Indian Navy officers Lt Cdr Roopa A from Puducherry and Lt Cdr Dilna K from Calicut will set sail on a challenging circumnavigation of the globe, on October 2, covering approximately 21,600 nautical miles (around 40,000 km) over eight months. The duo will be sailing onboard INSV Tarini, navigating through extreme weather conditions and the high seas, passing three major capes: Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn, and the Cape of Good Hope.
If successful, the officers will become the first Indians to achieve this feat in double-handed mode. The expedition, part of Navika Sagar Parikrama II, follows the first circumnavigation by an all-women crew in 2017.
Lt Cdr Roopa and Lt Cdr Dilna have spent the last three years preparing for the journey, participating in multiple trans-oceanic expeditions. They will sail without external assistance, relying solely on wind power. The voyage will be flagged off from the Naval Ocean Sailing Node at INS Mandovi, Goa.
Their preparation includes a trans-oceanic expedition from Goa to Rio de Janeiro via Cape Town and back last year as part of a six-member crew. They also completed voyages from Goa to Port Blair and from Goa to Port Louis, Mauritius, in dual-handed mode.
"Sagar Parikrama would be a gruelling voyage requiring extreme skills, physical fitness and mental alertness. The officers have been training rigorously and gained thousands of miles of experience under their belt," Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal had said earlier this month. "The two women officers have been preparing for the Sagar Parikrama expedition for the last three years," he added.
Retired Navy veterans Captain Dilip Donde and Cdr Abhilash Tomy, both accomplished circumnavigators, have mentored the officers for this historic voyage. Lt Cdr Dilna K, from Calicut, was commissioned into the Navy in 2014, and her father, the late Devadasan, served in the Indian Army. Lt Cdr Roopa A, from Puducherry, joined the Navy in 2017, and her father, Alagirisamy GP, served in the Indian Air Force.
Vice Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, praised the mission as a testament to the officers' perseverance, courage, and commitment to India’s maritime heritage. The journey is being conducted under the Indian Naval Sailing Association and the Ocean Sailing Node, Goa, with coordination from international maritime agencies.
The Indian Navy has revitalised its sailing tradition, emphasising maritime heritage and seamanship skills. Ships like INS Tarangini and INS Sudarshini, along with circumnavigation missions onboard INSV Mhadei and INSV Tarini, have placed the Navy at the forefront of ocean sailing expeditions.
INSV Tarini, which previously circumnavigated the globe with an all-women crew in 2017, is set to continue this legacy with the upcoming voyage, showcasing India’s maritime expertise and gender equality in global maritime activities.
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