TN win the optimist coastal national championship

Mumbai, May 7 (UNI) On a day of light winds and a steadily incoming tide, it was Tamil Nadu's turn to grab the top position in the last race of the Optimist Coastal National Championships being sailed in the waters of the Mumbai Harbour off Colaba, here today.

Hussain Bhavnagarwala of the Tamil Nadu Sailing Association (TNSA) took the left side on the second beat, used the tide to his advantage to jump into the lead at the second windward rounding, and held his position till the end, while his teammate took fourth place.

TNSA would have done even better, had Praveen Dhanasekharan, who was third at the finish line, not been disqualified by the jury because he made contact with a mark and did not exonerate himself by doing a 360-degree penalty turn.

Krish Makhija of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club (RBYC), who was leading at the first windward rounding, came second and since Prayag Dave of the Sea Cadet Corps (SCC), who finished fourth, was also disqualified for making contact with the committee boat at the finish line without doing a penalty, Renuka Bhosekar (SCC) was awarded third place. Nishant Chandrashekhar (TNSA) was fourth and Unnati Phutane (SCC) was fifth.

The last race churned the overall positions too, as Krish Makhija and Viraf Heerjee (both RBYC) jumped over Pratik Angre and Prayag Dave (both SCC) to take third and fourth positions. Also Ayesha Lobo of Colaba Sailing Club (CSC), managed to stay four places ahead of Tricia Silveira of Goa Yachting Association (GYA), to take the top girl's spot. Shweta Sadanandan (TNSA) was the top under-12 sailor, followed by Sheldon D'Mello (GYA).

Final standings: (1) Xerxes Bamboat 19 (RBYC), (2) Alok Dhangare 49 (SCC), (3) Krish Makhija 61 (RBYC), (4) Viraf Heerjee 74 (RBYC), (5) Pratik Angre 75 (SCC), (6) Prayag Dave 76 (SCC), (7) Aniket Pednekar 87 (SCC), (8) Ayesha Lobo 88 (CSC), (9) Tricia Silveira 90 (GYA), (10) Gaurav Pikale 92 (CSC).

Girls: (1) Ayesha Lobo (CSC), (2) Tricia Silveira (GYA), (3) Unnati Phutane (SCC) Girls U-12: (1) Shweta Sadanandan (TNSA), (2) Sheldon D'Mello (GYA), (3) Nivedita Ravivarman (TNSA).

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