
Communicating using hand signals is actually very efficient, practical and mainains confidentiality.
These days, open out-cry environments have pretty much all been replaced by electronic methods of trading and whilst I simulated arb for a laugh, all my trading is done either on-line or over the telephone.
I purchased DS Smith stock some time ago and they have continued to do well since.
I purchased at around £3.19 per share so multiplied by 40 that equals £128. I sold 40 shares at £4.40 which equals £176. The difference between the two is £48. Once I had taken the brokerage fee into consideration, coincidentally, this left a margin of almost £40 on the sale of 40 shares!
As I purchased more than 40 shares in my previous transaction, selling the 40 felt more like cashing in some of the profit by liquifying some of that stock.
I hereby pledge to give that profit away via a subsequent #40s440 donation 🙂
However, I could not get in touch with them for love nor money and despite the website being up and running, it doesn’t even seem to be registered on Google Maps.
I thought my luck had run out but on the contrary, it was only just beginning!
An intelligent and bold individual whom I hadn’t previously met their acquaintance messaged me to suggest we should meet 40 times in 40 different places and even proposed the first venue – Forti Pizzeria!
Mashallah, I am grateful for such blessings and people coming into my life.
We shared a Polli and had some drinks (menu can be downloaded via the above link) The Pizza was excellent but only Coke and Water on the menu and Sprite available if you asked – I’m not used to the drink selection being so limited.
In any case Forti was popular and based on the food and the service, it will remain so.
At the time of writing, Four Square have this restaurant rated as an 8.9 out of 10; Google reviews say 4.2 out of 5.
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Ferrari developed and produced the F40 to celebrate their 40th Anniversary in 1987 so what better way to celebrate being 40 than to drive one?
I had a poster of a Ferrari F40 on my bedroom wall. I loved it in the 1980s and I’ve loved it ever since. It was the first production car to go over 200 miles per hour and remains the furthest evolution of no-nonsense, mechanical engineering.
With it’s lightweight carbon fibre body with only a thin coat of paint, back then, this was more like an race car with a road-going body kit and at the time was Ferrari’s fastest, most powerful, and most expensive car for sale.
In keeping with the car’s unique authenticity, it was also the last model produced that was personally approved by Enzo Ferrari himself.
Some consider it to be the best Ferrari ever made.
Just over a thousand of them came off the production line against an initial run of 400 and so they are rare now.
I remember seeing one on a family holiday from the back of the car as it crossed over a motorway bridge behind me and I still feel lucky!
I was sure I would find one locally and if not may be I could rent one somewhere fairly easily. I hadn’t really considered their current market value.
For example, whilst not completely factory original, recently this rare 1989 Ferrari F40 was the first motor to sell for over £1million on an online-only classic car auction platform:
In any case, remaining grateful for getting what I want, just not in exactly the same form I anticipated or expected, I made a video to capture my experience:
Essentially, the only Ferrari F40 I could find locally was an Authentic Ferrari branded Radio Controlled car! As luck would have it, the model was also on sale so I quickly clicked and collected.
As a child, I used to enjoy racing radio controlled cars. Of all the cars I had, by far my favourite was my Schumacher Cougar 2 Team Works Specification. I still have it although it is something of a classic bordering on a museum piece these days.
This was the first time I’ve ever driven a Radio Controlled car on a treadmill and keeping it lined up and in one relatively small area was actually quite good fun. The basic steering on this model F40 is digital and not progressive whatsoever. Taking this into account and not coming off the back end of the roller was quite a challenge – it was interesting to see how the F40s performance dwindled as the batteries ran out and for sure it ended up crashing off a couple of times as a result!
I had really good fun visiting the Ferrari dealership Fast Auto Technic dressed in all my Ferrari-related merch. and I’m super grateful to Ammar for allowing me to take photos, sit in and start the incredible F8 Tributo!
As luck would have it, I would finally come face-to-face with a Ferrari F40 at the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche in 2021. I was really made up, they are not common and obviously very valuable so to be allowed to get up close is unusual, based on my previous experiences.
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No one really wants to live with this; it’s not limited to any one section of society.
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Spending longer underwater than some people work in a week sounds extreme but breaking it down into 40 one hour-long scuba dives way off shore in the Red Sea made it a pleasure, especially during the pandemic!
Most dives last around 1 hour. At least, that is what I typically aim for. Sometimes, if there is strong current or some other issue then they may be shorter and equally, provided that it is safe to do so, it may be worth hanging around under the surface a bit longer (like I did to spend more time with the shark under our boat in the below video).
Plan the Dive, Dive the Plan:
My plan was to do all the dives during the pandemic once domestic travel was possible. I therefore would do the following trips to try and achieve it:
Farazan Banks July 2020 (a total of 9 dives over 3 days) – cumulative total 9
Yanbu September 2020 (a total of 12 dives over 3 days) – cumulative total 21
Yanbu October 2020 (a total of 11 dives over 3 days) – cumulative total 32
Rabigh May 2021 (a total of 12 dives over 3 days) – cumulative total 44
I figured that with 44 dives to go at, I had a 10% buffer / margin of error to make up any shortfall. However, things don’t always go to plan…!
Highlights:
Being able to do this during the pandemic kept me sane; a few things really stand out so I have listed them below:
Interaction with a Silky Shark
Freediving the Aiona
My deepest dive to date
Having a reef named after me (Budgie Smuggler Reef, Marker 35)
Farazan Banks July 2020 (a total of 9 dives over 3 days):
We did 9 dives over the long weekend and had some amazing experiences including a very up close and personal encounter with a beautiful and inquisitive Silky Shark:
The dive sites were as follows:
Day 1:
Canyon Reef
Malathu Island
Shi’b Ammar Reef (night dive)
Day 2:
Belgium Reef
Malathu Island
Marmar Island
Shi’b Ammar Reef (night dive)
Day 3:
Aramco Reef
Aramco Reef
God laughs at people who make plans:
Due to an avoidable and thoroughly regrettable error on my part, I did not download the detailed data files from my dive computer before they were overwritten by the data from new dives. The computer records the total number of dives and has therefore recorded the dive took place but it only has capacity to hold the detailed data for 59 dives.
So, I can prove I was there and that I did 9 dives but if I rely on these dives, I will be unable to prove categorically that these dives equate to 9 of the 40 hours underwater!
This issue was exacerbated by me using my diving watch for freediving. Even when it is on Gauge mode, the number of dives racks up fast and risks overwriting important earlier dive data. I have addressed this by purchasing a separate watch, specifically for freediving.
I hereby commit to downloading my dive computer data after each and every trip going forward!
Moving on:
Since then, I managed to do the other 35 scuba dives so I’m confident that I have spent well over a total of 40 hours underwater. That being said, for the sake of completeness, I will gladly do another 5 dives to collect the 40 dives worth of data and post it on this blog.
For each dive, I’ve put a picture of the relevant dive maps or nautical charts below with some other links and photos etc. I’ve also included the detailed data from my dive computer for each of them. This allows you to see the maximum depth, total time, water temperature and dive profile of each dive, amongst other things.
Yanbu September 2020 (a total of 12 dives over 3 days):
Yanbu, KSA – nautical chart
The dive sites were as follows:
Day 1:
Aiona Wreck
Marker 32
Abu Galawa
Abu Galawa (night)
Day 2:
Mansi
Marker 39 Tes Tes
Marker 35 Budgie Smuggler Reef
Abu Galawa (night)
Day 3:
Marker 34
Marker 29
Shermo Reef / Aiona
Shermo Reef / Aiona (night)
Dive computer information and maps:
Aiona Wreck:
Marker 32:
Abu Galawa:
Abu Galawa (night):
Mansi (HH):
Marker 39 Tes Tes:
Marker 35 Budgie Smuggler Reef:
Abu Galawa:
Marker 34:
Marker 29 (no map available):
Shermo Reef / Aiona:
Shermo Reef / Aiona (night):
The sun setting at Shermo Reef
Yanbu October 2020 (a total of 11 dives over 3 days):
The Aiona is a wreck in the Red Sea. The story I was told is that the ship was captured from the British by German submariners in World War 2. The Germans gifted it to their Turkish allies who ran it onto a reef off the coast of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia and it’s been there ever since!
I’ve explored between 35 and 40 metres deep a number of times on this particular dive site and become familiar with it.
Here is a video of an earlier trip:
This 40s 4 40 trip, I was with a number of very experienced divers, none more so than my buddy. We wanted to know how deep the sea bed is and so took measurements in the sand, a few meters out from the propeller. Previously, I had only ever hovered above the sea bed, toward the top of the propeller.
By doing so we achieved a depth of 48.7 metres – that’s my deepest dive so far.
Diver above the starboard side of the propeller
Diver going through the starboard side of the propeller
A few metres from the propeller
My buddy depth checking the sea bed
The Port side of the propeller
Even though I was only 5 minutes into my dive, you can see from the below data how little time was available at that depth before I had to ascend to a more shallow depth to stay within no decompression dive limits (<2 minutes):
I descended to 48.7m in 5 minutes, took some pictures and headed back up
Clearly, I was aware of this and started to ascend too quickly for the dive computer’s liking; I was only 8 minutes into my dive and already on my ascent but within one minute of no decompression time!
Dive computer screen warning me to slow down on my ascent – note 1 minute of no deco time remains
Once I had added a few more minutes on my no decompression time by ascending, I slowed my assent rate appropriately.
My deepest dive to date – 48.7m
The rest of the dive was spent at a more shallow depth exploring the wreck itself and the reef to the North of it, before returning to the dive boat. The brief dip during the safety stop was to retrieve something.
Going beyond no decompression limits is not necessarily a problem provided you manage it correctly but I believe it is good practice to stay within no decompression limits when recreational diving unless exceptional circumstances and experience provide good enough reason to go beyond them (e.g. an emergency or something like a specific wreck or incredible marine life).
I experienced no negative effects during or after this dive. I’m left with a recollection of feeling lonely down there and it clearly being time to get back to the surface (full Buddy respect).
Suffice to say, it is of the utmost importance to always dive within your personal limits, relative to your qualifications and who you are with.
Here are some pictures of the Aiona from an earlier trip:
Being reasonably familiar with the Aiona and with the support of my friends and dive operator, I freedived the wreck. The highlight for me was penetrating the wreck through a hatch on the port side and swimming up through the hull of the wreck before exiting through its broken deck to re-surface.
You can watch more about the Aiona in the amazing documentary ‘Desert Seas’ by David Attenborough:
This wasn’t the best flight, nor was it the cheapest or most time efficient but it is definitely scheduled for the appropriate time!
Furthermore, I was able to use the whole of a voucher I was credited when a flight I had booked was cancelled by the operator due to more strict Corona restrictions coming into force at the end of 2020 so that’s good.
I guess me making this booking is only the first stage so I will update this post with my ticketing, departure and flight experience… until then, I’ll look forward to seeing my Mother on her Birthday!
I love you, Mum! x
Update:
Two days after I booked this flight, I got an email to tell me that the 04:40 departure time of the first flight has been updated to 05:10. Right now I’m content because I bagged the challenge and get to set off at a more reasonable time and have a shorter connection time but am just hoping that this is not the start of more messing around with flights being delayed and even cancelled – that’s how I ended up with this voucher in the first place!!!
Thankfully post -booking but pre-flight the realisation set in that Qatar is still on the UK’s ‘Red List’ and so this would mean I had to stay in a Government-backed quarantine hotel for my entire stay – utterly pointless!
I took the opportunity to move this Qatar flight to later in the year and re-booked with Saudia direct to London Heathrow. This allowed me to use a credit voucher for another flight that was cancelled back in 2020.
Somewhat disappointingly, the flight is not at 04:40. Nonetheless, it sets off a day earlier so I gain an additional day in the UK and will be travelling in seat number 40!
The original flight may have been cancelled but I sat in seat 40 on the one I replaced it with!
As one of the Forties for 40 challenges, I stayed awake for over 40 hours and climbed Jabal Sawda plus lots of other things.
Jabal Sawda is (at least officially) the highest mountain in Saudi Arabia at over 3,000 metres and the highest point on the Asir mountain range, located approximately 20 km away from the city of Abha.
The Asir mountain range is covered green forests of juniper trees and all different kinds of flora and fauna can be found there. It rains in the Asir more than anywhere else in the Kingdom and people holiday there in summer to enjoy the cooler weather.
I do not recommend staying awake for 40 hours to anyone but made a video log of how I felt and what I did over the whole period:
Some pictures of the incredible landscape:
Ultimately, because I was in good company and kept moving through very stimulating environments and circumstances, it was fairly easy to stay awake. That said, after being awake for around 24 hours, any time I stopped (for example when as a passenger in a vehicle or after taking a shower) the desire to lie down and let the wave of slumber wash over me started to influence my thoughts and behaviour.
Thankfully, I was able to ignore it and carry on. I found moving and talking helped. Not sure everyone else would agree… 😉
