All-Women Crew Aboard INSV Tarini Weeks Away From Creating History

Six female officers are set to become the first Indian women crew to circumnavigate the globe.

The vessel has covered the distance of 1,75,00 nautical miles so far.

Photo Credit: AP

An indian navy sailboat with an all-female crew consisting 6 women sailors are about to create history by becoming the first-ever female Indian navy crew to sail across the globe. The team started their journey on 10 September on a cruising sloop called INSV Tarini and has been sailing for over 5 months in the ocean.

Well, it has been the most humbling experience of my life, and sometimes the winds would just pick up in no time and sometimes they would drop down and we would just keep waiting days for them to pick up.

Vartika Joshi, Lieutenant Commander to AP

The group started their voyage from the port of Goa on a 56-foot (17-metre) boat and have visited Fremantle, Australia; Lyttelton, New Zealand and Port Stanley, Falklands. The vessel has covered the distance of 1,75,00 nautical miles so far.

The ocean never differentiates between the genders, the weather conditions just pick up and suddenly drop down and we have to do the same kind of thing any individual is required to do, so there is no gender bias in nature and in every field I suppose, whether it’s for flying, whether it’s for sailing, whether it’s for swimming, all sports all activities that we do in our life you need dedication, you need devotion as an individual, not as a gender.

Shougrakpam Vijaya, Lieutenant to AP

The INSV Tarini on Friday sailed into Cape Town, its last port of call before heading back to the Indian port of Goa. The crew received warm welcome in Cape Town from students, Indian diplomats, Indian diaspora members and Mayor Patricia de Lille, who later tweeted that these sailors are an inspiration to women worldwide. The boat's arrival coincided with the day of Holi.

(With inputs from AP.)