Chennai: Navyn Prabhakar and R Neelanand, sailing duo from Chennai, representing the Tamilnadu Sailing Association clinched the International Regatta title, in the 420 class, held in Chennai Harbour on Saturday.
The win came as a double treat for the duo as they have also won the Nationals in the same category last month. In the International Regatta they won 8 out of the 12 races and topped the charts, marching towards victory.
Speaking to News today after the win, 15-year-old Neelanand said: “We did not expect to clinch the title, really happy with the way we have played and this win gives us confidence for the future events.” It is to be noted that both Neel and Navyn have participated only in Optimist category in Regattas before and only a few months before the tournament they decided to try their hands in 420 class category.
About the difference between 420 class and Optimist class, Neelanand said, “In the 420 class we need to sail in a much bigger boat compared to the Optimist category and the boat must be handled by two sailors.” So how did Neel and Navyn decide to pair up? “We knew each other from the time even before we took up sailing as we studied in the same school. In sailing, right from the start, we were competitors. We also have a common goal to represent India in International events like Asian Games and Olympics, so when we were no longer eligible to race in the Under-15 category, we decided to team up in the 420 class as this category will help us participate in many international events,” said Navyn Prabhakar.
They started their training for the 420 class two months prior to the National and International regatta. They struggled initially without any proper trainer to help them. It was only a month ago that Navyn’s brother Pravyn decided to help them out. “Pravyn is already an experienced sailor in the 420 class and his valuable inputs helped us to learn the basics right and we were able to get the coordination between us right. Our main challenge was in controlling the boat since we are a bit light-weighted for the boat but with good guidance, we worked really hard and that helped us win,” says Navyn.
Apart from controlling the boat they also faced tough competition racing in the Under- 18 category for the first time. ‘We had to compete against seniors who are much more experienced. In the trials, we were defeated easily by them but the co-ordination between us clicked during the main event and that helped us a lot,’ said Neelanand.
The duo is currently preparing for the next International Regatta to be held in Hong Kong during February. Having won the International Regatta, the duo have now qualified for the World Championship to be held in Poland in July. When asked whether Pravyn can continue as their trainer, Navyn said “My brother has joined the Navy and he won’t be available to train us for the next event, so probably we had to get another trainer or we have to go out and train. We are yet to decide on that.”
With an ultimate dream to participate in the Olympics, representing the country, the 15-year old TN boys are all set to sail into much bigger challenges.