CMYC and Sri Lanka put a pin on the world map of sailing

Thursday, 13 October 2016 00:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Ceylon Motor Yacht Club (CMYC) and Sri Lanka became the seventh-largest participant in the world at the Bart’s Bash Sailing regatta held on 8 September.

Bart’s Bash is a global sailing race taking place at hundreds of venues, with thousands of sailors from hundreds of different classes of boat from around the world. Put simply it’s the day the world goes sailing.

It is a day the sailing community remembers Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson, a double Olympic medallist who tragically lost his life while training for the Americas Cup in 2013. It is an annual fundraising and participation campaign promoted by the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation (ASSF). The event was founded in 2014 and was verified by Guinness World Records as The Largest Sailing Race in the World.

Bart’s Bash has seen more than 45,000 sailors participate in the event in 62 countries across the two years. CMYC was a part of the events sailed in 2014 and 2015, and is proud to have made 2016 as big an event as ever.

The club came to life with 46 boats on the water. Cats, Enterprises, Fireball, GPs, Lasers and Optis gathered on a long start-line ahead of a 3,160-metre course. Club sailors, junior sailors and the Sri Lankan Navy all participated.

The wind on Bolgoda Lake was not strong enough to bring the best speed over distance for any class, however, the Bart’s Bash is not all about boat speed and top results, but about being there and participating.

It is a day when we fly our flag with thousands of likeminded people around the world. CMYC and Sri Lanka have, by mustering 46 boats and 80 sailors, put a pin on the world map of sailing that has made the country the seventh-biggest participant from 58 countries.