Boats ahoy!

Coimbatore:

A huge crowd of men

, women and children watched in awe as the waves of a turquoise Kurichi lake gently rocked six sailboats,

a kayak and a rowing boat.

The two-day Royal Boat Show, which began on Saturday as part of the 12th edition of the annual Coimbatore Vizha (Coimbatore Festival), will create awareness on rainwater harvesting and preservation of water bodies, said B Praveen Kumar, chairman of Young Indians (YI), which is organizing the event in association with the Indian Navy and the Royal Madras Yacht Club (RMYC).

Commanding officer of INS Agrani Ashok Rai along with social activist SP Anbarasu inaugurated the show.

The boats were brought from the Southern Naval Command in Kochi, Kumar said. “A team comprising of 14 Navy personnel and RMYC members are rowing the boats. The boats neither pollute the lake nor make noise,” TOI. “We have also deployed a motorized rescue boat to handle any untoward incident.”

“Coimbatore Vizha is not just about celebrations but also about creating a platform for new ventures. As of now, no boating activity is carried out in the city. By laying a foundation as part of the vizha, we are planning to create an ecosystem where sailing can be taken up as a sport for the younger generation,” Kumar said.

YI is planning to conduct a regatta, which will have a series of boat or yacht races, as a part of the vizha next year, the official said. “We are also conducting talks with the city corporation, Indian Navy and various government departments on starting a boat club as a part of the lake beautification project.”

The only thing that connects the city with boating is the non-functioning boat house at Singanallur lake, said Dharmalingam, a resident of Veerakeralam. “It is the first time a boat show is being organized in the city. As there are not many recreational spaces, the event attracted several people, especially children. But, as the details of the event were not publicized properly, we could not reach here on time,” he said.

The boat show is on from 10:30am to 12:30pm and again from 3pm to 5pm.


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