Myanmar Yachting Federation

Captain Aung Gyi, M.N.(Rtd).

the line due to a tricky start due to avoiding the Ceylonese boat. From about fifty meters he returned to the starting line and Swung around the buoy and chased the others. He overtook all the other boats and was first at the first lap buoy and from there sailed off by himself to win the race. Having won four races in a row he could have sat out for the next two races, but continued competing for a perfect score.

     We ended up with a gold medal for the Enterprise and bronzes for the Fireball and O.K. Dinghies. Htoo Aung Gyi became the youngest ever winner of a gold medal at the age of 15 years. It is a big leap from the limited SEAP Games into the arena of the Asian Games. The latter have competitors who are the cream of Asia and many are also of world class. Our young sea-babies out sailed adult sailors and left their mark on Pattaya Bay.

      In 1971, we had the India-Burma Goodwill Regatta at the Inya Lake. The Indian team led by Colonel M. K. Kapur was proceeding to participate in the Olympics. They consisted (If National Champions and came to Burma (now Myanmar), to practice with our golden boys. We raced four classes of boats, namely, O. K., Fireball, Enterprise and the Rater and won in all the four classes. We won not only the races but also the warm friendship of the Indian Team who felt they had learnt a lot of racing techniques from us.

      My Sailing days have been over a long time ago. But due to the Yangon Sailing Club invitation to be an Honorary Member, I drop by at the Club to observe how it is functioning. It is well preserved traditionally as in the old days, but with emphasis on catching potential sailors at a very tender age. It is heartening to see the parents and the Club Committee giving such strong support to these youngsters, both girls and boys. It is a vibrant Club and no doubt will also get much Gold from the waves. I wish them all the success on this Diamond Jubilee Anniversary occasion. May it always remain young?

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