New Delhi, April 26: INSV Tarini is all set to cast off and embark upon the last leg of the circumnavigation voyage on Thursday from Port Louis in Mauritius to Goa. This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. The vessel is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, and the crew comprises Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.

The all-women crew have trained extensively for the voyage. They have sailed approximately 20,000 Nm onboard INSV Mhadei and Tarini as part of training, which includes two expeditions to Mauritius (in 2016 and 2017) and a voyage from Goa to Cape Town in December 16. The vessel is scheduled to return to Goa in April 2018, on completion of the voyage.

INSV Tarini is the sister vessel of INSV Mhadei. The project is considered essential towards promoting Ocean Sailing activities in the Navy while depicting Government of India’s thrust for ‘Nari Shakti’.  The expedition is being covered in five legs, with stop-overs at four ports: Fremantle (Australia), Lyttleton (New Zealand), Port Stanley (Falklands), and Cape Town (South Africa). Presently, the vessel has covered three of the five legs of the voyage, with the first port halt at Fremantle (Australia) in October and the second at Lyttelton (New Zealand) in November last year.

The vessel and the crew experienced rough weather and stormy winds during the passage across the Pacific Ocean that spanned 41 days. This coupled with the extremely cold climatic conditions prevailing in the region, proved to be a daunting task to overcome for the Indian Navy crew. Winds in excess of 60 knots and waves upto 7 meters were experienced on this leg of the passage.

Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had flagged-off INSV Tarini from Goa on September 10, 2017. The vessel has covered approximately 15000 Nautical miles from Goa, crossing the Equator on 25 September 17, Cape Leeuwin on November 9, 2017 and Cape Horn on January 18, 2018.

The indigenously-built INSV Tarini is a 56-foot sailing vessel, which was inducted in the Indian Navy earlier this year and showcases the ‘Make in India’ initiative on the International forum.

The expedition titled ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’, is in consonance with the National policy to empower women to attain their full potential. It also aims to showcase ‘Nari Shakti’ on the world platform and help revolutionise societal attitudes and mindset towards women in India by raising visibility of their participation in challenging environs.

The crew has also been collating and updating meteorological, ocean and wave data on a regular basis for accurate weather forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD), as also monitoring marine pollution on the high seas. They would interact extensively with the local populace, especially children, during the port halt to promote Ocean sailing and the spirit of adventure.

To recall, the first Indian Solo circumnavigation was undertaken by Capt Dilip Donde, SC (Retd) from 19 Aug 09 to 19 May 10 onboard the Indian built vessel, INSV Mhadei. The first Indian non-stop solo circumnavigation was undertaken by Cdr Abhilash Tomy, KC from November 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 26, 2018 09:48 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).