Chirandeep makes regatta debut with resounding win

Hyderabad: The Republic Day Regatta 2021 was off to a colourful start at the Hussain Sagar Lake here on Monday. The five-day regatta in the city of Yacht Club of Hyderabad happens to be the first regatta in the Sailing calendar of India and the largest ever in the Junior and Sub Junior categories.

The wind conditions on Day One continued to be poor but the Race Officer Gautham Kankatla managed to squeeze in one race for the Sub Junior Green Fleet and Chirandeep Perelli of St.Patricks led the race from start to finish to clinch a scintillating win on his debut regatta. He was closely followed by Daniel Israel of Valerian Grammar High School and Jampanna Arapu of Balamrai Govt School.

Moutameen Mohammad of Udbhav School Rasoolpura, who was the winner in all the races at the recently concluded training session, had a bad last leg and finished 4th overall after languishing behind Chirandeep in second position for most of the race before being outplayed at the dying minutes of the race by Daniel and Jampanna who managed to catch a gust of wind he missed.

A colourful fleet of 42 sailors had to paddle back to the Yacht Club of Hyderabad under dead wind conditions.

"We expect better conditions as per the met office in the next few days and the regatta has been extended till January 29 to ensure a few more races" said Suheim Sheikh the Founder President of the Yacht Club of Hyderabad.