Murali Kittu

I recently trained with Homi Manekshaw of Able boats in Mumbai for a sailing course. I got introduced to Homi by someone in the sailing community. I had met on a chance encounter, and he said if I am interested in truly learning how to sail, then Homi is THE person I should reach out to.

I checked out his credentials which were impeccable – Five plus decades of sailing, yacht racing championships, training naval officers, a great reputation in the sailing community and now owner of the training entity he launched – Able boats. I spoke to Homi over the phone where he explained why he was so passionate about teaching people to sail.

His primary goal, as he expressed, was to pass on the skills he had developed over more than five decades of sailing to others who are willing. The combination of pedigree + his passion + my own interest in the subject convinced me to go for a course with him a few months later.

So, when I found four consecutive free days I touched base with him and flew to Mumbai to take up the Yacht Association of India sailing course. He was kind enough to point me to a few hotels nearby for me to stay.

I had earlier done two days of introductory course with another school in South India and did know some basic (or rather I thought so) stuff and had a certification to show for that. However, Homi’s standards are set very high and he repeatedly made it very clear to me that only if I demonstrate both knowledge and practical skills required for the basic level, to HIS satisfaction, he can enroll me in the next level course. So the first day afternoon went in an assessment both on paper and on the boat to satisify him that I was ready for the next level.

The next four days under his tutelage were very exciting and at the same time highly intense and deeply insightful. We did around 20+ hours of sailing and theory sessions. My first realization on day 1 was that my existing knowledge and skills were rather shallow and there is more to it than just earning a certificate.

In Homi’s words the subject is so vast and deep that a short course is like trying to drink from a waterfall – You drink a lot but it is still a small portion of the vast subject.

Our mutual objectives were aligned. I was less interested in a certificate and more interested in going back with the skills to handle a boat with competence and his objective was to create me a platform of fundamental knowledge and skillsets, on which I can build further.

The questions and challenges he constantly kept throwing at me made me resolve to work harder and ensure that I learn as much as I can in the few days we had.

The format he used (as per my observation) was extremely effective, at least for me

Throw a question or a pose a challenge
Force you to think or find the answer yourself.
If all fails then give the answer
Show it practically how the knowledge is applied on the sail boat
Test you to see you have imbibed the skill set.
Make you write down the steps involved a maneuver in your own words
Review and refine if necessary, including the usage of the right nautical terms
Rinse and Repeat for the next skill

Each day was different and I was lucky to face various weather and sea conditions during the week – from ambient conditions for a great sail, zero wind when we had to be towed back (that too is a learning), to very heavy winds when you had to return to the mooring in a hurry. We trained on different boats everyday ranging from the simple and tested seabird to large light weight chinese racing yachts.

My days looked somewhat like this…
Wake up early morning and stroll down to the harbour, enjoy the beautiful Colaba locality, Gateway of India and the Mumbai harbour, take some photographs and then set out on our sail. A morning sail followed by theory session followed by a quick lunch and then one more sail. Evenings were topped off with a relaxed beer session in the nearby lovely bars and restaurants reviewing the day. And then you go back exhausted, have a fresh shower and sleep in the evening.

Late evening, Colaba is a great place to stroll around catch a few drinks and some outstanding food at some popular eating joints in the area. And you come back and do your homework and study for the next day’s session before going to sleep.

If you are interested in learning sailing, I mean truly learning then I would highly recommend Able boats and Homi. Homi all said and done is a tough task master. Slackness or lack of attention will result in an unhappy Homi resulting in quick reprimands, expressed in some very sharp and colorful language. So you better leave your ego at home and come with an open mind and then you will learn a lot from him.

For those who are genuinely interested in learning, either like me who is pursuing it as a leisure activity or for others who may need professional training, I would highly recommend Homi and Able boats. If you are a corporate and would like to do some team building you can consider a day or two on the boat with Homi as a trainer – a combination of team learning and great fun.

As for me I went in with half-baked knowledge and came back with some solid fundamentals drilled into me. On top of that I have come back with the knowledge that I now have a teacher and a friend to lean on in the future for further education in this beautiful sport activity.