After sailing clubs were established across the city during the colonial era, sailing became an incredibly popular sport in the city and has continued to grow. In the last two decades, there have been significant changes to the Mumbai coastline and the sailing culture. There have also been many challenges such as poor infrastructure and legal hurdles that have prevented sailing from becoming more popular. Says Shakeel Kudrolli, founder of Aquasail India, “There was no definition for sailboats and pleasure vessels, making it impossible to register and recognise these boats.” Boat storage and servicing has been another challenge to overcome. Homi Motivala, owner of Sailing Stuff, thinks sailing could become even more popular with better infrastructure.

Source: Indian Express August 05, 2017 22:52 UTC