It was all about keeping alive an age-old competition of fishermen, slowing dying mainly owing to modernisation of boats and changes in fishing methods.
Adding colour to the festive mood of fishermen of Arulmigu Kadalsool Mariamman Temple at Maha Sakthi Puram near Thondi on Thursday, a flotilla of catamarans, one of the oldest and cheapest forms of boats, competed with each other. As many as 13 boats took part in the competition which was witnessed by a large number of fishermen, their family members, friends and relatives. The catamarans had to sail 20 km.
According to rules fixed by the organisers, the participants should travel up to a marked point and return to the shore after going round a boat anchored in the sea.
The triangle-shaped sail fixed on the boat has to be moved based on wind direction. No fuel is needed and only the skill of boatmen counts. The boatmen must have the expertise to sail the catamaran both against and with the wind. It will test the skill of the fishermen, who have to adjust the direction as per the course of the wind. Otherwise they will drift away from the race line and take much longer a time to complete the race.
“Though a lot of fishermen in the region have switched over to trawlers or motorised boats, we stick to the catamaran for fishing as we want to continue with our tradition. To keep it alive, we conduct the sailing competition once a year. It has added colour to our festival also,” says R. Rajan, one of the organiers of the completion.
He said that response from the boatmen and spectators was excellent and it had been proved once again that the ancient sport of the fishermen had all characteristics to attract a huge crowd. It had taken nearly three hours to cover the distance. P. Senthil was adjudged the best sailor and he received a cash prize of Rs. 5,000, followed by S. Sabari, K. Balamurugan and R. Muneeswaram who received a prize ranging from Rs.4,000 to Rs.3,000.
