A couple of years ago, a kid in a small coastal town in Maharashtra's Raigad district had no idea about sailing as a sport.
In March 2025, that kid turned up for her first competition, a humble domestic meet in Goa's Morjim.
In November 2026, that kid is set to represent India at the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal's Dakar.
That kid is 14-year-old Priyanshi Patil, the only Indian sailor at the Games who will compete in the women's windsurfing event beginning November 8.
"When I started," Priyanshi told HT, "I did not know that I would reach so far."
And so soon. For someone who began windsurfing training only in February 2025, Priyanshi's growth — without proper equipment and finances initially and a full-time coach still — has been swift in a sport where most of the country's elite competitive sailors come from the Army or the Navy.
Priyanshi comes from relatively less affluent roots. Growing up in Uran, a coastal town around 50 kilometres from Mumbai known for its ports, shipping and fishing, Priyanshi did not know about sailing until her cousin introduced it at a basic level.
{{/usCountry}}Priyanshi comes from relatively less affluent roots. Growing up in Uran, a coastal town around 50 kilometres from Mumbai known for its ports, shipping and fishing, Priyanshi did not know about sailing until her cousin introduced it at a basic level.
{{/usCountry}}"I felt really nice doing it," she said. "I knew nothing about it, but it was a lot of fun."
It was new, yet not completely foreign to her. Priyanshi's father, employed with the Navy, was a former long-distance sea swimmer. His daughter's relationship with the water, thus, was natural.
"They are Kolis, a local fishermen community from Uran. Priyanshi had it in her genes," said Chetan Rane, joint secretary of the Yachting Association of Maharashtra (YAM).
Uran, as it turned out, also became home to YAM in 2024 when, after fighting for a place in Mumbai without success, the association opened its office there. A training centre was set up at Danda Beach, a tourist spot which now hosts camps for sailing and a bunch of kids for training.
Among them was Priyanshi, who loved her new activity, which was, however, expensive. Initially, she trained and competed using borrowed equipment from Hetal Maganlal, the YAM secretary whom she calls "Hetal kaku".
"Our president, Sagar Jondhale, also helped with some funding," said Rane, a former sailor and coach. "Our motive has been to give access to sailing for kids from rural areas who do not have that kind of financial backing that most sailors in India do."
A year later, Priyanshi got sponsorship. And off she went sailing with her own equipment and pocketing medals at the age-group level. She won her first national medal at the All India Windsurfing and Kiteboarding Championship in Goa in March last year. In September, she won bronze at the Singapore International Sailing Championship and two months later, took silver at the Asian Championship.
"Earlier, I would be very scared. I would think, what if I fall?" said the 14-year-old, sounding her age for the first time. "As I competed more, that fear went away. Now, I have a lot of belief in myself."
Priyanshi has better financial support now, but not as much in terms of coaching. That's where her father's role in her journey gets amplified.
"I don't have a proper full-time coach," said Priyanshi. "When I go for competitions, the national association’s coaches give me some tips. And I apply that in training after coming back. In Uran, I train with my father. His support has been massive."
Priyanshi's inspiration in the sport is Katya Coelho, the windsurfer from Goa who competed in the 2018 and 2026 Asian Games and became the first Indian to win an IQFOiL medal at an international meet. Priyanshi too wants to eventually shift to IQFOiL, the Olympic windsurfing class.
For now, just like Katya who competed in the 2014 Youth Olympics, Priyanshi is out there to sail into another new experience as a 2026 Youth Olympian.
"I just don't want to give up,” she said.