Chennai: The Royal Madras Yacht Club Ennore Centre retained the championship title in the gold fleet category at the fifth edition of UNIFI Capital Offshore Regatta, held in the city from May 20 to 23.Organised by RMYC under the aegis of the Yachting Association of India, the event brought together eight teams, including sailors from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and civilian sailing groups. Around 60 sailors participated, making it the largest edition of the regatta so far.The regatta started at 9.30am from Boat Basin inside Chennai Port. The competition was conducted in two legs from Chennai Port to Mahabalipuram and back, and from Chennai to Kamarajar Port and return. Participants competed on J80 class sailboats. The regatta featured two categories – Gold Fleet for professional teams and Silver Fleet for amateur sailors.As part of the format, organisers introduced a ranking event during the first two days. The competition was overseen by an international jury, along with a measurement team and on-water umpiring to ensure fair play. All participating boats were fitted with satellite trackers provided by Elektronik Labs, enabling real-time tracking through the Track anything platform.Safety arrangements were supported by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, while the maritime rescue and coordination centre monitored the fleet throughout the races. In the Gold Fleet category, RMYC Ennore Centre emerged as winners. The team was led by skipper Abhimanyu Panwar, along with Capt Vivek Shanbhag, Arvind Iyer, Dheer Singhi and Roshni Anand. Dilip Donde, the first Indian to complete a solo circumnavigation under sail, attended as chief guest. Other dignitaries present included S Viswanathan, chairperson of Chennai port authority, Rear Admiral Upal Kundu, Rotarian Suresh Jain and Coast Guard DIG Murugan.
