Chennai to Puducherry Regatta to start today

According to the organiser, this will be the first race on the Bay of Bengal that follows the safety standards of World Sailing, the governing body for sailing. Organised by the Royal Madras Yacht Club and the Yacht Association of India, the event will have logistical support from the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy.

“The dual objectives of the event are to promote the sport of sailing and to raise the awareness of marine environment in order to help preserve our oceans and coasts from man-made pollution. A series of such events will be conducted across the year,” said BR Singh, secretary of the Yacht Association of India.

Naval officer Commander Abhilash Tomy, the first Indian to complete a solo, non-stop circumnavigation of the world in a sail boat and two-time winner of the Korea Cup, will participate in the event. Additionally, Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, winner of the Naari Shakti Puraskar and naval officer who captained the women’s team that circumnavigated the globe, will take part.

Four J80 class boats, which are used for offshore sailing, will race from Chennai Port to Puducherry Port and back over four days. Each leg is about 160 kilometres, amounting to 30 hours in total. The event can be viewed online and will be flagged off at the Chennai Port on Thursday at 8 am.