Leading sailors for three-day regatta in Mumbai

Mumbai, Mar 22 (PTI) Leading sailors from India will be testing the waters and vying for the top honours in the Festival of Sails, an annual sailing regatta, to be held off the Mumbai harbour from tomorrow.

The three-day tournament is being conducted by the Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre (INWTC) along with the Royal Bombay Yacht (RBYC), and promoted by the Sailing Association of Maharashtra (SAM), a release said today.

Races will be organised according to the size and type of boat.

Events are to be held in `Optimist' class for children aged between 8 to 16, the Olympic classes like single handed `Laser' dinghy, the double handed `470', the sailboard `RS:X' and `keel boats'.

A featured event of the Festival of Sails is the `Away all Sails', where all the larger sailboats race on a common course.

After inauguration of the event, Rear Admiral Pradip Joshi said, "The Festival of Sails is a regatta comprising multiple classes, which gives amateur sailors a chance to gain the experience, which would help to become professionals.

"It's important for every sailor to have an experience of the sea as it teaches them the concept of leadership, teamwork and also discipline."

This year all eyes will be on the Indian yachting legends who will be battling to claim the Navy Commander-in- Chiefs (C-in-C) Cup, the prestigious annual keelboat race, on March 25.

The line up includes ex-World and Asian champions, Arjuna awardees and national champions such as Cmde Surinder Mongia, Farokh Tarapore, Capt Homi Motivala, Nitin Mongia, Cdr R Mahesh and others.

The C-in-C's Cup was re-instated last year thanks to the personal interest of the C-in-C of Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, himself a keen sportsman and yachtsman, the release said