In a groundbreaking moment, Royal College achieved a historic triumph at the 8th Royal-Thomian Sailing Encounter held on October 5 at the Ceylon Motor Yacht Club on Bolgoda Lake in Moratuwa. The Royalists secured both the Ranil Dias Trophy and the Jerome Bolling Trophy in this thrilling event, marking their first-ever tie-breaker victory.
This remarkable win marked a significant milestone as it was the first time in history that the Royal Thomian sailing regatta went into a tie-breaker, ultimately won by Royal College after a five-year hiatus. Royal College emerged victorious in both the senior and junior categories, securing both coveted trophies. Notably, this was Royal College’s second win in the past eight encounters. The event was made even more special as it marked the farewell of both captains, with Royal’s Sahanya Wevita and Thomian’s Shashenka Fernando leading their respective teams for the last time. Both captains had represented their colleges consecutively since the inaugural encounter held a decade ago in 2013.
Royal College’s dominance was evident as they claimed five out of six podium finishes in the individual events, showcasing their exceptional skills. In the junior segment, Royal College secured three podium finishes, while Royal sailors also claimed the second and third positions in the senior category, with Thomian captain Shashenka Fernando clinching the top spot.
Royal captain Sahanya Wevita expressed his joy by saying, “The journey was tough, but the victory is incredibly sweet.” The encounter received sponsorship from Future Fibres boat company and spanned two days. The first day featured individual events for both juniors and seniors, while the second day included four team events.
On the opening day, S Thomas’ captain Shashenka Fernando won the Laser individual event, earning two crucial points for his team. Meanwhile, Kaveen de Costa from Royal College contributed two points by securing victory in the Optimist individual event.
On the second day, Royal College secured victory in the Optimist ‘B’ team race, adding one more point to their tally, and they also triumphed in the Optimist ‘A’ team race, earning an additional two points. The Laser ‘B’ team race was won by the crew from Mount Lavinia school, including Shashen Ellawala, Mckyle Karunaratne, Vinuk Senaratne, and Nithik Senaratne, who added one point. Thomians excelled in the Laser ‘A’ team race, securing two more points, led by captain Shashenka Fernando, Enalka de Silva, Nithik Senaratne, and Steve Singh.
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