Date:20/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/20/stories/2008052060351900.htm

Sport - Sailing

TNSA 1 takes team championship

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: TNSA 1 triumphed in the team championship on the third day of the DP World Chennai National Optimist Coastal Sailing Championships. After a long day of sailing comprising nine league races and the semifinals, TNSA 1, captained by Hussain Bhavnagarwala, overcame TNSA 2 in the best-of-three final to claim gold. NSS 1 defeated CESC in the play-off for bronze.

Earlier on Monday, the race committee, faced with a blistering sun and no wind, delayed the start of the league phase by an hour. The course, triangular instead of trapezoid, was shorter than the one used for individual events.

The first league race was held in four-knot winds. The second race had to be abandoned after the wind dropped. The strong current added to the sailors’ difficulty. Fortunately, the sea breeze set in earlier than usual and a gentle breeze of five to six knots started blowing from the east at about 12.45 p.m.

The wind swung to the south east during the day, picking up to about 10 knots, much to the relief of the sailors and the organisers.

In the round-robin league races, NSS 1 finished first in the top draw without suffering a reverse. TNSA 2 came second with 2 wins. In the bottom draw, TNSA 1 finished ahead of CESC. TNSA 1 and TNSA 2 won their semifinal encounters, setting up the title clash.

The results: Gold: TNSA 1 (Hussain Bhavnagarwala – Capt., Nishanth Chandrashekar, Varun Thakkar, K.C. Ganapathy, Rufus Patrick); Silver: TNSA 2 (Shwetha Sadanand – Capt., Niveditha Ravivarman, Varsha Gautham, Tanmay Shankar); Bronze: NSS 1 (Aman Vyas – Capt., Sidra Sabir, Ajay Singh, Sachin Singha).