A key part of the Volvo Ocean Race are the stops they make along the round-the-world, 39,000-nautical-miles-sailing part of it. When an ocean event gets a chance to sell itself to landlubbers.

The organizers pack up and ship a race-themed village to each of the major stops around the world, and the six-boat fleet has been in Abu Dhabi since the end of Leg 2, on December 13.

We finally got over to have a look at the Destination Village today.

It was very cool.

The village is meant to appeal to children as well as adults. Lots of activities. A climbing wall. Kids peddle cars. A kids zone. A golf putting and chipping area. Food and drinks. (The pomegranate slushy was very nice).

Each of the six teams has a pavilion, generally pegged to the main sponsor of the team. Sort of a mini world fair.

Since we were in Abu Dhabi, a mini-souk went up, with traditional wares on sale, and a sense of the palm frond “houses” Emiratis lived in as recently as the 1960s. Cultural activities involving dances and falcons were shown regularly.

The Volvo pavilion showcases several of their cars, of course, including three that parallel-park themselves — without the aid of the passengers sitting inside. And a backhoe patrons were allowed to operate.

Inside the Volvo building was a continuous loop wall-sized video of the wild times they have on the high seas. You also can take a spin at the steering wheel, while you attempt to navigate gates depicting the in-port races done at each spot. A sort of giant, stand-up video game. Someone is ready to explain the course map, too, if you are weak on geography.

Another very interesting bit is the half a boat, enabling us to see the inside of a Volvo 65 boat, which all six teams use.

It is remarkably cozy set-up with few apparent comforts and very little shelter. The front compartment is pretty much taken up with sails, and the living area also seems to contain food, as well as a navigational desk. The sleeping area is a couple of shelves, and when the boat tacks the crew is obliged to move all weight to the other side of the boat, to help with the trim, including the people not on the desk. And this is thousands of pounds, much of it freeze-dried food.

The rear of the cut-away-boat is complete, and you can walk on it, if you take off your shoes. It has both steering wheels, and you can see the dual rudders. It gives you a sense of how tight it is and how exposed to the elements the nine-man crews are.

Down at the beach, visitors could paddle a kayak offshore, or borrow a stand-up paddleboard … or just sit in the beanbag chairs and eat ice cream or read the free copies of The National available and warm yourself in the mild December UAE sun.

Also, a stage for music has been built just off shore, and connected to the land, where chairs are set up for concerts. Later that night, a Lebanese singer, Myriam Fares, was going to perform at 8 p.m., and seeing her actually cost money! (We paid nothing to enter the Destination Village.) Tickets for the concert were 100 dirhams, or $27.

The village also houses the media center. I wasn’t carrying any ID from The National, or I would have gone in and looked around. The media center is near where the six boats are in drydock, and the area is closed off, aside from a staircase that enables a visitor to see the deck of the Abu Dhabi boat, Azzam.

The fleet is here until next weekend. The in-port race is January 2 (good luck with that; the air is usually quite light in Abu Dhabi) and the fleet departs on the 4,600-mile journey to Sanya, China, the next day.

It made for a fine and educational afternoon. Anyone in Abu Dhabi next week … I recommend going over to see it.