INS Dronacharya wins Kochi area boat pulling regatta trophy

The INS Dronacharya team won the Regetta trophy in the Kochi Area Pulling Regatta 2019 of the Southern Naval Command (SNC) held in the Ernakulam Channel Thursday.

The Boat Pulling Regatta is one of the most prestigious and traditional naval sporting activities conducted by the Navy.

In the keenly contested event, the team from INS Dronacharya won the overall regatta trophy (called The Cock) while Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) School & Diving School secured the runners up position, a Defence release said.

Races during the regatta were conducted in the traditional pulling 'whalers' and held in four different categories - - junior sailors, senior sailors, officers and best whaler.

The boats had to cover a distance of 1.6 km in the Ernakulam Channel, starting from the Venduruthy-Vikrant Bridge and finishing at the North Jetty of the navy.

Six teams, formed from all major units of SNC based at Kochi, participated in the regatta.

Vice Admiral AK Chawla, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Southern Naval Command, was the Chief Guest on the occasion and presented the awards to the winners and runners up.

He also presented the Godavari Trophy to Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) School & Diving School for being the overall winner of the Kochi Area Sports Championship 2018-19.

The boats used in the regatta are 27 feet long 'whalers' - a type of seaboat - each having a crew of five 'pullers' (rowers) and one coxswain (helm).

The boats are named as "whalers" as they were used in ancient times for catching whales at sea.

The Regatta is considered a signature event of the Command, which requires the highest standards of physical and mental fitness as well as strength, team work, coordination and sustained hard work and practice, the release said.

Winning the 'Regatta Cock' is a matter of great pride and honour for the team which finishes first overall, it added.