The Navy Cup is a sailing regatta held annually in Sri Lanka. Usually this cup is held in either Bolgoda Lake, or in Mirissa. However this year, with extended support from the Navy in organizing the event, the cup was held at Galle Face Beach, right in front of the Shangri-La. At this venue the event was massive, with coverage on News 1st. This cup was also in memoriam of Admiral Clancy Fernando, who died right there on Galle Face Beach in a bombing during the war in Sri Lanka.
Aerial of Galle Face Beach (Photo From Navy)
Galle Face Beach
The event was held over 2 days, with 2 races on the first day, and another 2 on the second day. The races were divided into the different boat classes, with Optimist, Laser Standard, Laser 4.7, Laser Radial, GP 14 and Enterprise. I participated in the Laser 4.7 class.
Day 1
Day 1 started early, and I went to Galle Face Beach at around 9:00 AM. I had to go and rig my boat, which is why I went early. The rigging took around an hour and a half, as since the boat was just transported there was a lot of rigging to do. After rigging we were told that the we should launch at around 1, as this was the middle of the heatwave so we had to go a bit later in the afternoon. We were going to have 2 long races today.
Launching into the ocean
The first race of the day didn’t go well, as at the start line there was a big collision. Due to this my entire first race was ruined and I came in 7th. However, the 2nd race went much better and I came in 3rd place. Because of this good race I would consider that the day went well, as in sailing your first race is discarded, so if I could keep that race as my worst, it wouldn’t be too bad.
The start line
In the middle of a race
Day 2
Day 2 I got to Galle Face Beach at around 11:00, and we again started sailing another 2 long races at 1:00. These races went okay for me, even though they were both very close. I came in 4th in both races, which means that overall in the cup I came in 4th. It was a very close competition for the top 5, and I was trying hard to get the third place, however even though I didn’t I am still happy with my result.
In the middle of the race
The day ended with the closing ceremony, where prizes were awarded, and then we derigged our boats and got them ready to be transported back to Bolgoda lake.
Learning Outcomes
During this cup, it relates to 2 CAS learning outcomes. It relates to ‘Identify own strengths and develop own areas for growth’ as I realize that I am getting pretty good at sailing and now can compete for the podium positions. These races also relate to the learning outcome of ‘Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process’. As this race in the Laser class was quite challenging, and I did develop a few little skills while sailing out in the ocean.
ilockwood
Mathisha, This is a nice post about this unique Activity/Action experience that you are able to participate in. Having all the visual evidence and the video footage helps us get a sense for what you do. Keep up your efforts!