GIIRA YACHTS - India's First Yacht Blog: The Vasco Da Gama Yacht Rally : Forts of India

IT'S HERE AGAIN...

The prestigious bi-annual regatta is back! With more sailboats, more sailors and more spirit!!

The RUN down to Goa from Mumbai, with a spectacular overnight stopover at Jaigarh - THE ORBIT FORTS OF INDIA REGATTA - is the Last Leg of the World-renowned multi-class Vasco Da Gama Yacht Rally.

The Vasco Da Gama Yacht Rally is a 4500 Nautical Miles endeavour that starts from Kekova (Turkey) and commences at the Holiday Haven of Goa. Attracting more than a 100 boats of various classes and 250 sailors, the race is a visual treat for its participants - charting the most beautiful coastlines of the best seas of the world.

THE VASCO DA GAMA YACHT RALLY

The Vasco Da Gama Yacht Rally, is a regatta with a social purpose - it aims to break boundaries and set new benchmarks for everyone involved, by touching them on a personal front and bringing-out the sailor in them.

A completely non-profit endeavor, the rally puts full onus on the sailors' navigational and safety skills, by putting those responsibilities in their hands.

The purpose of the Rally is :-

1) To make an international chain of friendship, understanding, dialogue and co-operation amongst yachtsmen and the communities of host countries.

2) To promote an openess between the yachting community and the countries we visit.

3) To enjoy sailing as a way of life; combining pleasure, comfort and experience, without incurring great costs.

During the Rally :-

1) Sailors will share the experiences of interesting excursions to see some of the greatest sights in the world. (Piramides, Cairo, Luxor, Sinai, Petra….)

2) The open character of the rally makes it possible for each yacht to make their own way at any point.

The Rally provides an opportunity to experience :-

1) Spending a winter in a region with excellent weather conditions (no rain or storms).

2) Swimming, snorkelling or diving on wonderful coral reefs.

3) Fishing and enjoying the fun of catching big fishes.

ORBIT FESTIVAL OF SAILS

The Orbit Festival of Sails 2008 is being conducted from 12 – 17 Apr 2008.

The Festival this year consists of two main sailing events - a multi-class regatta on 12 Apr in Mumbai and the Forts of India Cup which is a sailing race from Mumbai to Goa. The Festival of Sail 2008 is being promoted by the Orbit Corporation Ltd.

It is anticipated that over 100 sailing boats and around 250 sailors will participate in this event.

It is a sailing race from Mumbai to Goa in yachts having a minimum length of 19 feet.

The race is in two legs :-

LEG 1 - Mumbai to Jaigarh

LEG 2 - Jaigarh to Goa

The race will culminate off Fort Aguada in Goa.

This international offshore race was conceived and introduced last year by Marine Solutions, in its sincere effort to promote the yachting lifestyle in India and this is the second edition of this race.

SPECTACULAR AND SPONTANEOUS

The race culminates passing through some of the finest seas of the world - Eastern Meditterenean, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

The route to Goa will see the sailors sampling the visual treat of the splendid Konkan coast, replete with historical forts, islands and virgin beaches. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) have thrown in their mite to show case this golden heritage and have facilitated a two day halt for the yachts at Jaigarh jetty. The participants will spend their time there at the lovely Ganapatipule beach resort before sailing for Goa. The foreign yachts will sail on later to Cochin where they will shelter for the duration of the monsoons.

THUS THEY SPOKE

General S. Dutta, Marine Solutions - "We also want to highlight to the Governments of Maharashtra and Goa that there is a crying need to develop proper yachting infrastructure like marinas in order to realise the tremendous potential of the coastline of India as an international yachting destination."

Gautama Dutta, Marine Solutions - "What is exciting for the yachting community in India is that we are going to see some big boats in some big time action on the high seas."

Pujit Agarwal, Orbit Corporation Ltd - "The Orbit Festival of Sails 2008 will introduce the Indian audience to the joys of adventure at sea and familiarize them to the world of yachts and yachting, a leisure sport that has the potential of being enjoyed by many more sea loving, sporty people. This event will give a huge boost to the nascent leisure boating industry in India"

Watch this space for live updates and results...BUT at the end of the day...there is only one true winner...the Indian Yachting Industry!