Sport - Sailing

Good show by Bhavnagarvala

CHENNAI: The second day of the DP World Chennai National Optimist Coastal Sailing championship witnessed some good contests.

The wind started from the east during the first race and gradually shifted southwards. The race committee had to shift the marks to align the course with the shifting wind.

Swells of four to five feet with a bit of chop and a current flowing down to the northeast did not make the task of the young sailors any easier.

Hussain Bhavnagarvala of TNSA sailed a focused fourth race rounding the first mark ahead of the fleet to get the gun. Varsha, who was the under 10 champion at the last National in Bhopal, thrived in the conditions, finishing ahead of many of her senior compatriots.

Niveditha Verman, winner of the Southern Regional Optimist Championship held in October last year, still leads the table for the girls.

Shwetha Sadanand, who won the recently concluded Laser 4.7 girls category, has found the wind too light but is still in a position for the third place among the girl sailors.

Bhavnagarvala came back in the sixth race to finish first and climb to the top of the table. Aman Vyas is second while Praveen Prabhakar is a further six points behind with 23.

The results: Race 4: 1. Hussain Bhavnagarvala (TNSA), 2. Varsha Gautam (TNSA), 3. Aman Vyas (NSS Bhopal), 4. Niveditha Varman (TNSA), 5. Varun Thakkar (TNSA).

Race 5: 1. Rufus K Patrick (TNSA), 2. Praveen Prabhakar (TNSA), 3. Ganapathy (TNSA), 4. Hussain Bhavnagarvala (TNSA), 5. Nishanth Chandrashekar (TNSA).

Race 6: 1. Hussain, 2. Varun Thakkar (TNSA), 3. Praveen Prabhakar, 4. Aman Vyas (NSS Bhopal), 5. Nishanth Chandrashekar (TNSA).

Positions at the end of the day: 1. Hussain Bhavnagarvala (14 TNSA), Aman Vyas (17 NSS Bhopal), Praveen Prabhakar (23 TNSA), Varun Thakkar (25 TNSA), Rufus (34 TNSA).

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