Not yet 19, Vishnu Saravanan was outstanding in the Laser Radial section of the Hyderabad Sailing Week.
The tall yachtsman, representing Trishna Sailing Club (TSC), Bengaluru, claimed half of the dozen-race series to clinch the crown in a 58-member fleet, by far the largest in the annual championship, at the Hussain Sagar on Friday.
Behind him in the overall standings was Sharif Khan of the Army Yachting Node (AYN), who got the gun no less than four times.
The sun returned to duty, albeit briefly, when the penultimate race commenced but did the vanishing trick well before it was completed. Completing the three inner loops served as a survival test for the fittest, the three runs providing brief respite from as many upwind legs.
If this was not gruelling enough, the competitors needed to get around two gybe marks, the vicinity of which is often the graveyard of capsized craft, the manoeuvre involved is definitely not for the poorly-trained.
The skill to skid ahead of the opposition was seen in seasoned hand Sharif Khan.
Not in the top five at the first windward mark, he was fourth when the orange inflatable was circled for the second time. By the last loop, he had cruised to the fore. When the top five set out on the reach, the seventh leg of the trapezoid track, Sharif was in complete command.
There was no trace of the back and knee problems he was battling as his stern skimmed the slimy lake’s surface. After all, this reservoir was the nursery where he’d learned the ropes. By the time he’d reached the second mark, he’d separated himself from the rest of the pack, A. Srinu, placed second then, a good 20 boat lengths behind.
Series winner Saravanan advanced by the third mark but was still about 10 boat lengths behind when Sharif heard the welcoming toot of the hooter. The AYN sailor was equally authoritative in the earlier race, where he brooked no competition either.
The results: Laser Radial: X: 1. Sharif Khan (AYN); 2. Vishnu Saravanan (TSC); 3. Harpreet Singh (AYN).
XI: 1. Sharif Khan; 2. Vishnu Saravanan; 3. B. Nookaraju (AYN).
XII: 1. Harpreet Singh; 2. Sharif Khan; 3. Sachin Singha (EMESA).
