For fisherman's son Prince Noble and cousin Manu Francis, sailing began at Kerala backwaters

NAGOYA: He lost his father to the ferocity of a flood but water never really intimidated Prince Kurisinkal Noble. On Thursday, he and cousin Manu Francis became India's first Asian Games silver-winning team in men's skiff sailing, reaffirming their "connect" with the sea that is integral to their life back home in Kochi.

Noble's fisherman father died during the catastrophic Kerala floods of 2018. But Noble was drawn to the water and to the sport of sailing quite early in his life. The Arabian Sea, was after all, almost at the doorsteps of his house.

"My father was a fisherman and the sea is very near our house. So, we are connected to the sea. That is why it was easy for us to start with sailing," Noble told PTI in an interaction following the biggest medal of the duo's life at the Kaiyoh Yacht Harbor in Gamagori City near here.

"My father is no more, he died in the floods which hit Kerala in 2018. With the silver medal today, I have done more than what my father had wanted. After my father's death, my mother has been my support system.

"So, I would dedicate this medal to my father, mother, coach, all my well-wishers and countrymen," said the sailor from Ernakulam, the twin city of Kochi.

The 30-year-old Noble said he started sailing in 2009 when he was 13 and studying in class VII.

He and Francis have been sailing together for the last 10 years. They trained at the Mumbai Yachting Node of the Indian Army and in 2023 won an Asian Championships bronze medal.

Francis' sailing journey began as a 14-year-old. He is a year older than Noble.

"Since we are from Kerala, we started sailing at the backwaters. Some of our cousins came into sailing. They told us about sailing. We didn't know much about it initially but later developed a passion," Francis said.

"At first we didn't know anything about sailing. We thought it was like swimming and playing in the water," he joked.

Noble said he competed in an international event for the first time in 2017 in Germany. Francis made his international debut in 2019.

They are both competing in the Asian Games for the first time and they said they could not have asked for a better debut.

"It's a special feeling for us to win a silver medal in our first Asian Games. It could have been a gold but for the windy conditions but that is not an excuse," said Noble.

Speaking about their partnership, Francis said being from the same family has its advantages when it comes an understanding of each other.

"We are cousins and we grew together. Also, we have been sailing together for the past 10 years. We don't have to talk much. We understand. We can handle the bad days very easily.

"We knew that this was the best opportunity we can get."

Francis said his next competition is the national championships in November.

"We hope the medal brings more awareness about sailing in India." he said.