The Wind Blowing My Hair

The wind blowing my hair as I glided across water gave me an ineffable sense of freedom that filled my 10 year old self with euphoria. Ever since, sailing has been my one true love. It has taught me and brought me closer to my love for nature and most importantly, respect its existence. I was a young girl when I first began sailing. Feeling deeply passionate about the sport, I wanted to excel at it but was unfortunately not exposed to any professional training at the time. Seeing my competitive spirit and unbridled passion, my parents thought it would be best to get me a coach and in no time I found myself being a part of several competitions and races. My parents were so supportive of my love for the sport, that my dad decided to take it up himself.

Growing older, I began doing exceptionally well at the sport and realized that it lacked mainstream acceptance in our country. I wanted to share my bliss and experiences with other people and so after finishing my masters from the Royal Yacht Association, I began the Discover Sailing India school with my father and sister, Sunil and Malvika Lobo. Discover Sailing India is a sailing centre for people who want to learn and experience the art of sailing. From young children to adults, it brings me immense joy to say that everyone who ever sailed with us felt and experienced how enthralling this sport can be. Having received a huge positive response, we were overjoyed and felt that it was time for us to give back to the beautiful force of nature that was sustaining us and various habitats of our ecosystem.

From time to time, we started supporting a group of kids to help with cleaning up beaches, taking part in competitions that raised awareness for the sport and raising funds for a women’s sailing team. Sailing has not only changed my life but my perspective towards the world around me. It has taught me that if you respect nature, it will respect you back and once you’ve established an intimate rapport with nature nothing can stop you from experiencing the fulfilment and liberation that comes with it.