Volvo Ocean Race: Abu Dhabi skipper Ian Walker deserved success despite testing times in and out of water Last month, Abu Dhabi Racing, skippered by Walker, mustered an in-port win in Miami - their third of this year's race - before following up that success with a superb leg seven victory in Lisbon. Powell, who completed in three races including the last British entry, Silk Cut, in 1987, said: "If you have failures like that, it is a long, hard way back up the hill. Powell said that Abu Dhabi had been "dogged by misfortune" in this year's round-the-world race, but admitted that teams that do well in the gruelling event "are first out of the blocks in terms of sponsorship and testing." Despite having a well-funded campaign, Abu Dhabi were one of the last boats out on the water prior to November's start in Alicante. "The biggest hurdle for any team in these economically-challenge times is finding a sponsor," Powell observed, "and having enough time to test the boat out on the water and iron out any issues before the race. But Abu Dhabi has a very good crew and Ian is a fantastic sailor so they really deserved that success in Lisbon. Abu Dhabi are guaranteed to finish fifth overall with one leg remaining. The penultimate in-port race starts in Lorient on Saturday before leg nine commences the following day.