Members of RMYC sailing a J/80 sailboat
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
“Boat number three!” yells Roshni Anand, executive secretary, Royal Madras Yacht Club (RMYC).I line up in front of the club with five other people, all slipping on green life jackets. Dark clouds loom in the sky, and a strong downpour has just paused. My first sailing experience, which is almost cancelled because of the weather, finally begins. It feels like a stroke of beginner’s luck.Nested in Chennai Port Harbour, in the heart of the city, the Royal Madras Yacht Club was established in 1911 and is popularly known as the first sailing club in South India.A small boat takes us out into the waters, where a J/80 sailboat — sturdy and French-built — awaits, with its mighty sail bearing the letters ‘RMYC’. There, Captain Vivek Shanbag helps us aboard. An airline pilot by profession and a sailor by passion, Vivek, the secretary of RMYC, has been sailing with the club for the past 20 years.“The front of the boat is called 12 o’clock, the back is 6 o’clock, and the right and left are 3 and 9 o’clock,” Vivek begins, giving us directions and introducing us to the vocabulary of sailing. “The left side is called the port side, while the right is called the starboard side,” he adds.We are participating in RMYC’s leisure sailing programme, where more than 50 people have gathered to experience sailing. “Children as young as seven to adults up to the age of 93 have sailed with us. People enjoy being out at sea,” says Vivek. Over the past year, the club launched moonlight sailing, says Ram Kumar, a member of RMYC for more than 40 years. “We start sailing at 5.30pm and wind up by 7.30pm. On a clear night you get to see the moon and stars. That is a very lovely experience,” he adds.
