First-ever yachting fest for lovers of the sport

Visakhapatnam: Plush yachts would be cruising on the city coast with the first Vizag Yachting Festival all set to kick off from March 28. The festival is being organised by Andhra Pradesh Tourism in association with E Factor. The luxury yachts will be arriving from places like Thailand, West Coast, Chennai and  two from  Mediterranean waters. Speaking about the motive behind holding the event, tourism mi-nister Bhuma Akhila Priya had said, “We ha-ve set ambitious goals to develop Andhra Pradesh as a tourism destination for every kind of tourists, be it the millennial generation traveller seeking an exciting adventure, a family looking for a placid beachside holiday or the retired pensioner on a quest for some soul-searching.”

The yachts will sail through beaches like Rushikonda, R.K. Beach, Totlakonda and Yarada Beach while engaging the onboard guests with activities like swimming, fishing and snorkelling. The routes would be different and so would be the itineraries. For instance, on the first day, the yacht will sail from Festival Dock near RK Beach to Rushikonda. The fleet will sail on the waters of Bay of Bengal during the day and park at The Fishing Harbour in the evening for customised galas with musical performances. One can experience the yacht ride while also enjoying activities including beach picnic, visit to see the sight for the proposed INS Virat, music nights by reputed bands like Indian Ocean and Parikrama at the festival dock.   

One can book a yacht for a day paying Rs 2.5 lakh and be a part of the festival in your own yacht. 12 persons would be allowed. Besides, the cost of ticket for one day is Rs 14,500 or Rs 47,500 for four days. The ticket pass includes on-boarding the yacht for a day, lunch and dinner as per the itinerary and also entry to the evening concerts and Gala. As of now, 14 tickets for the festival have been sold. The money collected from the ticket sales will go towards the benefit of the fishermen community, according to the event organiser.

Meanwhile, the festival has been extended by a day until April 1. It was scheduled to be held from March 28 to 31 for four days. According to the event organiser, E-Factor, eight yachts will be arriving in batches to Vizag by March 29. All the yachts could not be brought together due to logistical problems faced in transport so the festival had to be extended for a day. CM Chandrababu Naidu will flag off the festival on March 29. Two yachts may be stationed permanently in Visakhapatnam if the yachting festival draws a good response. Akhila Priya had said that the department was discussing the proposal to promote yachting in Vizag with Visakhapatnam Port Trust.