Sailing the high seas: Why more people in Mumbai are indulging in sailing

Last week, Misha Paul embarked on her first-ever sailing experience. "It was an incredible experience," she reacts, continuing, "We sailed from Mumbai to Mandhwa and the vastness of the sea coupled with the quietness of it all, was mind-blowing. I also love trying out new experiences."

It is this very experience that made Shaun Dsouza, a city-based entrepreneur, who used his past knowledge of the events and experiences space in India that he has been in since 2017, to start The Bombay Gypsea, a sailing events and experiences company in December 2022. The 28-year-old co-founder says, "We started during the Covid-19 pandemic because I used to get a lot of calls since I was associated with sailing before that. People are always looking to experience something new in Mumbai and sailing is not something that you have to go far away because it is done in the city. Even when you go, it is a two-hour getaway while you are in the city because it is completely silent." While they started doing private gigs initially because families wanted to get out of their houses during that time, it has now evolved into something more.

Curating unique experiences
With the growing demand, Dsouza got 35-year-old Rohit Babhania, the co-founder, and they started hosting experiences. He explains, "People don't realise how accessible the sea is to them. Many of them go internationally and experience musicians performing on the boat. I was in New York in 2022 and happened to see this experience and thought to myself, ‘Why isn't this happening in Mumbai when the sea is a major part of it when you can see the sunrise and the sunset?'" Intending to make the boat a venue and bust the myth that it is expensive, they started curating different experiences.

Also Read: Daring to drive: How Mumbai's female rickshaw drivers are beating the odds

He says, "If you go to a restaurant in Mumbai, you shall easily spend Rs 2,000." Today, they charge Rs 3,000 for two hours on the boat where they host different types of musicians, historians and even a meditation expert for different kinds of events. While they do a historical sail off Colaba as early as 7 am on Sunday, they also do a maritime sail in the morning. On the other hand, the evenings have the musicians who perform and even get a DJ onboard, which are usually three-hour sails. While there is one hour of cruising, they anchor in the centre and the musician plays as people eat and drink and enjoy themselves. Interestingly, they have not only hosted families and friends but also have corporate groups coming to unwind right in the middle of the water.

While it seems like it is best for groups, Dsouza says it can be done alone and by anybody who wants to indulge in the experience. The interesting part about the experience is that it is also quite sustainable. He explains, "Most of the sailboats run on wind so there is no real noise around you except for the waves hitting the boat." Through this, Colaba-based Dsouza says he wants to remove the notion that sailing is meant only for the rich or the elite because it can be done by just anyone.

Being in the events and experiences business for close to seven years, Dsouza says he has seen a lot more people taking to sailing. He shares, "In 2017, there weren't a lot of people who were interested in exploring the city. Over the years it has changed so much, more people want to explore their neighbourhood." While achieving considerable success, now they have expanded to Goa, and tourists can always reach out to them for sailing near Britona in the sunshine state.

Art, maritime and water
In Mumbai, he has collaborated with the likes of Daniel Sequiera, whose family has been running the Karfule art deco petrol pump in Ballard Estate for over 80 years now, to share Mumbai's history with people; this is while people indulge in food by chef Heena Punwani's city-inspired Maska Bakery. D'souza has also brought Art and Wonderment, run by Mumbaikars Alisha Sadikot and Nishita Zachariah, on board to tell people about Mumbai and its art. It doesn't stop there. Imagine learning about the city's maritime history while you are sailing in the sea. That is what Anita Yewale, a city-based maritime history and heritage enthusiast, engages people with as they sit with rapt attention; this experience is happening this weekend.

Also Read: Crazy for karaoke: How Mumbai's bars, jockeys and enthusiasts turn up the volume for karaoke

The experiences are conducted on different types of sailboats including a four-seat and a 30-seater sailboat or even 12 or 40-seater power yachts, which are slightly more expensive at Rs 3,500 per person. The season for sailing is from October to May, says Dsouza, and with climate change, sometimes even that becomes shorter because of rains during October. However, they navigate them perfectly like they do the waters, and see a lot of demand during November and December.

With summer in its early days here, it is probably the best time to go sailing before it gets hotter. However, Dsouza says it isn't too harsh. He explains, "Once the monsoons end, we usually start in October-November, and then we get more people in December-January-February. Even during the summer in the evenings, it is not that hot and is cool. However, the demand tends to get lesser during April as people think it is hot but once you are on the boat, it is not that hot."

Indulge in the experience
Like Paul, Pragya Goyal chanced upon sailing two years ago and hasn't looked back ever since as she goes sailing at different times. Now she has become a regular for sailing experiences hosted by D'souza off Colaba. She shares, "I have always liked the water, sea and beaches because I was born and brought up in Mumbai and that's why I think it is built. I even go for walks on the beach often."

So, it was only natural for the water baby in her to get pulled towards the water at the first opportunity she got within the city. "While I had gone sailing once before, I enjoyed the time I went sailing with my family to celebrate my sister's first wedding anniversary." The 26-year-old says she has observed more people go sailing only in the last few years compared to the last decade. "Even if it was there earlier, people didn't know much about it but now with social media, it is more known and out there. Even if they did, it was considered expensive," adds the city-based pastry chef.

Also Read: How 1982 ‘Gandhi' film inspired Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal to start the Gandhi Book Centre in Grant Road

Ever since she experienced the beauty of the experience of sailing, the Juhu-based resident has been going frequently during November-December and early summer. It is also what leads her to note, "People always go abroad and do sailing there and think why it is not there in India, but it is quite there." Apart from family, Goel also goes with her cousins and friends as they indulge in different kinds of experiences including those that inform her more about the city.

She adds, "I went for one experience that told us about Mumbai's artworks inspired by the sea and its history. So many of us living in Mumbai, do not know many things about the city. This a good way to experience it because after two or three times, you may not want to go sailing but with experiences, it has something new to offer every time." The Mumbaikar, who has attended a Holi bash, says she wouldn't even mind if there was a meditation experience, as it would be something new for people who like to indulge in different activities in the city.

It is also why Goyal believes that more people should experience it because many people have the misconception that sailing is expensive. Goel believes it is quite affordable and worth the experience, especially because you don't have to go anywhere outside of Mumbai to do it, with the number of organisers growing over the years. "I once went for a New Year sail, after sleeping at 3 am. I woke up at 5 am and went for the sail," she concludes, adding to the excitement about the building enthusiasm around the offbeat experience in Mumbai.