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The sailor

Sailing is a sport for the rich, and a career for many, says Ayesha K Lobo, captain of India's all-women sailing team.

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My journey as a sailor began when I was 11, when my dad’s friend took me sailing for the first time. We went on a boat called the Lighting; I was taken in by the whole atmosphere of the wind in my hair, water spraying on my face and the feeling of complete freedom out on the water. The next day I made my dad enroll me in the sailing class.

I sailed the optimist class of boat, (meant for kids in the age group of 8-10) for two years and once my instructors thought I was ready, they introduced me to the competitive world. I had a hard time initially but as the years went by, I got better with every championship. After that, I sailed the Laser radial, 420, Hobie, 29ner, J24 (match racing), Enterprise, etc; and in every championship I participated, I won a medal.

As an instructor one needs dedicated training especially since one has to impart knowledge to the novices in this. I have been racing in India and for India for the past eight years and been training my women’s teams for three years, so instructor training has helped me get my basics right. The training I did was the YAI instructor-training course, which teaches you how to conduct theory classes and practical classes.

Being a career in water sports, any change in climate or weather is always an issue. But doing something you love and getting paid for it is always fun. My day begins with a sunrise sail into the open waters and it ends with a peaceful sunset sail with a variety of people on board. Sailing as a career has a good output, the pay package can be anywhere from Rs 40,000 - 40,00,000 a month it all depends on what your company pricing is and marketing.

Aspiring sailors should first work to see how things are, learn the trades of the field properly, get your acts in order then only start something of their own. Working in a sailing company can be fun and boring at the same time. It is a great sport to get into and though you might get a little tanned, it is totally worth it.

As told to Patricia Mascarenhas

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