Women Leading In Circumnavigations

Lt Cdr Dilna and Lt Cdr Roopa of INSV Tarini lead 17,000NM trans-ocean inter-continental venture

Padmesh Prabhune

Kudos to the valour, courage and perseverance of the crew, especially the two women officers, Lt Cdr Dilna K and Lt Cdr Roopa A of INSV Tarini for successfully completing a 17,000-nm long trans-ocean inter-continental voyage from Goa to Rio de Janerio via Cape Town and back in seven months, and now returning home.

The other participants on board include the onward leg crew from Goa to Rio-de-Janerio comprising Capt Atool Sinha, Lt Cdr Ashutosh Sharma and Lt Aviral Keshav, and the return leg crew comprising Cdr Nikhil Hegde, Cdr MA Zulfikar, Cdr Divya Purohit and Cdr AC Doke.

Back home, the Indian Navy is all set to receive its six-member crew of INSV Tarini, at the ‘Flag in’ ceremony on 23^rd May at the Indian Naval Watermanship Training Centre (INWTC), INS Mandovi, Goa

Dr. Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa, has kindly consented to be Chief Guest for the event, while Guest of Honour Smt Smriti Irani, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff and Ms. Rani Rampal, ex-Captain of the Indian Women Hockey Team, will also be present on the occasion.

The current sailing expedition of INSV Tarini is part of the run up towards the Navy’s next big project to send a woman to circumnavigate the globe – Solo.

Earlier in 2009-2010, Captain Dilip Donde became the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe; subsequently Cdr Abhilash Tomy was the first Asian skipper to participate in two circumnavigations.

–Marex Media