Two-time optimist sailing national champion Yusef Hazari from Royal College won first place while Taalya Tranchell of Ladies College also bagged first place in the ILCA 4 Class event at the Navy Cup Sailing Regatta off Galle Face in Colombo last week.
 Yusef Hazari |
Binal Perera and Minuga Hettigamage also from Royal College won silver and bronze respectively in the optimist event while Anuda Silva and Omar Hazari also from Royal College won silver and bronze respectively in the ILCA 4 event.
Overall the Navy Sailing Club dominated the championship in many events and took away the Admiral Clancy Fernando Memorial Trophy as champions as challenging weather conditions and choppy waters posed many an additional challenge to the competitors according to the organizers.
The championship attracted over 70 contestants both male and female along with 48 sailing boats. Navy Sailing Club, Royal College, S. Thomas’ College, Ladies College, Methodist College, Bentota Windsurfing Club, Ceylon Motor Yacht Club, Future Fibres, Royal Colombo Yacht Club and Rhunu Sailing Clubs were among the teams in the fray.
In the ILCA 6 Class, Petty Officer PDDS Rajapakse from the Navy clinched the gold medal while Jehan de Silva from the Ceylon Motor Yacht Club, won silver and Leading Seaman KC de Silva also representing the Navy won the bronze medal.
In the ILCA 7 Class, Leading Seaman JS Senevirathne, Leading Infantryman UD Rajapakse and Chief Petty Officer KGCUS Bandara won gold, silver and bronze respectively.
In the Wind Surfing Category, Leading Seaman KPP Gunawardena was placed first while Chaminda Silva came in a close second and Petty Officer WAS Weerathunga took third place.
In the Enterprise event Navy’s Leading Seaman AMTP Attanayake and Leading Seaman KSK de Silva won gold while Leading Infantryman JHMPI Jayapadma and Able Seaman JSIK Senrath took silver and Chief Petty Officer JHTC Appuhamy and Leading Seaman KVN Kithsiri won bronze.
In the same vein, Fleet Chief Petty Officer JMPL Jayasooriya and Leading Seaman A.SK de Soyza (gold medal), Leading Seaman SPPN Kumara and Able Seaman L.ACM Gunathilaka (silver medal) and Leading Seaman WADR Kumara and Leading Mechanical Engineering JPS de Silva (bronze medal) won all three places in the GP 14 event.
Chief Petty Officer KGCUS Bandara, Leading Seaman JS Seneviratne and Leading Infantryman UD Rajapakse won the gold, silver and bronze in the Single Handed Open Championship.
In the Double Handed Open Championship (Enterprise Class), Fleet Chief Petty Officer JMPL Jayasooriya and Leading Seaman ASK de Soyza sailed away with gold while Leading Infantryman JHMPI Jayapadma and Able Seaman JSIK Senevirathne won silver with Leading Seaman AMJP Attanayake and Leading Seaman KSK de Silva winning bronze.