46 young sailors in fray for Optimist sailing nationals

Chennai, May 4 (UNI) Forty six sailors from all over the country will be vying for top honours in the National Optimist Coastal Sailing Championships to be held in the waters of the Bay of Bengal off Chennai Port here from tomorrow.

Addressing a press conference here Principal Race Officer Lt Col K Srinivas from EME, Shillong, who would officiate the week-long event, said Royal Bombay Yacht Club, Indian Natonal Watermanship Training Centre, Corps of Engineers Sailing Club, Goa Yatching Association, National Sailing School-Bhopal, Royal Madras Yacht Club-Chennai and Tamil Nadu Sailing Association-Chennai, would be the leading Clubs in fray. The competitors are in the age group of 15 and under.

Seven winners, five boys and two girls, in this championships would be selected to represent India in the Asian Sailing Championships to be held in Singapore in July this year, he said.

Arjuna Awardee, veteran sailor C S Pradipak, who is also an international jurist, would officiate as the Jury and Protest Committee Chairman.

Pradipak, it may be recalled, had won the World Masters Gold, a Gold in the Asian Regatta championships and a Bronze in the Asian Games during his career.

UNI