Take to ocean sailing, says sailor

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Sailing Association (TNSA) on Saturday felicitated Commander Dilip Donde, 47, for being 'the first Indian to circumnavigate the world solo in an indigenously built sailboat' in 2010. Currently on a mission to inspire young sailors to take to ocean sailing, Cdr Donde used the 56-foot INSV Mhadei (or 'Sailors' Goddess' in Konkani), in which he had accomplished his feat, to come from Goa to Port Blair and Vizag.

He is bound for Kochi on Sunday to celebrate  Mhadei's sixth anniversary. "Sailing has a competitive edge and the fun-filled one. It's time our youngsters ventured out to sea and explored for themselves," he said. The sport needed to be popularised, he added, so that sailing facilities would improve and its costs too would come down.

He pointed out that the boat he used was a 56-foot INSV Mhadei (or 'Sailors' Goddess' in Konkani), quite different from earlier naval expeditions undertaken in ships, such as the Samudra and Tarangini, which "traversed through the Panama Canal, which does not technically qualify as circumnavigation. I didn't take those short cuts," Cdr Donde said at the function, held at the Seafarers Club here.

He completed the expedition in 157 days, being honoured thereafter with the Shaurya Chakra, the MacGregor Medal, Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award and Maritime Achievement Award from the National Maritime Foundation.