The Hindu : Sport / Sailing : Monsoon Regatta from today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 12, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport - Sailing

Monsoon Regatta from today

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The multi-class Monsoon Regatta will be held at the Hussain Sagar here from August 12 to 16. The three fleets in the fray will be the Optimist, the Hobie 16 and the J-24, the last-named for match racing.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Event Director Suheim Sheikh said there were 35 entries for the Optimist class, 16 for the Hobiecat and 14 for match racing. Four J-24 boats were moved from Mumbai, while the Hobiecats were brought from Visakhapatnam.

He said the focus would be on the Optimist, sailed mostly by beginners and children, with a view to increase their participation in the sport. The EME Sailing Association will conduct races in this class, set to get underway on Friday.

It will be for the first time that the Hobiecat will be sailed inland, since the double-hull, sail craft plies mostly in the sea. It remains to be seen how the winds, so vital to power large craft such as the Hobiecat or the J-24, hold over the course of the five-day meet.

Famous sailors who will take to the water include Commander R. Mahesh, siblings Nitin and Ashim Mongia, Farokh Tarapore. The event’s objective will be to protect the lake from degradation.

Hosting the event are the Secunderabad Club, the Artillery Water Sports Association, EME Sailing Association and the Yacht Club of Hyderabad with support from the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP), the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC), the Buddha Purnima Project Authority (BPPA), the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and the Hyderabad 10K Run.

Famous sailors, who will be felicitated during the meet are Lt. Gen. (Retd.) K.S. Rao, who was skipper of Trishna, that circumnavigated the world on an Indian Army expedition, Rajesh Choudhary, P.S. Madhu, C.S. Pradipak and Commodore (Retd.) S.K. Mongia.

As Marriot Hotel General Manager Ty Collins put it, “It has been an auspicious start with sprinkles of rain on Tuesday morning.” One hopes the good luck continues.

Sponsors of the event are Seagrams, Kingfisher, DBS Cholamandalam, Mitsubishi and the Hyderabad 10 K Run.

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

Sport