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Little
sailors
With more and more
youngsters getting on board, the snooty image of yachting takes a beating
By Robin
Abreu
Most
concrete-trapped Mumbaikars would always gripe about the lack of
opportunities for outdoor frolicking. Their distressing options: a weary
visit to a stall-lined beach, a walk down a concave seaside road, putting
bat on ball in a grubby park, a post-midnight drive. And except for stray
motorboats or Elephanta joyrides, the huge sea of open-air possibilities
was also wasted. But now, airy alternatives are emerging -- after
mid-ocean bacchanalia, the latest kick on the waterfront this year is
yachting.
Visit the Colaba Yacht Club or the Naval Sailing Club on a Sunday and the
place is swarming with kids
and teenagers happily learning the intricacies of single-hull sailing.
What was once considered a sport of the champagne and caviar lot has
become a favourite pastime for the city's bored-without-adventure youth.
Says 11-year-old Anthony Fernandes, who wants to grow up to be a sailor
like his dad: "This way I get to respect the sea and learn about it.
How else does one get this opportunity?" And 12-year-old Reshma Shah,
the latest water baby, gives
her own reasons:
"I never had any access to a swimming pool and this is the nearest I
can get."
Frontline yachtsmen Kelly Rao and
Farokh Tarapore had sparked off general interest in the sport when they
won the Asian Games gold medal in 1994 ... apart from topping in a host of
other championships. But the elitist, rich 'n' famous image of yachting
actually took a beating in1998 when the Yachting Association of India made
coaching classes by professionals free of cost -- a policy also adopted by
all other clubs. Yatching's increasing accessibility has also had other
benefits: it has helped youngters like 14-year-old Nalini Kumar overcome
their hydrophobia.
Now students from as far as Goa, Chennai, Gujarat and even Haryana are
coming to the 10 yachting clubs in Mumbai to get seduced by the sails. And
what was an initial entry of a mere five students per club has flooded to
over 50 for a standard three-week course. The life jackets are also
provided by the clubs -- the only thing the school kids
have to invest in are a pair of rubber-soled tennis shoes. And
college students only require to shell out a modest annual fee Rs 100 to
keep up their sailing. Rabi Ahuja, secretary of the Sea Cadet Corp, feels
yachting also contributes to the child's development. "It gives you
confidence and teaches you strategy. That's the best training you can give
to your child."
For a nation addicted to cricket, the
caught-by-the-yacht syndrome comes as a surprise.This is one summer
sail not many youngsters want to miss. Ahoy, ahoy.
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