India is not a place often associated with match racing or even sailing for that matter; so to have a chance to compete in the Mumbai International Match Race Regatta was an opportunity not to be missed. The regatta, hosted by the Match Racing Association of India, was a grade 2 event attracting teams from 5 continents. Sailed on the waters of Chowpatty Bay in the world’s second largest city, the event was as much a cultural experience as it was a competitive event.

We knew as soon as we got off the plane that sailing in this event was going to be an unforgettable experience. From the 2 hour wait at customs for our Visa’s, the taxi ride to the hotel through the Mumbai traffic, to our first training day on the water in the heat and smog. It was all a sensory overload with the guys taking in as much of the culture and atmosphere of the location as we could. 

The event was sailed on the navy’s fleet of six J24 yachts and supported by the 5 star Trident Hotel which hosted the international teams in style. The Mumbai heat, although tough on the teams, made for ideal sailing conditions with a guaranteed breeze both morning and afternoon. This meant a full programme of round robin, super six round robin, semis and finals was able to be completed in the 4 days of racing.  

The whole team came together for this regatta hot off the back of competing individually in the Asian Match Racing Championships. We were feeling confident and ready to hit the ground running in Mumbai and wanted to finish off the last few regattas of the year on a high. We sailed consistently in the early stages and finished the round robin without losing a race. We were starting well and even when we did find ourselves behind, sailed smart, kept it close and were able to make the pass when opportunities arose. Our only loss of the regatta came in the super six round robin against the young Brazilian team. They managed to pull off an impressive move right on the finish line to clear an outstanding penalty and cross the finish line barely metres ahead. 

The last day of the regatta was reserved for semis and final’s racing. We were paired with local hero Farokh Tarapore in our semifinal which was a first to 2 point round. The races were extremely close in light tricky conditions; however smart sailing meant we were able to etch out small advantages around the track to win our semi final 2-0. The Brazilian team also won their semifinal 2-0 to put them into the final as well. They were sailing the boats extremely well with good boat speed around the course so we knew they were going to be tough competition. Unfortunately, as often happens, the wind had to play its part to add to the drama and completely shut down in the late morning heat. The locals were wise to it though and smartly sent us ashore to await the expected sea breeze to develop in a couple of hours’ time. 

As if on cue, at around 2pm the breeze shifted offshore and a perfect 8 -10 knot sea breeze built throughout the afternoon giving us ideal conditions for the first to 3 point final. As expected the Brazilian team gave us extremely close racing, with several lead changes and penalties in every race. Our experience showed through though and we were able to seal our victory in 3 straight races by being patient and taking our opportunities when they arose.

We were naturally thrilled to come away from this regatta with a win, but equally happy to take some truly unique experiences away with us also. India is an amazing place to visit, the traffic, the people and the conditions were all distinctive and won’t soon be forgotten. Although sailing is still a developing sport in the subcontinent there is no reason that with the right backing and infrastructure, India can’t regularly host world class regattas in the future.

A big thank you to the people who have supported us to be able to compete in this event, without your help none of this is possible. Also thanks to our friends and family who have stuck by us throughout the year.