United States of America wins Admiral's Cup Sailing Regatta at Indian Naval Academy
United States of America wins Admiral's Cup Sailing Regatta at Indian Naval Academy
The eighth edition of ‘Admirals Cup’ Sailing Regatta concluded on Thursday, 07 December 2017 at a glittering closing ceremony at Marakkar Watermanship Training Centre (MWTC) on the banks of the picturesque Kavvai backwaters at Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala tonight.
Team United States of America (USA) represented by Midshipman Peter Hogan and Midshipman Brittney Slook lead by Lieutenant Sarah Bull won the Admiral's Cup with their consistent performance across all races. India represented by Cadet Praveen Prabhakar and Cadet Aviral Keshav lead by Lieutenant Ashutosh Sharma were the Runners-Up and Team Australia represented by Sub Lieutanant Alix Peruzzis and Midshipman Bryson Carew lead by Lieutenant Duncan McCowan came third. Midshipman Peter Hogan of USA stood first in the individual position in the men’s category followed by Cadet Praveen Prabhakar of Indian Naval Academy and 2nd Lieutenant Ebrahim Showaiter of Bahrain at second and third positions respectively. Midshipman Brittney Slook of USA stood first in the individual position in women’s category followed by Midshipman Anna Zelazna of Poland and Cadet Desi Sundari of Indonesia at second and third positions respectively.
This edition saw application of Admirals Cup Sailing Regatta promulgated Notice of Racing (NOR) rules resulting in elimination of some teams from being considered for the Admirals Cup trophy as they had brought professional yachtsmen or sailors above the promulgated age. The Protest Committee received unanimous support by all participating teams in this decision, since this Cup was meant to be competed by young under training officers alone. However, these yachtsmen have been permitted to continue competing for medals in the individual open category without prejudice to team positions.
Warrant Officer Pavel Sozykin of Russia stood first in the individual open category followed by Lieutanant Alisa Kiriliuk (female) of Russia at second position. Vice Admiral AR Karve, AVSM, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Southern Naval Command was the chief guest for the closing ceremony. USA and India will be carrying home the replicas of the Admiral's Cup and the Runners-Up trophy.
The azure blue waters of Kavvai backwaters at Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala witnessed competitive sailing races in Laser Radials boats during race days scheduled from 04 December 2017 to 07 December 2017. 58 participants, including six female participants displayed their sailing skills in the Laser Radials whilst in challenging wind and weather conditions as they squeezed every knot out of their boats over the past four days of the race. The event has become very popular since its inception in 2010.
The eighth edition of Admiral’s Cup Sailing Regatta 2017, with 28 competing teams from Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nigeria, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam and two Indian academy teams from INA and National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, has the distinction of having the highest number of participating countries in the world for any military sailing competitive event. The closest was during the 2011 Military World Games held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 26 countries participating during that event.
Vice Admiral AR Karve, AVSM, presented the “Admiral’s Cup”, individual prizes and participatory plaques to the winners and each participant. In his closing address, he underlined the contribution of Admirals Cup Sailing Regatta in building bridges of friendship and as a forum for interaction between future naval leaders of the participating naval academies from around the world. He added that the Indian Navy look forward to even larger participation by maritime nations and Naval Academies in the ninth edition of the ‘Admirals Cup’ Sailing Regatta.
During the last five days, the visiting foreign teams and accompanying officials were involved in various activities apart from competitive racing which included visit to training and sporting facilities located at Indian Naval Academy, archaeological and fitness trek to Mount Dilli and cultural package showcasing India's rich traditions, languages, cultures, dance and art forms. Numerous school students visited Marakkar Watermanship Training Centre (MWTC) to witness and interact with the participating team members and the officers in charges.
The cyclone Ochki and the intensification of a depression over the Arabian Sea resulted in significant erosion of the beach head at Ettikulam Bay - the original venue of the Admirals Cup Regatta every year. Indian Naval Academy overcoming the challenges imposed by cyclone Ochki, conducted the eighth edition of Admiral’s Cup Sailing Regatta entirely at Marakkar Watermanship Training Centre (MWTC) on the banks of the Kavvai backwaters at Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala.
The event culminated in a grand finale with the closing ceremony held in the evening on Thursday 07 December 2017 at Marakkar Watermanship Training Centre (MWTC) on the banks of Kavvai backwaters at Indian Naval Academy (INA), Ezhimala. The participating teams will be departing INA on 08 December 2017 having competed fiercely on the back waters hoping to be back for the ninth edition of the ‘Admirals Cup’ Sailing Regatta 2018.
