The stage is set! Hawaii Beach in Dona
Paula has been finalised as the playing ground for the ultimate showdown. 40
windsurfers from across the country have registered for the Board Sailing
Nationals in a bid to outperform other contenders and walk away with the title
in this less-popular sport in India. Retired Colonel Milind Prabhu, Secretary,
Goa Yachting Association, says, “By conducting such events, we are trying to
popularize the sport. Despite having a beautiful coastline, Goa has still not
made the most of the ‘natural infrastructure’ that is required to develop this
extreme sport. In the past, Goa has hosted some world class sailing
championships. According to international windsurfers, Goa is one of the best
places where windsurfing can be developed on a global scale.”
Retired Colonel Prabhu highlights a few
points, adding to his comments on the sport in Goa, “This is one sport that can
attract a large number of international tourists. The world-famous Volvo Ocean
Race had shown an interest in making Goa one of their stops. Unfortunately it
did not materialise. If they had made a stop in Goa, all the international
sailing traffic would have been diverted there. For any sport to grow, it
requires support from the governmental bodies in its initial stages. It has to
reach the threshold level, after which the private investors can come into the
picture. One of the major problems faced by potential windsurfers in Goa, is
the equipment. If the government takes care of just the equipment, we will see
a lot of interested candidates lining up for training.
Donald Coelho, the newly elected Secretary
of the Board Sailing Association of India has 20 years of windsurfing under his
belt. Coelho feels that windsurfing has seen tremendous growth in India in the
past six years and tournaments like these will spread the awareness required to
popularise the sport.
Another local, Remy Fernandes from Dona
Paula has been surfing since 1988. Remy says, “Back then, we did not have
proper equipment to surf. We made use of old boats, make our own booms out of
water pipes and drew the adrenaline rush. Now, with international quality
equipment available, more people should participate in this sport.” A fitness
conscious Remy won’t be participating this year as he feels he is not fit
enough for the nationals, however, he has trained both his daughters, aged 12
and 14 and prepped them for the tournament just in time.
