INSV Tarini's historic all-women crew crosses 'Mt Everest of sailing'
In September'17, a six-member all-women Indian Navy crew set out on a global circumnavigation trip on board INSV Tarini. Four months later, it has successfully crossed the Drake Passage, notorious for its rough waters, and rounded Cape Horn. In a proud moment, the crew unfurled the tricolor after crossing the 'Mt Everest of sailing.' This is the first such attempt by an all-woman crew.
A detailed plan of the mission
The mission, dubbed the 'Navika Sagar Parikrama,' was flagged off on September 10. The plan is to complete the journey in five legs with stops at four ports. The team is to stop for replenishment and repairs at Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands) and Cape Town (South Africa). They are expected to return to Goa in April'18.
The crew battles a storm in the Pacific
About the experienced and capable crew
The mission is being skippered by Lt. Cdr. Vartika Joshi. Joining her are lieutenant commanders P Swathi and Pratibha Jamwal, and lieutenants Aishwarya Boddapati, S Vijaya Devi and Payal Gupta. As part of their preparations, they sailed for over 20,000 nautical miles on the INSV Mhadei and INSV Tarini. These included a Goa-Cape Town voyage (2016) and two expeditions to Mauritius (2016 and 2017).
So far, so good: Commendable progress made till now
INSV Tarini reached Lyttelton early last month after first stopping over at Fremantle. The next leg, from Lyetton to Port Stanley, is likely to be the toughest. While crossing the Drake Passage, the sea was "rough" and winds "strong gusting to ~70kmph," the navy said. On their journey, they have been collecting meteorological, ocean and wave data as well as monitored marine pollution.
The crew enjoys with hot vadas!
India's record in circumnavigation missions
Commander Dilip Donde was the one to have undertaken India's first solo circumnavigation. He started on August 19, 2009 and ended May 19, 2010 on INSV Mhadei. Commander Abhilash Tomy used Mhadei again for a non-stop circumnavigation from November 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013.
