Kerala - Kochi   

All set for yachting championship

KOCHI: Kerala Yachting Association (KYA) which managed to put the State on the yachting events map of the country will participate in the National Inland Enterprises Competitions at the National Defence Academy, Pune, between June 2 and 7.

Five teams of two participants each — including an all women’s team, will represent KYA at the competition. Roshin Jolly, 22, a third year student of Information Technology in Coimbatore and Hema Mhatre, 25, from Mumbai will make up the women’s team.

This is the first time that an all-women team is participating from Kerala and that Praga Marine Private Limited, a boat and yacht building company, has come forward to sponsor the team.

KYA which came into existence in 2005 has drawn up ambitious plans for itself in the coming years.

One such plan is to conduct the Offshore Sailing Competition 2009.

Establishing a sailing academy is another of the plans.

While the Yachting Association sees the lack of availability of suitable land for the Academy as a stumbling block, it seeks help from the Cochin Port Trust and Kerala Government to overcome this problem.

The recent interest generated by Kochi stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race is a good development and KYA will play its assigned role in making it a success, said the Secretary of the Association Jolly Thomas.

KYA is proud of its activities over the last three years, he said. Organising the Offshore Regatta Championship in the Arabian Sea from Kochi to Arthungal and back in October 2005 was a significant development.

More recently, KYA participated in the National Ocean Racing Competition, organised by Offshore Sailing Association of India (OSA (I) between Kochi and Lakswadeep.

Mr. Jolly said that although KYA participated in the event with an outdated Seabird Class Boat, it came out winners in the second leg of the race between Lakshwadeep and Kochi.

It was a proud moment for KYA because the exclusive civilian team was pitted against the more experienced services personnel, said Mr. Jolly.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

When a dream came true for Geetha
All set for yachting championship
Focus on tree-counting, garbage-free city
LDF government flayed
Nod for tourism projects worth Rs. 18. 41 crore
Local bodies told to carry out sanitation works
BJP march
Unite, trade unions told
Kochi Today

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu