New Delhi, January 23: On its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe, INSV Tarini entered Port Stanley (Falkland islands) on Monday. 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 vessel is likely to depart Port Stanley on February 4, 2018.

Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had flagged-off INSV Tarini from Goa on 10 September 17. The vessel has covered approximately 15000 Nautical miles from Goa, crossing the Equator on 25 September 17, Cape Leeuwin on 09 November 17 and Cape Horn on 18 January 18. 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 up to 7 meters were experienced on this leg of the passage.

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 the visibility of their participation in challenging environs.

The vessel is scheduled to return to Goa in April 2018, on completion of the voyage. 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 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.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 23, 2018 03:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).