Dressed in black Oakleys and with his chic female crew in tow, Jakobsen looked straight out of a Hollywood flick.
While most of the sailors were busy testing their skills, 44-year old Morten Jakobsen was chilling under the coconut trees of Chowpatty. Dressed in black Oakleys and with his chic female crew in tow, Jakobsen looked straight out of a Hollywood flick.
Team Emma Mathilde consists of Ai Li and Su Ann from Malaysia and Apple from Thailand apart from the captain, the Dane himself. Here to participate in the Mumbai International Match Race (MIMR) tournament at the H2O complex, Jakobsen said: “I was hopeless at soccer and always loved yachting. I had to, since Denmark has such a rich tradition in sailing,” said Jakobsen, who is an engineer by profession.
Their team formation was an exciting one. Apple, 39, was one day chatting with a friend on a beach in Thailand when Jakobsen asked her if she could fill up for a missing crew member. Since then they have been together. “I was short of a crew member and I would have taken anybody,” jokes Jakobsen. Apple is a trimmer on board and a video editor by profession.
Su Ann, who hails from Malaysia, wanted to work in Thailand and found her calling in Jakobsen’s crew. “I have been sailing with him for two years and he is a nice man, believe me,” said Ann, 27, a chemical engineer. Ai Li, a friend of Su Ann, is the youngest crew member at 21 and a psychology student from Malaysia. “She is the most fearless crew member among us,” admitted the skipper.
Jakobsen has also been a part of the Scottish national sailing team. He now is a resident of Thailand and represents the country at various events along with Apple. While Jakobsen loves the Victorian architecture of the city and the Colaba Causeway, his younger crew members are totally in love with Indian food.
“Chicken biryani, tikka, chapati, kebabs...they are just amazing” echoed Ann and Li together. For now as a team, Jakobsen isn’t here to win, but has a different take for the tournament. “We have no experience with match racing since there isn’t any circuit back in Thailand. This will give us some exposure to aim.”
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