Holding on to the strings of the boat and making adjustments according to the wave conditions is certainly not an easy task. But Xerxes Bamboat, a young sailor has been doing it effortlessly for the past eight years with a great success! Xerxes was inspired from his dad Sheri Bamboat. He attended a sailing program with his father, organized by the yacht club. There, he instantly took a liking to sailing and from then on there was no turning back and sailing became a significant part of his life. He loves the fact that one can sail at pretty high speeds with the help of the wind and not with the help of some machine.
Xerxes has participated in many national & international sailing championships. He won two national sailing championships in the Optimist class. In 2006 he represented India at the Asian games in Goa. He has achieved a lot till date and there is more to come. On being asked about his ambition he says, “I wish to win a lot of medals at the International stage and make my country proud”. Xerxes prefers to use the single handed boat wherein only one person mans the entire boat. He feels that this is very challenging and competitive.
To him sailing is not a sport that is gender biased. At the international level men and women both have an equal chance. The number of women sailors in the singles category is very less. Women generally tend to take part in team events but the past few years have seen a steady rise in the number of women sailors in the singles category Xerxes feels that even women have a great scope in sailing. On asking about his take on the current scenario of sailing in India, he says that “There is little importance and direction given to sailing, its going to take some time to move forward as a sport. But there is still talent and scope so there no reason to lose hope”.
When asked about his journey as a young sailor Xerxes says, “It’s been pretty good. Sailing is my hobby and I love it. Everyday is a challenge. If you enjoy it, it’s not difficult. If you get across on the initial stage, it’s really good fun and I recommend sailing for everyone. To sum up my journey in one word it would be ADVENTEROUS!”. Xerxes aims at achieving a lot more in life but his current exploits in sailing are more than enough to act as a source of inspiration for all those who wish to take up sailing as their career.
Compiled by Vishwaja Salian