The H20 water sports complex at Chowpatty is playing host to close to 30 yachts that will anchor there before taking off for the first ever Vasco Da Gama Cup rally from Mumbai to Baina Beach in Vasco Da Gama (Goa) culminating on April 29.

The rally, planned to encourage water sports and sailing in India has yachts from Holland, France, US, Italy, UK and Germany, besides others, along with Indian yachts. Even as a number of enthusiasts gathered at the Salt Water Grill, the H20’s restaurant yesterday afternoon, the yachts that had set off from Finike Setur Marina in Turkey on October 31, 2005, making their journey all around, were just coming in.

Though the rally will have prizes for the first, second and third, the competitive element will run concurrently with the strong sense of adventure that the event intends to foster and promote.

That is why it is named after Vasco Da Gama, the Portugese explorer who established a sea route from Europe to India. Da Gama’s journey, however, led directly to 250 years of Portugese colonialism in India.

The official flag-off ceremony for the rally will take place on Sunday afternoon.

So guys, slip…slop…slap on the suncreen and head to Chowpatty tommorrow morning.

* Source – Mid-Day ^[1]