Untitled - Powerboat Archive

Top left: The famous
Gateway of lndia in
Mumbai.
A birds eye view of the
staft from the top of our
high rise hotel.
Comparato
Singha
Left: Podium positions for
Francesco Cantando - 1st,
Guido Cappellini - 2nd,
and Laith Pharaon - 3rd.
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ust a few short years ago, you
would not have imagined
powerboat races being hosted
by India or Saudi Arabia. but in
March the throaty exhausts of F1 were
heard as a 24 strong fleet of the
world's fastest tunnel boats took to the
waters of Mumbai and then Saudia
Arabia for the first two rounds of the
2004 season.
For most of us, this was our first visit
to India, a land of paradoxes having
been home to some of the most
ancient civilisations in the world yet it
only gained its independence from
Britain in 1947. lndia is a land of
extremes in terms of climate from the
tropics in the south and permanent
snow in the north which can be attrib-
uted to the Himalayas, a vast mountain
range exceeding 20,000 feet which
also features a lushness of vegetation
at lower levels. The slopes around
Darjeeling is one of the world's finest
tea-growing areas boasting an almost
tropical climate with an abundance of
water thanks to the monsoons and
rivers together with a liberal helping of
sunsntne.
Being the 7th largest country in the
world with the 2nd highest population
after China, lndia's main cities Mumbai
(previously known as Bombay),
Calcutta and Delhi rank among the
biggest cities in the world.
You have to travel far back in time to
discover how Mumbai first got its name
and how it has since developed. Early
volcanic activity caused a large area of
land to separate from the mainland on
the west coast of the Indian peninsula.
This land mass, together with seven
smaller sections, landed in the Arabian
Sea in close proximity to the mainland.
The largest and most southerly of these
islands is a narrow strip of rock which
today is known as Mumbai and, togeth-
er with the triangular Old Woman's
lsland, formed the modern Colaba.
Across the strait, to the south-east is
an 'H'shaped island called the Fort by
early Koli residents after their goddess.
With the passing of time many hills
were levelled or quarried to breach the
channels between the seven islands
and over the centuries this area has
become Greater Mumbai.
Among the buildings in Mumbai is
the Mumbadevi Temple, dedicated to
the patron goddess of the Kolis, the
crty's original settlers. Before the arrival
of the Portuguese, it is believed that
Mumbadevi had a shrine on the pre-
sent day Victoria Railway Terminus.
now known as Chatrapati Shivaji
Terminus. (This station is a 'must see'
on every tourist's itinerary just to wit-
ness the millions of travellers arriving
and departing from the terminus daily
creating total mayhem).
When the Portuguese had to give
the city in dowry to the English (as part
of a marriage contract between
Princess Catherine and Charles 11)in
1665, l\4umbadevi Temple was situated
on a vast stretch of green known as the
Esplanade. The original temple was
demolished in the 18th century and
rebuilt soon afterwards at its present
site in South Mumbai.
In the days of the East India
Company, English residents were
called Bombay Ducks, the last word
being a corruption of the Latin 'duces'
or leaders. The expression later came
to be applied to the local sun-dried fish
'bombil'.
Our residence in Mumbai for the
duration of the UIM World Fl meeting
was the Oberoi Towers, a superb 30
floor hotel with magnificent views over
the City and race circuit off Marine
Drive, Nariman Point. The Indian Grand
Prix was sponsored by the Government
of Maharashtra, Maharashtra Tourism
and Development Corporation and sev-
WORLD OF POWERBOATS - 29