The forgotten sport has hoisted its sails again

It was the year 2004 and as you drove by Boat Basin in Karachi, the lagoon on the side was occupied with at least a dozen boats with young, enthusiastic sailors undertaking preliminary courses. For the next several years, however, the boats were not to be seen. Sailing, a sport once enjoyed by a handful, was abandoned in its nascent stages.

Last week, however, The National Sailing Centre (NSC) in Karachi re-launched its sailing programme in a bid to promote the sport, in a city that has forgotten it once existed. Sails were hoisted, masts up-held and decks re-polished as young students took their first lesson on Optimist sailing. These are all activities that the lagoon was stripped off for several years.

The NSC Secretary and the Pakistan Sailing Federation (PSF) Secretary-General Commander (r) Noorul Islam, who took control of office in July, said that his main task was to revive sailing.

“It’s a very difficult task to revive a forgotten sport. My aim is to create new resources and to co-ordinate the existing ones to their optimal utilisation.”

Sailing is an expensive sport to sustain. Five years ago, when sailing was at its prime, under the leadership of Captain A R Arshad, it came to an abrupt halt. Courses were abandoned, boats withdrawn and no formal notice was given. According to Islam, sailing was “flourishing at that time”.

The PSF President Rear-Admiral Syed Khawar Ali, though, remains optimistic. He wants to “broaden the base” and increase the sport’s popularity so that more people can have access to sailing in the country. One wonders why a safe lagoon such as Boat Basin was not utilised over the last several years. A valuable resource, left deserted, has, over the last several years, resulted in a significant amount of loss for the city and its people.

“The past is not under my control but I see a bright future for the young sailors in Pakistan,” said Alam, as students wore their life-jackets before mounting the Laser 16 for a ride around the lagoon. “Proactive, young and determined people are what we need. If we can attract a number of interested people, we can broaden our base which will increase our chances of producing international standard sportsmen.”

The secretary looked ambitious and was satisfied as he successfully completed the first day of his re-launch campaign. Ten students showed up on the first day. Six boats are still waiting to be occupied. The secretary should be concerned. It is, after all, a difficult task to re-launch a forgotten sport.



The writer is a sub-editor at The Express Tribune

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2010.