Hobie Cats, Lightnings, Tarpons win NBC Boat race championship

Forty-five sailors, including women, competed in this year’s Lagos Yacht Club yearly boat racing championship.

At the end of the race, winners emerged from the three categories based on boats used. Hobie Cats, Lightnings and Tarpons won trophies at the end of the championship.

Consumer packaged goods company and member of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC), Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd (NBC), entertained boat lovers at the end of the race held at Lagos Yacht Club last weekend.

The yearly event, which has been sponsored by the beverage giant for almost a decade, brings together boat lovers and sailors from across the world to witness a day of exhilarating yacht racing competition whilst promoting health and wellness. 

Speaking at the event, Public Affairs and Communications Director at the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC), Ekuma Eze, said: “As a system, together with our partners, Coca-Cola Nigeria, we explore partnerships that enable us to support diverse consumer passions, in line with our advocacy for a more active lifestyle. NBC is a growth-focused company committed to the health and wellbeing of our employees, customers, and the environment, and this event is an exciting opportunity for us to encourage the adoption of diverse sports in the country.

“We are also proud that this competition has grown to be what it is today and is evidently in line with our corporate social responsibility goals, to improve the quality of life for people in the communities where we operate.”

Also speaking, the Commodore at Lagos Yacht Club, John Shidiak said: “In recent years, boat racing has made rapid strides globally and continues to inspire all boat lovers and fans. We have seen the number of Nigerian sailors increase year-on-year and it is something we are extremely proud of. The NBC has been a long-standing partner and supporter of this competition and we are delighted to be able to carry on with this activity despite the break caused by the pandemic. We remain confident that this collaboration will be hugely beneficial to motivating Nigerians to adopt boat racing as a lifestyle”. 

Some of the Yacht racing trophy winners this year include: Avy E, Sandra Ozioma, Julian hardy, Ed Skene, Laurens Kreuze, Liam Haayer, Anouk Sebillet, Mike Barnes, Lanre Mabawonku and Ayo Ogunbiyi.