KARACHI, May 25: Winning five of the six races sailed, Shehryar Arshad and Mohammad Riaz won the National Enterprise Sailing Championship for the third successive year at the Pakistan Navy Aquatic Club.

In the sixth and final event, the champions made a premature start and after realising their mistake tried desperately hard to make a comeback. But their gallant effort was not enough to qualify them for a restart.

Without knowing their error, the two began the race again and although they finished ahead of the others in the race, the Race Official, Petty Officer Maqsood, declared them “over the line”, thus awarding them 15 penalty points.

But the two seasoned sailors seemed unruffled with the decision. They still finished on top with nil penalty points, after they discarded the sixth race, being allowed to discard one race.

The fight for the second spot entered a crucial stage when new comers Naseem Javed and Abdul Hameed, also from the Pakistan Navy, capsized in the fifth after lying second for most part of the race.

Lt. Cdr Akram Tariq and Lt Cdr Imran Iftikhar were second.

Mohammad Anwar and Sarfaraz maintained lead in the Silver Fleet followed by Ishfaq Elahi and Mohammad Rasheed.

In the Enterprise Class, Shehryar Arshad and Mohammad Riaz ruled the roost with zero penalty points to their credit. Naseem Javed and Abdul Hameed were second with 17.4 penalty points and breathing down their necks were Lt. Cdr Akram Tariq and Lt. Cdr Imran Iftikhar with 20.4 penalty points.

The last crucial race will be held on Sunday.