DURBAN - THE WORLD’S first Indian all-women circumnavigation sailing crew arrived in South Africa on Friday.
The crew made a stopover in Cape Town on board the Indian naval sailing vessel Tarini, after setting out from Goa, India, on September 10.
Thus far, the intrepid sailors have visited Freemantle, Australia; Lyttelton, New Zealand; and Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. They arrived in Cape Town for the final port of call.
For a sailing boat’s voyage to qualify as circumnavigation, the voyage has to start and finish at the same port, cover a distance of at least 21600 nautical miles and keep south of the three great capes of the southern hemisphere. It must also cross all longitudes in the same direction, cross the equator twice and not use any canals or be driven by the boat’s engine.
The crew was welcomed by Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, members of the SA Navy, the High Commissioner of India in South Africa and the consul-general of India in the city.
The Indian Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini arrives in Cape Town with six women officers from the Indian Navy on board. Cape Town was the last port of call before the final leg to India. They will be the first Asian women, and the Indian navy will be the first military establishment, to complete this circumnavigation.Picture: Nasief Manie
Capetonians, including members of the Indian diaspora, turned out in their numbers, along with students from several schools
The day of arrival of the INSV Tarini coincided with the Holi festival, which was celebrated across the globe on Friday.
The INSV Tarini will berth in Cape Town until March 14.
Abhishek Shukla, the High Commissioner of India to South Africa, said that to promote ocean sailing and encourage woman empowerment, the Indian Navy had come up with the concept of the first Indian all-women circumnavigation of the globe.
“A team of six woman officers, led by Lieutenant-Commander Vartika Joshi, was selected for this project.
“These officers have done basic sailing training courses in Mumbai, followed by navigation, seamanship, communication and meteorology courses at various naval training schools,” said Shukla.