Nautical dreams come true
58-year-old Sunil Prabhakar will be the first Indian to sail across the world in the Clipper Yacht Race
By : gautam sunder
Update: 2015-08-21 02:17 GMT
Age is just a number — and there may be no better example to epitomise this adage than Chennaiite Sunil Prabhakar, who is aiming to become the first Indian to complete the prestigious ‘Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.’
The 58-year-old businessman from the city will be a crew member of team ‘GREAT Britain’ to take on the world’s longest ocean race, all 40,000 nautical miles of it. In 10 days, Sunil’s odyssey will begin — London, Cape Town, Sydney, Vietnam, China, Seattle and New York are just some of the many cities he will sail across during the course of the next 11 months.
He has been mentored by none other than Commander Dilip Donde, the first Indian to sail solo around the world in 2010, and Sunil is already terming his experience ‘life-changing’. He says, “I’m acquiring skills I never thought I could have. Meeting Dilip was an inspiration and a great motivating factor for me as he went through great hurdles to build a boat, learn to sail and then take his boat around the world successfully alone. Since no Indian had done it before, many people were apprehensive about his ability to complete the mission.”
A novice sailor, Sunil says that maritime adventure had always been a childhood passion. “I grew up reading books about expeditions and people travelling around the world; stories that built up my fascination. I am a member of the Royal Madras Yacht Club in Chennai as well. Recently, I Googled round-the-world sailing and came across the Clipper race! The day I read that there was an opportunity for a common man like me to do such a thing, how could I not be a part of it!” he adds.
And he’s already taken to the strenuous pre-race training routines. “It’s been exciting! I will always remember my first nightwatch with the stars and the Milky Way clearly in view; my time at the helm with a Spinnaker and the boat doing over 13 knots; my first time crossing the English Channel and seeing the lights of coastal France; and my first mast climb. I realised that you need a lot of strength to do simple tasks on the boat — so yes, years of working out at the gym really helped,” Sunil grins.
But where does he find the will power to attempt something like this at his age? “Haha, I will actually turn 60 on the day of the start of the final leg from Den Helder in the Netherlands to London for the finish! The thrill of heading out to sea and facing the challenges that the seas offer is difficult to convey in words — the day I first went out of sight of land was truly an experience. Age really doesn’t matter — in fact that can be seen in so many of the older sailors from the UK, US /Canada etc. They are all fit and able on the boat,” he quips.
Of course, being away from family and friends for almost an entire year has to be challenging, but Sunil’s voyage will be more emotional due to another special reason – “I will become a grandfather during the race and I hope to see my granddaughter when she’s 10 months old at race finish! Honestly though, there is very little time to feel home sick on an ocean-going racing boat. There is always something to do and when you are not working, its sleep time. My wife, sons and daughters- in-law will visit me at some ports as well. I have been dreaming about circumnavigating the world since I was a kid – it’s time to finally realise that dream!”