Young sailors and sailing enthusiasts from the city took to the water and made most of the beautiful Sunday morning at the third edition of Bart’s Bash, a global sailing race organised by the Secunderabad Sailing Club, in alliance with EME Sailing Association.
Bart’s Bash is the flagship annual event of the Andrew Simpson Foundation, U.K., which was founded in 2014, and is aimed at promoting sailing across the world. The event, which was verified by Guinness World Records as ‘The Largest Sailing Race in the World’, had as many as 80 sailors taking part in races across different categories.
Pranoy Chouhan
Making waves
Sharing details about the event, Pranoy Chouhan, (Honorary) Secretary Sailing, Secunderabad Club, states, “The event is aimed at increasing awareness about sailing and at encouraging more people to taking up the sport. Bart’s Bash is a fun event, which is an apt opportunity not only for sailing enthusiasts to get introduced to the sport, but also for passionate sailors to hone their skills. But what’s really heartening is to see is the sailors’ turnout increasing with each year.”
Arjun Pradipak, ‘Commodore’ at the Secunderabad Sailing Club, adds, “The Secunderabad Sailing Club is one of the oldest sailing clubs in India. The Bart’s Bash sailing race has more than 10,000 people sailing in over 80 countries. And this event brings our own sailors an opportunity to prove their mettle.”
A life aquatic
The event not only had organisers expressing their delight at the sailors’ turnout, but also participants having a lot of fun.
The 22-year-old Tarun Bhatia, one of the participants, believes there’s a lot of strategy that goes into the eco-friendly sport. And while he thinks the sport brings one very close to nature, it also teaches discipline and how to compete with people.
Speaking to us about his experiences at the race, and with sailing in particular, he says, “The sport is slowly growing in Hyderabad, and it’s always great to see new sailors coming in to participate here. As for me, my father and brother are National level sailors, and I’ve been sailing since I was seven years old. Though I started the sport as a hobby, I grew fascinated with the sport over the years.”
For 14-year-old Vatsal Banker who has been sailing for the last three years, this sport is all about fun. “Races like these will be an ideal platform to draw attention of young sailing enthusiasts like me. I love the sport as it gives me the opportunity to unwind, and at the same time, improve my concentration levels personally,” says Vatsal, signing off.
